With iOS 14, Siri, Apple’s “personal digital assistant,” expands its knowledge, helps find answers from across the internet, and can now send audio messages. Keyboard dictation runs on device when dictating messages, notes, email, and more.
Siri has also gotten a face lift. Instead of filling the entire screen for a query, iPhone users will see Siri as a smaller graphic at the bottom of the screen when it’s summoned.
But, wait, there’s more! Prior to iOS 14, Siri results filled the screen. Now a notification appears at the top of the screen, providing the essential notes of the result and, sometimes, links to web sites you might wish to check out.
To use Siri, your iPhone must be connected to the Internet. If you didn’t set up Siri when you first set up your iPhone, go to Settings > Siri & Search, then do any of the following:
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If you want to summon Siri with your voice: Turn on Listen for “Hey Siri.”
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If you want to summon Siri with a button: Turn on Press Home for Siri (on an iPad with a Home button) or Press Top Button for Siri (on other iPad models).
To use Siri:
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Say “Hey Siri,” then ask Siri a question or to do a task for you.
For example, say something like “Hey Siri, how’s the weather today?” or “Hey Siri, set an alarm for 8 a.m.” -
To ask Siri another question or to do another task, say “Hey Siri” again or tap the Siri icon.
Note: To prevent an iPhone from responding to “Hey Siri,” place your iPad face down, or go to Settings > Siri & Search, then turn off Listen for “Hey Siri.”
You can also say “Hey Siri” to summon Siri while wearing AirPods Pro or AirPods (2nd generation).
When you summon Siri with a button and your iPhone is muted, Siri responds silently.
1. Do one of the following:
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On an iPhone with a Home button: Press and hold the Home button.
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On other iPhone models: Press and hold the top button.
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EarPods with Remote and Mic: (Available separately) Press and hold the center or call button.
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When Siri appears, ask Siri a question or to do a task for you.
For example, say something like “What’s 18 percent of 225?” or “Set the timer for 3 minutes.” -
To ask Siri another question or to do another task, tap the Siri icon.
You can also summon Siri with a press and hold or a double tap on AirPods.
To make a correction if Siri misunderstands you:
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Rephrase your request: Tap the Siri icon, then say your request in a different way.
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Spell out part of your request: Tap the Siri icon, then repeat your request by spelling out any words that Siri didn’t understand. For example, say “Call,” then spell the person’s name.
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Change a message before sending it: Say “Change it.”
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Edit your request with text: If you see your request onscreen, you can edit it. Tap the request, then use the onscreen keyboard.
If you wish to type a Siri request instead of speaking:
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Go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri, then turn on Type to Siri.
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To make a request, summon Siri, then use the keyboard and text field to ask Siri a question or to do a task for you.
(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)
