In our iPhone and iPad we have for several years now a virtual assistant that tries to help us on a daily basis with the most basic tasks. The only problem we can find is not knowing how to get the most out of it and this is due to not knowing exactly what it can do for us. In this article we are going to try to collect all the voice commands that can be used with Siri so that you take advantage of it.
How to invoke Siri on our devices
Apple has managed to integrate Siri in most of its teams, just as Google has done for example with Google Assistant or Microsoft with Cortana. We can make use of this assistant both on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and even on Apple Watch. In each of these devices the way to invoke Siri changes and quite a bit.
On the iPhone, for example, we simply have to say ‘Hey Siri’ if we have it configured. In the event that we do not want to invoke Siri in a verval way, we simply have to press the ‘Home’ button in the case that we have an iPhone 8 or earlier, or if we have an iPhone X onwards that does not have the ‘Home’ button, we must press the side button.
In the case of Macs, if they have the T2 chip, it can be invoked through the same command ‘Hey Siri’ , or simply by clicking on the icon in the menu bar.
Even on AirPods they have enabled the ability to invoke Siri by double tapping on either of the two wireless headphones .
The most productive commands to take advantage of Siri
Commands to make calls or send messages
Among the most basic tasks that we can do with Siri, obviously, it is possible to make phone calls or write messages through the ‘Dictation’ option.
- Make a call to … (name in phonebook or phone number).
- Check my text messages.
- Check my email (if you use the native app ).
- Send a text message to … (name in phonebook or phone number).
- Send a new email to … (name in address book or phone number.
Obviously, in the ‘call’ part of the first command we can also choose whether we want to do it through FaceTime or traditionally.
Commands to organize the agenda
In the Apple ecosystem we find numerous applications that help us to be more productive and organized. One of these is for example Calendar where we include all the events that we have pending.
- What meetings do I have on the day … (say the specific day you want to consult).
- Include a new meeting on (day and time) with (person’s name) at (quote the meeting location).
- Remind me that… (add that you want me to remind you Siri), at (place where you want me to remind you) at (time or day you want me to remind you).
- Create a list called … (list name).
- Include something on the list … (list name).
Commands to control the device.
Sometimes it can give us some laziness to carry out certain actions on our equipment such as raising or lowering the brightness as well as deactivating or activating the connectivities.
- Activate / Deactivate Bluetooth.
- Enable / Disable WiFi.
- Activate / Deactivate ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.
- Activate / Deactivate mobile data.
- Volume up / down (a specific percentage can be specified)
- Activate / deactivate ‘Airplane mode’.
- Activate / Deactivate ‘Night Shift’.
- Set up a new alarm.
- Enable a timer or stopwatch.
- Open (name the application).
Commands related to music, sports or travel
On our devices we can have a wide library of entertainment content thanks to Apple Music or Apple TV +. All this we can control with our virtual assistant in addition to consulting the sports result of our favorite team.
- Play the song… (song name).
- Play some of … (name the song’s author).
- Pause.
- Get moving.
- Next song.
- Previous song.
- Play the best songs of the year …
- What song is playing right now.
- What is the result of the last game of … (team to consult).
- Flight status .. (flight number).
Navigation and weather commands
Siri can also be a good travel companion to check for example how long it will take to get to work or simply to enable the browser.
- Indicate how to go to … (say the name of the place where you want to go or the specific address).
- Take me home / work (if you have previously set up both directions).
- What is the traffic situation in my area.
- How can I go to … (destination) by (public transport, car or on foot).
- What time is it right now.
- What time will it be (specific day).
- What the weather will be at (location).
- I need an umbrella?
Commands that will help us on a daily basis
Sometimes we may have some questions on the table that cannot be placed in any of these categories. For example currency conversion or simple mathematical operations.
- How much is (number) plus / minus / multiplied / divided (number).
- Find the square root of (number).
- Converts (quantity and currency) to (currency to convert).
- What is the share price of (company name).
- What time is it in … (country to consult).
Funny Siri Commands
But not everything has to be productivity, but Siri can also give us tremendously funny responses to certain commands. We invite you to try each of these commands to enjoy the fun answers.
- When will the world end.
- What is the meaning of life
- Divide zero by zero.
- Where do babies come from.
- There is some God.
- What is your favorite color.
- Where are you Scooby-Doo.
- Teleport me Scotty.
As you can see, there is a large amount of command to use with Siri and we hope that in the future there will be many more available. Siri has made a good leap in the right path in recent years, and now we hope it will continue to do so for the rest of the generations.