How to set up Siri

The “Hey Siri!” function calls the voice assistant on Apple devices. This detailed article will teach beginners how to turn on Siri on iPhone and on Mac. We will also share some useful things that Siri can do.

Contents:

1. How to set up Siri on iPhone
2. How to set up Siri on Mac
3. How to set up Siri on Apple Watch
4. Things to say to Siri – Top commands

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How to set up Siri on iPhone

To use Siri on your iPhone, you need first to turn on Siri, then activate it with the command “Hey Siri.”

Here is how to enable Siri on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select Siri & Search.
3. Switch the toggle button on for the Press Side Button for Siri option and tap Enable Siri to confirm.
4. Switch the toggle button on for the option Listen for “Hey Siri” and tap Continue.
5. Your phone will start Siri Voice recognition. Say the commands that you see on your screen.
6. Once you’ve said all five commands, tap Done.
7. Enable the option Allow Siri When Locked.
8. Here, you can also configure other settings for Siri, like Siri voice, notifications, and applications for Siri search, among others. In addition to English, Siri is also available in other languages, including, but not limited to, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese.

Now, if you want to ask Siri something, just say “Hey Siri” and give a voice command to get help from Siri. You can also press and hold the side button on your iPhone and when you see the Siri icon on your screen, say the required command.

Note that the Side button option for Siri works for iPhone X and later models. For previous models of iPhone, you need to press and hold the Home button.

How to turn off Siri on iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Siri & Search.
3. Switch the toggle button off for the option Press Side Button for Siri and tap Turn Off Siri.
4. Switch the toggle button off for the option Listen for “Hey Siri.”

How to set up Siri on Mac

1. Open System Preferences on your Mac.
2. Click Siri & Spotlight.
3. Switch on the toggle button for the option Enable Ask Siri.
4. In the popup window, click Enable to confirm.
5. Set up Siri settings, a keyboard shortcut, language, Siri voice, and others.

Now you can start working with Siri on your Mac with the command “Hey Siri” or click the Siri icon in the menu bar and say the required command.

In addition, you can customize Siri’s accent and its gender (male/female). Siri Voice supports the following accents: American, Australian, British, Irish, and South African.

How to disable Siri on your Mac:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Click Siri & Spotlight.
3. Turn off the option “Ask Siri”.

That’s it! Very easy.

How to set up Siri on Apple Watch

Note that in order to use Siri on your watch, it must first be paired with your iPhone.. Before you turn on Siri on your Apple Watch, open Settings on your iPhone → go to Siri & Search and turn on the option Listen for “Hey Siri.” Then do the following:

1. Press the Digital Crown button on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap Setting.
3. Scroll down and tap Siri.
4. Enable the options Hey Siri, Raise to Speak and Press Digital Crown.

Now you can activate Siri using one of the ways mentioned above. For example, press and hold the Digital Crown button and you will see the Siri icon with the text “How can I help you?” Say a command and get the response.

Things to say to Siri – Top commands

There are a huge number of commands for Siri. Below, we will share some commonly-used and also humourous Siri commands.

Siri commonly-used commands

• Remind me – ask Siri to create a note and remind you about something at a particular time.
• Weather forecast – ask Siri whether you need to take an umbrella with you today or not.
• Send a message – ask Siri to send a message to a particular person from your contacts list using the Message app or any other messenger.
• Tell me about events – ask Siri about upcoming events or daily routine tasks from your calendar.
• Make a call – Ask Siri to call someone from your contacts list.
• Get a direction – ask Siri to show you the direction on the map to a particular place. If you are traveling, you can even ask it to show you the local attractions.
• Play music – ask Siri to play a particular song from your music list or find it on Youtube.
• Movies – ask Siri to show you recommendations on what to watch at home or what timetable is in the cinema today.
• Results of sports games – ask Siri to show you the results of sports games. For example, you can ask, “Who won the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid?

How to ask Siri to read a text

Siri can answer almost any question and find any piece of information. If you want Siri to read the text that was found, you need to configure accessibility settings.

Steps to set Siri to read text on a Mac:

1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
2. Click Accessibility.
3. Select Spoken Content.
4. Enable the option “Speak selection”

Steps to set Siri to read text on an iPhone:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Switch the toggle button to the right for the Speak Screen option.

Then, just ask Siri to speak the screen when needed.

Funny Siri commands

Below, we share a few suggestions of commands that we recommend you ask Siri. Ask them and have fun with the answers:

• Give me a hint.
• Call Santa.
• Siri, how old are you?
• What does Siri mean?
• Blue pill or the red pill?
• Make me laugh
• What is zero divided by zero?

Conclusion

We hope that, after reading this guide, you understand how to easily activate Siri on your iPhone or Mac. You can save a lot of time by performing actions with a voice command instead of having to navigate your iPhone screen to get work done. Also, if you are bored, you can have fun with Siri! If you have more funny questions and answers from Siri, feel free to share them in the discussion section below.

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Supported systems: iOS 10.0 or later

Update Sept. 30 2020