Siri has become quite well-known over the years since its release. From its ability to accurately carry out commands to its general intelligence, there’s no telling what other boundaries the AI assistant will break in the near future. Regardless of its fame, there are still many who are only now learning about Siri, so here’s a quick and simple guide on how to activate Siri on your phone and your desktop Apple products.
Activate Siri on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
Now that you have your smartphone, it’s time to make good use of its smart AI. And believe me when I tell you that Siri is really smart. You can ask it to do anything from navigation to organizing files. There are a lot of things Siri can do for you, so don’t be afraid to stretch its limitations.
Activate Siri (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch): The first thing you need to check is to make sure Siri is enabled. Go into settings and tap Siri to see and make sure it’s turned on.
(You should also note that an internet connection is required, otherwise Siri will not work.)
While you’re here, you can check out and adjust the other settings as you see fit. For example, changing Siri’s voice, enabling/disabling “Hey Siri,” and having Siri announce calls.
Activate Siri on Mac
There’s no doubt that Siri has become popular since its Apple debut on the iPhone 4S. But some people aren’t aware that it is also available for computers. As it is a more complicated product, an AI on a computer allows much more capabilities compared to that of a handheld device. You can ask Siri questions that are exclusive to your computer such as:
- How much memory do I have?
- How fast is my computer?
- Show me files named “screenshot.”
- Open documents folder.
- Activate screensaver.
And of course, you also have the basic commands such as modifying settings, browsing the web, and searching for files.
If you want the full list of what Siri can do, simply ask Siri, “What can you do?”
Wake up Siri (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
Once you have finalized your Siri preferences and have it enabled, you can get go ahead and see it in action. To get started, simply use one of the following to grab Siri’s attention:
- Hold down the Home button until Siri opens
- If you have an iPad Pro (9.7 in.), iPhone 6s or above, you don’t have to wait for the actual Siri application to open and can start giving commands as soon as you press the home button
- Say, “Hey, Siri” (Device must be plugged into power and Hey Siri must be enabled in Siri settings)
- If you have an iPad Pro (9.7 in.), iPhone 6s or above, you can say “Hey, Siri” at any time without plugging the device in.
- Using a headset: Hold down the center/call button until you hear a bell
- While driving: If your car supports it, you can hold down the voice-command button on your steering wheel or the home key on the touch screen
Installing Siri For Mac
When you first install Sierra macOS Sierra, it will ask you if you want to use Siri. If you said yes, then you’re good to go. If decide no, then it’s not a problem. It’s easy to enable Siri on your Mac.
Simply go to System Preferences, and click Siri.
While here, you can also change the language of Siri, change the gender and dialect of Siri, and turn on/off voice feedback. If turned off, Siri will respond to you silently through text.
Using Siri For Mac
By default, Siri should already be enabled on your Mac or Macbook. All you have to do is wake Siri up. You can do so by any of the following methods:
- Click the icon in the menu bar
- Click the icon in the dock
- On your keyboard, it option+spacebar
A new window will pop up, showing that Siri is listening. Siri will stay open until you close it, even after a command has been fulfilled.
Unfortunately, “Hey Siri” does not wake up the AI yet, but hopefully Apple will implement that feature soon.