4. Say it and Make it so using Siri

Siri is designed to be a virtual assistant that responds to commands, questions, and requests that you say, as opposed to type, into your mobile device. Siri has access to the content stored in your iPhone or iPad, as well as an ever-growing arsenal of Internet-based resources that you can use to quickly gather information or answers that you need within seconds after you verbally state your request.

Even with ongoing improvements being made to Siri, it’s important to realize that Siri does not understand everything, and this feature does have its limitations in terms of what it can do and which apps it works with. When you get accustomed to working with Siri, however, this feature can make you more efficient when using your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple HomePod.

In addition to using cutting-edge voice recognition, Siri uses advanced artificial intelligence, so it doesn’t just understand what you say, it interprets and comprehends what you mean and then translates your speech to text. And if you don’t initially provide the information Siri needs to complete your request or command, you’re prompted for more information.

FIGURE 4.1

Siri can now translate speech between languages almost instantly.

What You Should Know Before Using Siri

For Siri to operate, your device must have access to the Internet via a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Every time you make a request or issue a command to Siri, your iOS mobile device connects to Apple’s data center. Thus, if you’re using a cellular data connection, some of your monthly wireless data allocation gets used up (if a cellular data allocation is imposed by your wireless service provider).

You should also understand that heavy use of the Internet, especially when connected via a cellular data connection, depletes the battery life of the iPhone or iPad faster. So, if you constantly rely on Siri throughout the day, the battery life of your device will be shorter.

Customizing Siri

In iOS 11 Siri is “smarter” and better able to assist users with a broader range of tasks, and it’s also more customizable than ever. To customize Siri features, launch Settings and tap the Siri & Search option. From the Siri & Search submenu (see Figure 4.2), you can completely turn off the Siri feature by turning off the virtual switches associated with the Listen for “Hey Siri,” Press Home for Siri, and Allow Siri When Locked options.

Turn on the virtual switch associated with the Listen for “Hey Siri” feature if you want your iPhone or iPad to continuously be listening for the words “Hey Siri,” which will cause the feature to activate, even if you’re across the room from your mobile device. When using the “Hey Siri” command, there’s no need to touch your iPhone or iPad to use the Siri feature.

FIGURE 4.2

Be sure to customize Siri from within Settings.

Turn on the Press Home for Siri feature if you want to be able to activate Siri by pressing and holding down the Home button on your iPhone or iPad for about two seconds.

You also use the Siri & Search submenu in Settings to set the default language to your native language and to customize Siri’s voice.

The Voice Feedback menu option allows you to determine if Siri will beep and provide voice feedback rather than displaying content on the screen. Choose the Always On option if you want Siri to always provide voice feedback (even when the ring switch of your iPhone/iPad is set to Silent).

Select the Control with Ring Switch option if you want Siri to refrain from giving you audio feedback when the ring switch is manually set to silent. This setting is overridden when you use a Bluetooth headset or when your iPhone is connected to your vehicle via CarPlay.

The Hands-Free Only option allows Siri to provide verbal feedback only when you use the “Hey Siri” command and when a Bluetooth headset is connected or the iPhone is connected to your vehicle via CarPlay.

Providing Siri with Your Personal Info

Siri works best when it knows details about you, including your name, phone number(s), home address, work address, and the names of your relatives.

Providing Siri with this information is a two-step process. First, launch the Contacts app, and create a record for yourself. Be sure to include as much information as possible. You can find information about how to do this in Chapter 14, “Use Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, and Notes.”

Next, go to the Siri & Search submenu in Settings, tap the My Information option, and select your own Contacts entry.

The more information you include in your personal Contacts entry, the more helpful Siri will be when it comes to responding to questions or commands, like, “How do I get home from here?” “How long will it take me to get to work today?” or “Call mom at home.”

Siri also uses information stored in the Related Name fields as you create or edit entries within the Contacts app. By tapping this field, you can add a relationship title, such as mother, father, brother, or sister when creating or editing Contact app entries.

Then, when using Siri, if you say, “Call Mom at home,” Siri knows exactly to whom you’re referring. Otherwise, if you activate Siri and say, “Call my mom at home,” the first time you use Siri for this task, Siri asks who your mother is.

As long as you have a Contact entry for your mother stored in the Contacts app, when you say your mother’s real name, Siri links the appropriate contact and remembers this information. This applies to any nickname or title you have for other people, such as “wife,” “son,” “mother,” “dad,” or even “Uncle Jack.”

