If you have an iPhone, you probably know about the useful function of “Siri” or your Apple virtual assistant. Depending on how you’ve set up your phone, holding down the side button (or home button if your model has one) or saying “Hey Siri” will easily activate the feature.
You can use Siri to call friends or family, send messages, and maybe ask the occasional question. However, did you know about these 10 super useful features? Before we get there, you need to make sure Siri is enabled on your iPhone by following these steps:
How to enable Siri on iPhone
- Open it settings app on your iPhone
- Scroll down and tap Siri & Search. Note: On some older versions of iOS, Siri settings can be found under General or Accessibility
- Make sure it is Listen to ‘Hey Siri’ is included. This allows Siri to be activated by voice commands
- If you want Siri to respond when your device is face down or covered, enable it Allow Siri when locked option. Note: Enabling this option may have privacy implications as Siri can be accessed even when your device is locked.
- You can also customize Siri voice and language settings on this screen by selecting Siri voice and Language options.
After enabling Siri, you can activate it by pressing and holding the Home button (on iPhone models with a Home button) or by saying “Hey Siri” followed by your command (if “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” is enabled). Siri should now be active and ready to help you on your iPhone. Now that you have Siri set up. let’s dive into 10 hidden Siri features that can be very helpful.
1. Custom pronunciation
If you use Siri to call your contacts, you may have experienced the voice mispronouncing the name. You can actually teach Siri how to pronounce your loved ones’ names correctly thanks to a type of field that can be added to your iPhone’s contacts.
First, the next time Siri mispronounces a name, to correct it, you can say, “Hey Siri, tyou don’t pronounce it like that [name]”. Siri will prompt you to do the following (or you can do it now if you want):
- Run it Contacts app on your iPhone
- Select a person in your contacts
- Touch Edit in the upper right corner
- In the “Notes” section, tap add a field
- choose Pronunciation of the name or Pronunciation of another namedepending on which name Siri is having trouble with
- Then tap the pronunciation field and say the name phonetically (how it sounds)
- Touch Done in the upper right corner when you’re done.
The next time Siri says the name, it will follow your phonetic spelling.
2. Remember where you parked your car
Not only can you use Siri to help you remember where you parked your car, the assistant can also help you find your car if needed. iPhones are great at recognizing when you’ve parked and left a location, but if you ever want to be sure where your car is, you can drop a pin on your Maps app using Siri.
Just say, “Hey sirme, I remember where I parked the car” before you leave the place. You can then retrieve the location of the parking lot when you want to find your parked car.
Just ask Siri by saying: “Hey Siri, where did I park the car?” Siri will then provide you with information it has stored about your parking location, such as an address or a map with directions to your car.
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3. Use Siri to find AirTag
If you use Apple AirTags, you know how useful they are for tracking your keys, your pets, or any other device you attach them to. You might not have realized it, but you can use Siri to find your AirTags if they’re in Bluetooth range.
Just say, “Hey sirme, find your AirTag.” Then, depending on the location, Siri can provide guidance on which direction it is in relation to where you are, or can tell you if your AirTag is nearby.
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4. Set reminders for specific apps
Siri can set reminders for apps on your device, and you can tell Siri exactly when or where you want a reminder.
For example, if your iPhone has your home location set, you can say: “Hey Siri, remind me to check my email when I get home,” and Siri will create a reminder to open the Mail app when you arrive at that address. You can also say, “Hey Siri, remind me to open [app name],” and set the time for that reminder to appear on your iPhone.
In order for this feature to work, you will need to enable it Location services from app for reminders. Hhere’s how:
- Open it settings app on your iPhone
- Scroll down and tap Privacy and security
- In the privacy settings, select Location services
From here you have several options:
- If location services are completely turned off, you’ll need to flip the switch ON at the top to enable them. You may be prompted to enter your device passcode or use Touch ID/Face ID to make changes.
- If location services are already enabled, scroll down to find Reminders the application in the list i touch on that.
You should now see three options: Never, While using the applicationand Constantly. Choose any While using the application or Constantly, depending on your preferences and the level of access you want to grant to the Reminders app.
Note that enabling location services may improve the functionality of certain features, but it also consumes more battery power. Be sure to consider your preferences and privacy concerns when choosing the level of access you want to grant to any app.
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5. Keep up with sports
If you’re a sports fan, you might know that Siri can provide sports scores. However, did you know that you can also ask Siri for upcoming matches, team schedules and player information? For example, you can ask, “Hey Siri, when is the next Yankees game?” or “Hey Siri, what’s the Golden State Warriors schedule this week?”
6. Identify the song that is playing
If you’re out in a cafe or shop and you hear a song playing and want to know the title or artist, you can say: “Hey Siri, what song is playing?“. Siri will listen to the audio and try to identify the song using Shazam integration. It will give you song details and a link to listen or buy. I personally took a screenshot and then later I can go back and save it to my streaming app.
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7. Translate languages
You can ask Siri to translate phrases or sentences into different languages. For example, you can say, “Hey Siri, translate ‘Hello, how are you?’ in French.” Siri will give you the translated version on your iPhone. Even if you have a translator app, this could be a super quick way to communicate or understand someone who speaks a different language than you.
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8. Teach Siri who your contacts are
Everyone has a personal preference for saving contact names on their phone. Sometimes you might have someone saved as a name, but more often you call them by their nickname or description when you talk to Siri.
Help Siri figure out who the contact names are on your phone by saying something like, “Hey Siri, Joe is my son.”
Then if you say “Hey Siri, call my son,” your phone will know who you mean. You can also use this trick for your husband or wife, mom or dad, or any label you can think of.
9. Change the basic settings
Sometimes it’s annoying to swipe to control center or find out where certain things are in your settings – so use Siri to do it all faster. For example, you can tell Siri to adjust these settings:
- “Hey Siri, adjust my phone’s volume”
- “Hey Siri, turn airplane mode on (or off)”
- “Hey Siri, turn low power mode on (or off)”
- “Hey Siri, turn Bluetooth on (or off)”
You can also ask Siri to open settings for specific apps like Chrome or your camera.
- “Hey Siri, open Chrome”
- “Hey Siri, open my camera”
10. Turn off or restart your phone
Turning off the phone or restarting it can fix a number of common malfunctions that occur in all technologies. It’s also a little tiring to hold the side buttons or a combination of the side and home buttons, depending on your phone model. Save time by letting Siri do it for you.
Just say, “Hey Siri, restart my iPhone.”
You can also turn off your phone using Siri by saying: “Hey Siri, turn off my phone,” although you’ll have to remember to turn it on manually using the buttons on your phone.
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Siri is convenient for a number of reasons, including the convenience of voice activation. For those who have reduced hand dexterity or physical mobility limitations, it’s great just to be able to talk to their phone and not have to mess with settings or use all the different buttons that our iPhones come with. This makes these features especially valuable for creating more comprehensive iPhones. Plus – who doesn’t love a virtual personal assistant?!
Do you use Siri for any tricks not on this list? Let us know with a comment below.
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