Siri Tips Most iPhone Users Don't Know

Siri is Apple's built-in voice assistant on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It has been around for years, but most people only use a small fraction of what it can do. If you have an iPhone, Siri is already there — you do not need to download or pay for anything.

The most valuable thing about Siri is that it is completely hands-free. You can ask it questions, make phone calls, send text messages, set reminders, check the weather, and do much more — all without touching your phone. That makes it especially useful when your hands are busy, when you are driving, or when small text on the screen is hard to read.

You activate Siri by saying "Hey Siri" out loud (as long as your phone is nearby and the feature is turned on), or by pressing and holding the side button on your iPhone. Siri responds by speaking back to you, which means you do not even need to look at the screen.

Here are some useful things many people do not know Siri can do: translate words or phrases into other languages, identify a song that is playing nearby, set a timer while your hands are full in the kitchen, remind you to take medication at a specific time each day, look up a word definition, or read incoming text messages aloud while you are driving.

Siri works best when you speak naturally in full sentences. You do not need to use special commands. Instead of saying "Siri. Weather." try saying "Hey Siri, what is the weather going to be like this afternoon?"