What can Siri do? When it comes to digital assistance, things are slowly heating up. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are just some of the companies that have stepped in the game, launching their own versions of voice agents. Thanks to the power of cross-platforming, there are now multiple options for various platforms, resulting in a tough competition.
There’s no doubt Siri is still the champion of voice tech, at least when it comes to Apple devices. What really makes Siri outstanding is the constant improvement over the years and the ever-growing support for all things Apple. It’s featured on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, on the recent Apple TV service and now even on Macs, something that’s been long overdue. The current Siri is very different compared to the version from a few years back. It’s more adaptive, faster and more accurate, with a growing base of knowledge.
Still, as great as Siri is, many don’t realize Siri’s full potential. Some people are immediately put off by the experience, possibly confused by what to say to Siri or even how to activate Siri. More experienced users tend to stick to basics and familiar things, often oblivious to recent updates and added new features. Basically, when most people ask what can Siri do, they understand only the tip of the iceberg.
Adaptive response with Siri
First and foremost, lets see how to properly configure it. Users with some Siri experience already know it has a certain problem regarding voice response. It tends to recognize other voices from TV or YouTube or other people and respond to what they are saying. While this is not a frequent occurrence, it may cause user dissatisfaction and be a minor nuisance. Still, there is something you can do about it.
You can train Siri to respond more selectively to only your voice and nobody else. To do this, go to Settings > General > Siri and turn the Hey Siri option off, then on again. This will require you to repeat some phrases and sentences so that Siri can get accustomed to your voice specifically.
Siri can help with your outdoor activities (driving, running, cycling…)
Probably one of the most used Siri features is dictating and reading messages when performing a certain activity. Whether you are out and about, driving through heavy traffic or simply enjoying a bike ride, the last thing you want is to go through menus and type out or read long messages. This is especially helpful for businesspeople on to go who need to be in touch most of the time. Having a voice assistant do these little, yet important things keep your focus where it should be, particularly when driving where safety is the number one concern.
And driving is where Siri shines, especially if your car supports Apple CarPlay. The feature transfers your commands to your car’s built-in display, providing a both smarter and safer way to use an iPhone. Siri can act as a navigator giving you directions, control your media playback (it can even identify music), make and answer calls and lots of other things that retain your focus on the road. The list of car and manufacturers that support CarPlay is longer every day. But even without it, Siri is already a comprehensive helper.
What else can Siri do?: Write and send emails!
Most of us take writing and sending email for granted. However, people with Siri at their disposal don’t use nearly enough the Dictation option. Siri can transcribe what you are saying into text and help significantly speed things up. It’s a proven fact that talking is much faster than typing, particularly when typing on an iPhone where you are not as fast and accurate. Dictation is limited to about 30 seconds which gives you plenty of time to compose an email. However, it might take a little bit of time to get the hang of it, but it’s definitely worth it.
Search and organize your files on your Mac
While Siri is almost exclusively associated with iPhones and iPads, the recently introduced macOS Sierra also features the voice assistant with a couple of neat new tricks. What can Siri do on a Mac is to search for files or folders of your choosing. This saves time trying to remember where you put those vacation photos or how you named the folder for your latest project. Siri recognizes possible variations and displays matches based on your query.
In addition, you can ask Siri to check how much remaining free space you have on your Mac and toggle certain settings on and off. Siri is also integrated with Finder, meaning you can drag and drop files from the results to your desktop. You can move the information you find in Siri to Mail or Pages apps.
Siri provides various information
You can call on Siri to help you with both local and cloud-based storage searches, as well as pull in information from the web. What this means is that you can pin your search results to the Notifications Center. Because Siri is so well connected to other apps, these search results can be further imported to various Mac apps such as Apple Maps, Finder, and others. Essentially acting as one big hub, Siri is a great way to find and use new information.
The scope of work is almost endless here. You can ask Siri to show you the best places nearby or on specific locations using its connection with Yelp, files from your last business meeting, remind you about things, obligations and places, show you trending news stories and so on. You get the idea.
Siri can be fun
It really is simple as that – Siri is fun. One of the perks of having an AI assistant is that it tries to provide an answer to your query to the best of its abilities. You can ask it anything. Sometimes, Siri makes an unknowingly funny response, particularly if it misses the gist of your intention. However, it’s far more likely to put a smile on your face due to its intentionally inserted comic relief. The writers behind Siri put a lot of effort to make it funny and quirky, so regarding what you ask it, you might get a particularly funny response (depending on your sense of humor, of course).
Smart home management
Perhaps the most impressive thing Siri can do is smart home management. It shows the true potential of voice-recognition technology where your voice is all you need. Smart home tech is still relatively new, but steadily growing in presence. Some of the cool things to ask Siri directly relate to smart tech.
Its ability to use Apple TV to find movies of your favorite actor or actress or the latest episode of that show you like is just the tip of the iceberg. You can extend Siri to have voice control on other smart devices in your house. For example, the increasingly popular devices like lighting and thermostat systems are already in full swing on the market. You can use Siri to control the dimness of the light or room temperature, among others. The possibilities are enormous and thanks to Apple’s HomeKit package, more manufacturers are able to support Siri-powered devices.
Save time on small, everyday tasks
Many will say Siri is at its best when it’s doing all those little things that amount to a sizeable chunk of your time. Even frequently repeated tasks can take the time off your day, but Siri does this with ease. If you find yourself asking what can Siri do, try quick dialing of contacts (especially the ones you don’t use frequently), settings alarms, reminders, timers, calendar appointments, memos and tons of other tasks are just some that Siri performs much faster than manually setting them up. One sentence is all it takes, usually.
Siri can connect you to the Apple HomePod
Apple HomePod is Apple’s competitor to the Google Home and Amazon’s Echo product line. The three major advantage of the HomePod are (1) the superior aesthetic design and sound quality, (2) the connection to Apple Music, and (3) Siri. If you are used to using Siri on your Apple devices, like Apple TV, your laptop, or iPhone, then you will feel most at home with Siri on your Apple HomePod.
Closing words
When someone asks what can Siri do, It’s the usual, run-of-the-mill explanation of performing standard, menial tasks. What many don’t take into account are Siri’s astounding flexibility and the ever-improving accuracy. Thanks to its adaptive nature, Siri improves the more you use it. Once you get accustomed to it and use it frequently, you will realize how incredibly useful and powerful Siri is. Apple is constantly enhancing it by adding features so it will get better with every update. All of this makes it one of the best personal digital assistants available today.
Hopefully, this piece gave you a better insight into what really makes Siri great. The best things to ask Siri are yours to find out. Have fun doing so.