Hands-Free Control is a tweak published last evening in Cydia that allows iDevice owners to activate the Siri or Voice Control service even when their terminal is in sleep mode. A device is in sleep mode when it is locked and the screen is closed and theoretically no command can be run on it. Well, Hands-Free Control adds a service that runs continuously in the background and when you say the word Siri, it opens the Voice Control function on the iPhone 3GS/4 and Siri on the iPhone 4S, but for the 4S we have to wait for the release of a jailbreak solution.
Hands-Free Control provides a continuous listening service on your device to activate voice functions, even while in sleep mode. When you speak the keyword, "Siri," the Siri service (on the iPhone 4S, once jailbroken), or Voice Control (on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod 3, and iPod 4) will be activated without pressing any buttons, and then wait for further voice input. Normally you have to press and hold the home button for several seconds to activate these voice functions, but now with this app these features are completely hands-free! Just say "Siri." Sensitivity adjustment to the key word, as well as other configuration options, are provided in the Settings app under "Hands-Free Control." It also works with headphones and bluetooth devices. Because Hands-Free Control runs continuously in the background, noticeable battery usage is to be expected while enabled. To disable, turn off in the Settings. For further questions please refer to my FAQ at handsfreecontrol.com. (the link is further below). No icons have been added to the home screen. Configure Hands-Free Control options from your Settings app.
The developer of the tweak explains very clearly that Siri will not be installed on our device, so don't be under any illusions. Practically, Hands-Free Control is a mobilesubstrate service that runs constantly in the background waiting for the user to say the word Siri and open the Voice Control or Siri service. The bad part is that the battery autonomy will be affected, the good part is that the service works even with handsfree accessories. Hands-Free Control is available in Cydia in the BigBoss repo for $1.99.
