Back in 2014, Apple introduced the ability for users to say “Hey Siri” and provide hands-free voice commands to Siri with the iOS 8. And while this feature was limited to basic actions and information queries, the technology has improved dramatically in the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, all you have to do on an Apple device is utter the wake words “Hey Siri”, and the virtual assistant will respond. And yes, accidental activations and poorly executed commands are still common with Apple’s voice assistant, but its capabilities are expansive within the available feature set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, Apple is notorious for being hands-off in its software. And apart from the brief introduction that users get to the concept of Siri while setting up their new device, it rarely brings up the assistant again. After that, users are lucky to learn anything else about the voice assistant again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who has seen the occasional ad or has experience with other voice assistants might realize Siri can tell you a sports score or start playing a song. However, that is just barely scratching the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Siri is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.’s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, audioOS, and visionOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, focus-tracking, gesture-based control, and a natural-language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Internet services. And with continued use, it adapts to the users’ individual language usages, searches, and preferences, returning individualized results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Siri is a spin-off of a project developed by the SRI International Artificial Intelligence Center. Nuance Communications provided its speech recognition engine, and it uses advanced machine learning technologies to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Siri was released as an app for iOS in February 2010. However, two months later, Apple acquired it and integrated it into iPhone 4S at its release on 4 October 2011 and removed the separate app from the iOS App Store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The assistant has since been an integral part of Apple’s products and has been adapted into other hardware devices, including newer iPhone models, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, AirPods, Apple TV, and HomePod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Siri supports a vast range of user commands, which include performing phone actions, checking basic information, scheduling events and reminders, and searching the Internet. It can also handle device settings, navigate areas, find information on entertainment, and can engage with iOS-integrated apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the release of iOS 10 in 2016, Apple opened up limited third-party access to Siri, including third-party messaging apps, as well as payments, ride-sharing, and Internet calling apps. And with iOS 11, Apple updated the assistant’s voice and added support for follow-up questions, language translation, and additional third-party actions. iOS 17 enabled users to activate Siri by simply saying \u201cSiri\u201d, while the previous command, \u201cHey Siri\u201d, is still supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you didn\u2019t set up Siri when you first set up your iPhone, go to Settings > Siri & Search, then do any of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you activate Siri with your voice, Siri responds out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note: <\/em>To prevent your iPhone from responding to \u201cHey Siri,\u201d place your iPhone face down, or go to Settings > Siri & Search, then turn off Listen for \u201cHey Siri.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also say \u201cHey Siri\u201d to activate the voice assistant while wearing supported AirPods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you activate Siri with a button, Siri responds silently when your iPhone is in silent mode. When silent mode is off, Siri responds out loud. You can also activate the assistant with a touch on supported AirPods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a list of some of the many things you can command Siri to do, and it is by no means complete. The natural language processing that Siri performs means that many of these requests can be said in many different ways, also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discovering the Siri commands that work best for you will take some trial and error. For best results, think of what you want the assistant to do for you before saying the wake words. This can prevent most issues when trying to get Siri to do something since you will be clear and precise right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, don’t pause and wait. Say “Hey Siri,” and your command all in one go. This also helps prevent errors in processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the commands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siri has access to nearly every app you have installed on your iPhone. You can see how each app interacts with the voice assistant and Spotlight by opening the “Siri & Search” menu in Settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siri also has several Easter eggs that come and go. Giving these commands will result in a unique response from Siri, but engineers don’t always keep them active forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Easter eggs are added all the time. Try saying common phrases from movies, books, or pop culture to get unique results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siri has dozens of commands it can parse without installing a single app. Downloading third-party apps adds more capabilities for Siri, but you will have to discover those on a per-app basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many users get frustrated when a smart assistant does not do what they ask. However, this mostly occurs when the user doesn’t know what the assistant can do or how to phrase commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use the list of actions above as a foundation, but take time to experiment and learn new commands. Third-party apps and Shortcuts also open the door to a near-infinite number of things Siri can perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help Siri, ensure you set up various aspects of your device and Apple Services<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\nActivate Siri with a button<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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“Hey Siri” commands and phrases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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More commands<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Ensuring “Hey Siri” gets it right<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n