Siri (iPhone, Homepod): 70+ basic voice commands
Many Apple product users ignore Siri or are unfamiliar with the voice commands that can help them use their devices faster. Because Apple’s voice assistant has more than one trick up its sleeve. Especially since iOS 16, it has been enriched with commands that allow you to perform actions that were impossible until now. And then there are the popular Shortcuts!
Note that some of these commands only work on iOS 16 / iPadOS 16 and later versions.
Siri: everyday commands to memorize
Obviously, this is the magic word to wake up the assistant. When configuring your smartphone, a page asks you to do it again shebang several times. So the smartphone can distinguish your voice. So if multiple people in the room have iPhones and you say “Hey Siri” or “Hey Siri,” only the iPhone’s assistant will launch.
A command we often ask about when you don’t have an Apple Watch.
- Which [la météo / température / indice UV / qualité de l’air] today?
Most importantly, this operation is the fastest way to get this information. So stop searching through menus and choose a simple request to Siri! Note that in addition to the weather and temperature, you can ask it what the air quality or UV index is in your area. Comfortable!
- FaceTime / Call [nom du contact]
It is very easy to call your loved ones just by asking the assistant. Here again, the time savings are significant compared to the same movement through the menus.
- Send [votre message] via text/SMS [nom du contact]
It’s very useful if your hands are busy and you want to alert a contact that you’ll be a little late, for example.
- To play [nom d’un morceau de musique] in [votre app de streaming préférée]
- Read France information on TuneIn Radio
It’s easy to stream music with Siri… as long as it understands the accent if the content has a foreign title.
- What’s the news this morning?
Want a press overview of the news so you don’t miss it? Ask Siri!
Communicate silently with Siri
- Call / Facetime [nom du contact]
- Call an ambulance
- to hang
For this command to work, you must enable the corresponding option in the directory Settings > Siri > Lock phone
- Read my last SMS
- Check / read my voicemail
- Write “I’m coming”. [nom du contact]
- Send “I’m coming” via WhatsApp / Messenger / Telegram [nom du contact]
- Find all emails [nom du contact]
- Find emails with a subject [objet]
Take control of your home
- Light up the living room
- turn off the stove
- Make the living room lights blue
- Start the washing machine
- Start the dishwasher
- How long until the end of the laundry cycle?
- Change the thermostat to 19°C
Become a master of time
- What time is it ?
- What time is it in Tokyo?
- Set the timer for 5 minutes
- Cancel the timer
- What time is it ?
- wake me up at 6 tomorrow
- How soon is my next appointment?
- Add an appointment for March 20, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
- Cancels the appointment on March 20, 2023 at 10 a.m.
Call DJ Siri
- To play [nom du morceau] in [nom de l’application, par exemple Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, Tidal…]
- met [nom du morceau] in turn
- What are we listening to?
Lets you Shazam the song you’re listening to (Apple has now fully integrated Shazam into iOS).
- A break
- Next
- Hold on
- Volume up/down
- Set the volume to 60%
- Play Radio Nova on TuneIn Radio
- Listen to 100.40 FM on TuneIn Radio
No more mental math, Siri does math (and finance) too!
- How much is 44.06 pounds in kilograms?
- How much is 500 miles in a kilometer
- What is the square root of 42?
- 12 + 35 + 67 + 88 – 125 are all divisible by 2
- How much is 125 euros in dollars
- How much Japanese yen for 100 euros
Control video playback
- Open Apple TV+
- Play the video
- A break
- What did he say now?
It works on TV+ when playing a series. If you ask this question, TV+ will replay the last 15 seconds, forcing it to show subtitles.
The best Siri commands to control iOS/iPadOS
- Open [nom de l’application]
- Restart your iPhone/iPad
- Turn off your iPhone / iPad
- Restart your iPhone/iPad
- What are voice commands? [nom de l’application]
It is very useful to know new voice commands related to your applications.
- Open Settings / Preferences
- Open the camera settings
- Open Face ID preferences
Again, save time by asking Siri to show you where a specific setting is. If you’re in an app and ask Siri for settings, the assistant can direct you to that app’s options.
- Take a screenshot
- Take a screenshot and send it [nom du contact]
Management Center
From iOS 16, it’s possible to ask Siri to control basic system functions like WiFi or bluetooth for you:
- Activate airplane mode
- Enable/Disable WiFi
- Enable/disable Bluetooth
- Turn on Do Not Disturb mode
- Activate focus mode
- Increase screen brightness
- Activate the flashlight
- Flip the colors
- What is the percentage of the battery
Add new voice commands to Siri with Shortcuts
Siri has a small advantage over rivals Google Assistant and Alexa: users are free to create new voice commands through the Shortcuts app (native to iPhone, iPad, and the latest versions of macOS).
In fact, all the shortcuts you create in Shortcuts are available directly by voice command. So you can perform a set of complete actions and give it a memorable name – for example “Change my wallpaper”.
The next time I ask Hey Siri to change my wallpaper, the actions set in the shortcut will be performed. Note that you can even use shortcuts to change the effect of the main commands mentioned in this guide.
Indeed, if you name a shortcut something like “What’s the weather like today”, Siri will perform your shortcut rather than the default action. Did you like this guide? Know of other useful Siri voice commands? Share your opinion in the comments!