Allowing Siri to Work with Third-Party Apps

A growing number of third-party app developers are implementing ways to use Siri. To turn on this functionality for compatible apps, launch Settings, tap the Siri & Search option, and then scroll toward the bottom of the Siri & Search submenu until you see a list of third-party apps that are installed on your iPhone or iPad and that support Siri. Tap each listing and then turn on or off the virtual switch associated with each app to indicate whether you want Siri functionality to work with it. For example, if you have the Philips Hue smart lighting system installed in your home, and you want to be able to control the lights using your voice, be sure to turn on Siri functionality for the Hue app.

Activating Siri

If you want to use Siri, you first must activate it. There are multiple ways to do this:

Use the “Hey Siri” command. This works even when the device is in Sleep mode, but not when the iPhone or iPad is powered off altogether. On compatible iPhones and iPads, whatever you’re doing, simply say the phrase, “Hey Siri” out loud, and Siri responds.

Press and hold the Home button on your iPhone or iPad for two seconds.

Press and hold the Call button on your wireless Bluetooth headset that is paired with your iPhone or iPad. This enables you to speak to Siri on your device from up to 30 feet away.

If you’re using Apple EarPods, press the middle button on the controls on the cable.

Press the CarPlay button built in to the steering wheel or dashboard of your compatible car when your iPhone is linked with your vehicle.

Using Siri as Your Virtual Assistant

When Siri is activated, the message “What can I help you with?” displays on the screen, along with a rainbow-colored, animated wave graphic (see Figure 4.3). On some iPhone and iPad models, you simultaneously hear Siri’s activation tone. When not listening for spoken commands, the Some Things You Can Ask Me screen replaces the animated wave graphic. Tap the colorful orb icon at the bottom-center of the screen to activate or reactivate Siri.

FIGURE 4.3

After you have activated Siri, this interactive menu screen appears.

Once Siri is activated, you have about five seconds to begin speaking before the feature deactivates. To reactivate it, simply tap the microphone icon or repeat one of the previously mentioned steps.

For the most accurate results when using Siri, speak directly into the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, HomePod, or headset. Try to avoid being in areas with excessive background noise. Also, speak as clearly as possible so Siri can understand each word in your sentence.

Discovering How Siri Can Help You

The great thing about Siri is that you don’t have to think too much about how you phrase a command, question, or request. Siri automatically interprets what you say.

To get the most out of using Siri—with the least amount of frustration as a result of Siri not being able to comply with your requests—develop a basic understanding of which apps this feature works with and how Siri can be used with those apps.

Siri can be used with most of the apps that come preinstalled with iOS 11 plus an ever-expanding collection of third-party apps. Siri can also find information on the Internet by performing web searches. You can use Dictation mode, however, in any app where the microphone key appears on the iPhone or iPad’s virtual keyboard.

The following sections provide a sampling of what Siri can be used for, as well as tips for how to use Siri effectively.

Here are some quick tips on using Siri:

You can use Siri to launch any app. To do this, activate Siri and say, “Launch [app name].” If it’s a game you want to play, simply say, “Play [game name].” Another option is to say, “Open [app name].”

For more information about how Siri can be used, activate Siri and say, “What can you do?” Or after activating Siri, wait for the “What can I help you with?” message, and then tap the small question mark that’s displayed in the bottom-left corner of the screen (refer to Figure 4.3).

Finding, Displaying, or Using Information Related to Your Contacts

Every field in a Contact’s entry is searchable and can be accessed by Siri. Or you can ask Siri to look up a specific contact for you and display that contact’s Info screen.

Again, the more information you include in each entry stored in your Contacts database, the more helpful Siri can be.

Siri can also use information stored in your Contacts database to comply with various other types of requests for sending text messages and emails, giving you directions to specific addresses in Contacts, and looking up information you have stored in the database (such as birthdays and names).

Initiating a Call

Initiate a call by activating Siri and then saying, “Call [name] at home,” or “Call [name] at work.” This works if that person has a Contacts entry associated with their name, as well as a phone number labeled Home or Work, respectively.

You could also say, “Call [name]’s mobile phone,” or “Call [name]’s iPhone.” If you just use the command call, and that person has several phone numbers in their Contacts entry, Siri gives you the option to select which number you want to call.

Alternatively, if someone’s contact information or phone number is not stored in your iPhone, you can say, “Call” or “Dial” followed by each digit of a phone number. Thus, you’d say, “Call 212 555 1212.”

On the iPhone, when Siri finds the phone number you’re looking for, Siri says, “Calling [name] at [location],” and then automatically initiates a call to that number by launching the Phone app. Siri also has the capability to initiate FaceTime video calls. Use a command, such as, “FaceTime with [name].”

Setting Up Reminders and To-Do Items

If you constantly jot down reminders to yourself on scrap pieces of paper or sticky notes, or manually enter to-do items into the Reminders app, this is one Siri-related feature you’ll truly appreciate.

