10 tips and tricks to make Siri work better

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  • 1. Define relationships

    1. Define relationships

    Most people you contact frequently have a defined relationship with you. This covers not only the standards -- eg. husband, wife, son, Mom -- but extend into business territory. These can include relationships like editor, boss, and partner.

    Relationships can be manually defined in the Contacts app but it's better to let Siri do it for you.

    Invoke Siri and state the appropriate command such as "Bob Witherspoon is my boss. Answer Yes to Siri's confirmation query and from that point forward the relationship can be substituted for the proper name.

    These include commands like "call my brother at home" and "text my boss saying the report will be ready tonight".

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 2. Turn on the "hey Siri" feature

    2. Turn on the "hey Siri" feature

    The Hey Siri" feature invokes Siri when you utter the phrase. It eliminates the need to use the Home button. It doesn't sound like much but over time reduces the effort to use Siri.

    Note that the device must be plugged in for Hey Siri to work, and it must be turned on in Settings | General.

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 3. Always get voice feedback from Siri

    3. Always get voice feedback from Siri

    To make sure Siri interprets your spoken commands correctly, in Siri's settings turn on the function to always give you voice feedback. Siri will give vocal feedback to all commands before executing them. You can also set Siri to do this when using a hands-free device to keep things more private,

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 4. Refine commands to get more information from Siri

    4. Refine commands to get more information from Siri

    Siri often works better when you slightly alter your query. My favorite example of this is to ask "when is the next Houston Rockets game?" instead of something to do with the schedule. As you can see in the image Siri gives a nice display detailing the next game, including if and where it can be seen on TV,

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 5. Teach Siri how to pronounce proper names it routinely bungles

    5. Teach Siri how to pronounce proper names it routinely bungles

    Have a contact with a name Siri can't master? That's easy, just correct it when it happens by telling Siri to learn to pronounce it. This will cause Siri to get it right in the future and end the madness.

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 6. Get the tip amount for a meal

    6. Get the tip amount for a meal

    When it's time to settle up your portion of the lunch bill rather than reaching for the calculator app, ask Siri how much the tip should be. Ask "how much is a 20 percent tip of a $13.67 bill?" This gets you the tip and total with it applied.

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 7. Move a meeting with Siri

    7. Move a meeting with Siri

    Time change for a scheduled meeting? Don't fiddle with the calendar app, just tell Siri to "move my 2:30 to 4".

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 8. Schedule a meeting with Siri

    8. Schedule a meeting with Siri

    Need to have a set meeting? Let Siri do all the work by saying "schedule a meeting with my boss for tomorrow at 2pm". This marks it in your schedule and sends an invite email to the named contact. Responses are handled normally by the system.

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 9. Convert currency

    9. Convert currency

    When you're on the road you often need to figure out how much something priced in another currency is in your local currency. To get an instant answer, just ask Siri "how much is 92 pounds in dollars?"

    Caption by: James Kendrick

  • 10. Get to specific iOS settings in a jiffy

    10. Get to specific iOS settings in a jiffy

    Most iOS settings can be accessed directly by Siri. Ask it for Bluetooth settings for example and Siri takes you there.

    Caption by: James Kendrick

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Apple's Siri is probably under-used on your iPhone and iPad even though it's a capable tool. These tips can easily improve what Siri can do for you.

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1. Define relationships

Most people you contact frequently have a defined relationship with you. This covers not only the standards -- eg. husband, wife, son, Mom -- but extend into business territory. These can include relationships like editor, boss, and partner.

Relationships can be manually defined in the Contacts app but it's better to let Siri do it for you.

Invoke Siri and state the appropriate command such as "Bob Witherspoon is my boss. Answer Yes to Siri's confirmation query and from that point forward the relationship can be substituted for the proper name.

These include commands like "call my brother at home" and "text my boss saying the report will be ready tonight".

Caption by: James Kendrick

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iOS iPad iPhone Apple Mobile OS Mobility

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