Siri has become a household name on almost all Apple devices. In this overview you can read what you can do with Siri and how you can get the most out of Apple’s voice assistant.
This way you get everything out of Apple’s voice assistant
Siri is Apple’s digital assistant. The smart voice assistant can be found in the operating systems iOS, watchOS and tvOS, as well as in Apple’s CarPlay. Siri uses speech recognition to make recommendations to users and execute voice commands.
The assistant then adapts to users’ preferences to make the search results as personal as possible. Siri saw the light of day in iOS 5 and has improved a lot over the years. The speech assistant started only in English, but has now been speaking Dutch and Flemish without any problems for a long time.
The functions and possibilities of Siri are constantly being expanded, and as a user of an Apple device you can no longer ignore the voice help. You need to know all this about Siri.
- How do I speak to Siri?
- This is how you use Siri Shortcuts
- 3 useful tips to make Siri even smarter
What Apple devices is Siri on?
Siri can in principle be found on all Apple devices. The voice assistant can be used on your iPhone, iPad, but also from all Macs. Siri is also available on the iPod touch.
But wearables and other Apple products also support the voice assistant. You can also find it on the HomePod, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple TV. Siri also works in cars that support Apple CarPlay and on various (bluetooth) headsets, including the EarPods. Siri can be activated in different ways on all these devices.
How do I speak to Siri?
Siri does not always listen to you, but can be activated via the voice command ‘Hey Siri’, or by pressing a certain button. This differs per device. In this overview you can see how you can make the speech assistant listen.
On an iPhone, iPad or iPhone Touch: Say “Hey Siri,” or press and hold the home button or side button (on iPhone X or later and iPad Pro 2018).
On a Mac: Tap the Siri icon in the Dock or at the top of the menu bar. On a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, press the Siri icon on the Touch Bar. All Macs from the 2018 models also support ‘Hey Siri’.
On an Apple Watch: Press the Digital Crown, say “Hey Siri” or lift your watch towards your mouth to speak.
On AirPods or a headset: Double-tap the AirPod set for Siri. On other headsets, press and hold the middle or call button until you hear a sound.
On an Apple TV: Press and hold the Siri button on the remote and release after the voice command.
In Apple CarPlay: Press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel or dashboard and release after the Siri voice command.
On a HomePod: Say “Hey Siri” or press the top of the HomePod.
What can you ask Siri? All the important sample assignments you need to know
Apple’s voice assistant can be used for all kinds of things and can be used for both questions and assignments, and even funny answers are found. The commands you can give Siri can roughly be divided into six categories.
1. The basics
First of all, Siri is a useful help for using the standard iOS apps. For example, ask to call someone or give the command ‘FaceTime Lars’. The same applies to sending an e-mail, a message or calling 112. In addition, you can easily get an update via Siri about the weather or the stocks, or ask to calculate a mathematical sum.
2. Operation
You can also operate your devices quickly via Siri. You can just as easily ask Siri to take a photo or screenshot, or to turn the volume up or down. You can also easily operate the Control Panel on your iPhone or iPad. For example, ask ‘Turn off WiFi’ or ‘Activate Do Not Disturb’.
3. Reminders
Filling your agenda or to-do list is fine without typing. This way you can describe appointments as detailed as you want and ask to put them in your agenda. Or ask ‘what appointments do I have tomorrow?’ to get an overview of your day. Then you can ask to set the alarm to a specific time, to turn on a timer or check when it is Easter, for example.
4. Queries
Siri is getting smarter, and is therefore well suited for the most diverse search queries. This way you search a lot faster on your iPhone for photos from August, for a specific e-mail or photos of dogs in your photo roll.
But you can also ask all kinds of questions about sports, nutrition, celebrities and all other life questions that lie on your mind. For example, during a discussion with your friends, you can always ask Siri for the redeeming truth.
5. Navigation and travel
“Siri, navigate home” or “Siri, where’s the KFC?” are also questions that the speech assistant is able to answer perfectly. In everyday life, you can use your voice to check the traffic situation on the road, start navigation to the nearest museum on vacation, or check the opening hours of certain shops.
It is also handy that you can, for example, request a flight status or look up restaurants in the area via Siri. On holiday in a country with a foreign language? Ask Siri to translate it. This currently works with Spanish, German, French, Italian and Mandarin (Chinese), among others.
6. Music and entertainment
Ask the voice assistant to play or pause something in Apple Music or Spotify. Do you hear a song you don’t know? Via Siri you can activate Shazam by asking which song is playing. Or ask which films are playing near you, for a spontaneous evening at the cinema.
Finally, Siri can regularly guarantee funny answers. Check our overview of the 40 funniest questions for the Dutch Siri.
This is how you use Siri Shortcuts
Siri Shortcuts is a combination of two new features that Apple added to its voice assistant in iOS 12. First of all, there’s the Assignments app, along with a new Siri feature that gives the assistant access to your lock screen.
This allows you to perform commands that include multiple tasks with one simple voice command. Read here how Siri Shortcuts work exactly.
→ Read also: Get inspired for Siri Shortcuts with these 6 examples
Three useful tips to make Siri even smarter
If you are using macOS Mojave and / or iOS 12 on your Mac and iPhone or iPad, Siri also serves as a smart password manager. By requesting passwords from Siri, you will never have to remember or forget a code word again.
In addition, with a number of simple tricks you can use Siri to make calling a lot easier and faster. This way, you will never forget to call your mother or answer a missed call thanks to Siri call reminders.
Adding relationship labels to Siri also makes it a lot easier to give a voice command to call your brother, girlfriend or father. Instead of saying their full name, simply say “Call my brother.”
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