To create a reminder, complete with an alarm, simply activate Siri and say something like, “Remind me to pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow at 3 p.m.” Siri creates the to-do item, displays it on the screen for your approval, and then saves it in the Reminders app. At the appropriate time and day, an alarm sounds and the reminder message is displayed.

Reading or Sending Text Messages

When you receive a new text message but can’t look at the screen (such as when you’re driving), activate Siri and say, “Read new text message.” After Siri reads the incoming message, you’re given the opportunity to reply to that message and dictate your response.

Using Siri with the Messages app, you can also compose and send a text/instant message to anyone in your Contacts database by saying something like, “Compose a text message to John Doe.”

Checking the Weather or Your Investments

The Weather app can display an extended weather forecast for your immediate area or any city in the world, and the Stocks app can be used to track your investments. However, Siri has the capability to automatically access the Web and obtain weather information for any city, as well as stock-related information about any stock or mutual fund.

When you request stock information, you get a verbal response from Siri, and information about that stock is displayed on the iPhone or iPad’s screen.

Finding Information on the Web or Getting Answers to Questions

If you want to perform a web search, you can manually launch the Safari browser, and then use a search phrase or question to type what you’re looking for in the Search field. Another option is to perform your web search by entering it into the Search field via your iPhone or iPad’s Spotlight Search feature.

Siri can also be used to perform web searches, by saying something like

“Look up the [company] website.”

“Access the website cnn.com.”

“Search the Web for [topic].”

“Google information about [topic].”

“Search Wikipedia for [topic].”

“What is the definition of [word]?”

You also can ask almost any type of question, and Siri seeks out the appropriate answer from the Internet. A question might be, “What does the Canadian flag look like?” or “What is the population of New York City?”

If you’re looking for the latest scores related to your favorite professional or college team or sporting event, just ask Siri. It’s also possible to ask sports-related questions and then have Siri quickly research the answers via the Internet. When it comes to sports, here are some sample questions or requests you can use with Siri:

“Did the Yankees win their last game?”

“What was the score of last night’s Patriots game?”

“What was the score the last time the Yankees and Red Sox played?”

“Show me the baseball scores from last night.”

When it comes to movies, Siri can also help you decide what to go see, determine where movies are playing, look up movie times, and provide details about almost any movie ever made. Here are some sample questions or requests you can use with Siri that relate to movies:

“Where is [movie title] playing?”

“What’s playing at [movie theater]?”

“What’s playing at the movies tonight?”

“Find the closest movie theater.”

“Show me the reviews for [movie title].”

If you’re looking to try out a new restaurant or want to learn more about a local dining establishment, Siri knows all about restaurants too. Plus, thanks to Yelp! and OpenTable integration, you can view detailed information about restaurants, make dining reservations, or read reviews.

Here are some examples of how you can use Siri when you want to know more about restaurants:

“Where’s the closest Japanese restaurant?”

“Table for two at Palm Restaurant in Boston for 7 p.m.”

“Show me reviews for [restaurant name] in [city].”

Scheduling and Managing Meetings and Events

Like many apps that come preinstalled with iOS 11, the Calendar app is fully compatible with Siri, which means it’s possible to use Siri to create or modify appointments, meetings, or events by using your voice. To do this, some of the things you can say include

“Set up a meeting at 10:30 a.m.”

“Set up a meeting with Drew at noon tomorrow.”

“Meet with Emily for lunch at 1:00 p.m.”

“Set up a meeting with Rusty about third-quarter sales projections at 4:00 p.m. on December 12th.”

Sending Email and Accessing New (Incoming) Email

If you want to compose an email to someone, activate Siri and say, “Send an email to [name].” If that person’s email address is listed in your Contacts database, Siri addresses a new message to that person. Siri then says, “What is the subject of your email?” Speak the subject line for your email. When you stop speaking, Siri says, “Okay, what would you like the email to say?” You can now dictate the body of your email message.

When you’re finished speaking, Siri composes the message, displays it on the screen, and then says, “Here is your email to [name]. Ready to send it?” You can now respond “yes” to send the email message, or say “cancel” to abort the message. If the message isn’t what you want to say, ask Siri to “Change the text to….”

Meanwhile, if you’re expecting an incoming email from someone, you can activate Siri and say, “Any new email from [name]?” and not have to first manually launch the Mail app.

Siri also now has the capability to search through the subjects of your emails. So, you can activate Siri and say, “Do I have any emails about [subject]?”

Setting an Alarm or Timer

Siri can control the Clock app that comes preinstalled on your iOS device so that it serves as an alarm clock or timer. You can say something like, “Set an alarm for 7:30 a.m. tomorrow,” “Wake me up tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.” or “Set a recurring wakeup call for 7:30 a.m.” to create a new alarm. Or, to set a 30-minute timer, say, “Set a timer for 30 minutes.” As shown in Figure 4.4, a countdown timer is displayed on the iPhone or iPad’s screen, and an alarm sounds when the timer reaches zero.

You can also simply use “Hey Siri” and ask “What’s today’s date?” “What time is it?” or “How many days until Christmas?” if you’re too busy to look at the iPhone or iPad’s screen, such as when you’re driving.

FIGURE 4.4

Use Siri to set a timer.

Getting Directions Using the Maps App

Pretty much any feature you can use the Maps app for—whether it’s to find the location or phone number for a business, obtain turn-by-turn directions between two addresses, access public transit information, or map out a specific address location—you can access using Siri.

To use Maps-related functions, say things like the following:

“How do I get to [location]?”

“Directions to [contact name or location].”

“Find a [business or service name, such as Starbucks Coffee] near where I am.”

“What’s a good steak restaurant in Boston?” (See Figure 4.5.)

“What time does [store name] close tonight?”

“Where is a good barber?” (When you ask a question like this, Siri relies on Yelp! reviews and other information to provide highly recommended businesses or restaurants.)

“How do I get home from here?” If you’re lost, or need directions home from anywhere, Siri uses your iPhone’s GPS to pinpoint your current location, and then uses the Maps app to provide turn-by-turn directions to help you get home.

FIGURE 4.5

Ask Siri for restaurant recommendations based on a location and the type of cuisine you’re in the mood for.

If Siri finds multiple businesses or locations that are directly related to your request, it asks you to select one, or all related matches are displayed on a detailed map.

Controlling the Music

In the mood to hear a specific song that’s stored on your iPhone or iPad or that’s available via Apple Music (if you’re a subscriber)? Maybe you want to begin playing a specific playlist, you want to hear all the music stored on your iOS device by a particular artist, or you want to play a specific album? Well, just ask Siri. You can control the Music app or the Apple Music service using your voice by saying things like the following:

“Play [song title].”

“Play [album title].”

“Play [playlist title].”

“Play [artist’s name].”

“Play [music genre, such as pop, rock, or blues].”

You can also issue specific commands, such as “Shuffle my [title] playlist,” or speak commands, such as “Pause” or “Skip” as music is playing.

As you’re listening to music on your mobile device, if you want to hear similar music, activate Siri and say, “Play more music like this,” or if you want to hear music that’s popular, say something like, “Siri, play the number one Country song right now.”

When streaming music from Apple Music, to purchase a song or album, activate Siri and say, “Buy this song” or “Buy this album.” You’re also able to use verbal commands to pause the music, skip to the next song, or repeat the currently playing song.

Using Dictation Mode

In many situations when the iPhone or iPad’s virtual keyboard appears, a microphone key is located to the left of the spacebar. When you tap this microphone key, Dictation mode is activated. An animated sound wave graphic displays on the screen as you speak.

You can say whatever text you were going to manually type using the virtual keyboard. You can speak for up to 30 seconds at a time. When you’re finished speaking, you have to tap the Done key so that your device can translate your speech into text and insert it into the appropriate onscreen field.

For the fastest and most accurate results, speak one to three sentences at a time, and have your device connected to a Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Using Carplay

Apple continues to work with most of the world’s major car manufacturers to integrate the iPhone with the stereo system or infotainment system built in to many vehicles. This functionality varies depending on the make, model, and year of your car.

In some cases, if your vehicle is CarPlay compatible, there is a Lightning or USB port for your iPhone built in to the car. When you plug in your iPhone, your smartphone charges, plus it integrates directly with the car’s in-dash infotainment system. This enables you to activate the iPhone’s navigation capabilities via the Maps app, Siri functionality, and music capabilities by pressing the CarPlay button built in to your steering wheel or dashboard, for example.

In other cases, your device establishes a wireless Bluetooth connection with your car and enables you to play music that’s stored on your iPhone via your car’s stereo or that your iPhone streams from the Internet via Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, or another compatible music streaming app. It’s also possible to use the Phone feature to make and receive calls hands-free while you’re driving.

Every vehicle manufacturer is implementing iPhone integration differently, and this functionality is only built in to 2013 or later model year vehicles. If you have an older car, you must use third-party accessories to link your iPhone to the vehicle.

Typically, when you use Siri, information that’s requested is displayed on the iOS device’s screen. CarPlay functionality, however, offers much of the same functionality as Siri but turns off the iPhone’s screen altogether. Thus, Siri offers only verbal responses to a user’s requests, commands, and questions.