Ever wanted a personal assistant whose memory has all the knowledge of the internet? Well, this may sound a little futuristic but, if you’re an iPhone owner — she already exists.
If you haven’t experienced the wonders of Siri, Apple’s cheeky but intelligent virtual assistant, let Mobile Store introduce you to the many ways you can use Siri to improve your daily life.
Hey Siri, what are you?
Siri is virtual assistant that lives in your iPhone (not literally), and she is activated when you say, “Hey Siri!” With her calm, soothing voice she answers your general knowledge questions by instantly searching the web using the keywords of your question. In addition to answering questions, she takes on commands such as texting, utilising your phone features, apps and more.
How does Siri work?
In your Settings, you can set up and activate Hey Siri. In order for Siri to respond to your commands, she needs to recognise your specific voice. Here’s how to set up Hey Siri:
- Visit your Settings and select Siri and Search
- Toggle on “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’”
- Click Continue
- Follow the five voice prompts out loud. Do it in a quiet area so that your iPhone doesn’t pick up other voices
- Then tap “Done”. Hey Siri is set up!
Six ways to integrate Siri into your daily life
We mentioned earlier that Siri listens to commands — which means you could literally leave your phone untouched while Siri works on your commands. Here are some helpful Siri commands or shortcuts that’ll help you make full use of your iPhone’s awesome features.
Find photos from a holiday
Your iPhone is so smart that each photo in your camera roll is given tags, location information and more. Your iPhone is able to pick up if there is a beach or park or mountain in your photo — as well as the exact location. So, if you’re looking for those beautiful photos you took of the canals in Venice, Italy, simply say, “Hey Siri, find the photos from Venice” or “Hey Siri, find the photos of the beach in Durban” and Siri will search your camera roll to bring them to your screen.
What’s even more interesting is that your iPhone — using the latest iOS of course — has facial recognition. You could search for a friend by typing their name into your camera roll’s search bar and all the photos that they are in will pop up.
Send a message on WhatsApp
If you’re driving or simply unable to text on your phone, you can command Siri to send a message. Here’s the command: “Hey Siri, send a message to [name] on WhatsApp.” Siri will respond asking you what you’d like to say, following that — you must clearly verbalise the message you want to send. Complete it by saying, “Send message”.
Set a timer countdown for when you’re cooking or baking
Roasting a chicken? Baking brownies? Use your iPhone’s internal clock to keep a close eye on your culinary creation. Say, “Hey Siri, set a countdown for 25 minutes,” and the timer will go off when it’s done.
Use Hey Siri for conversions and calculations
From pounds to kilograms and Dollars to Rands, Siri can convert any currency using the most up-to-date exchange rates at any given time. You can also access the calculator app by asking Siri to calculate something. Don’t forget to speak clearly and fluidly!
Use Hey Siri to control your settings
This a cool tool because pretty much anything that you’d do manually with your hands, you can do with Siri. Activate Low Power Mode, turn off your data, turn on your Bluetooth, check if you need a software update — and about a thousand more tasks and commands are right at the tip of your tongue.
Stay updated on music, the latest news and sporting events
Missed the game? Ask Siri to tell you the final score. Just downloaded Adele’s new album? Tell Siri to play it on Apple Music. Interested in current affairs? Ask Siri what the latest in international news is. She truly has an answer to everything.
The latest iPhone cellphone deals up for grabs
Ready to activate "Hey Siri"? Here are some of the latest iPhone contract deals for you to choose from.
iPhone 13
Contracts ranging from R849 – R1739 per month
Network: MTN and Vodacom
iPhone 13 Mini
Contracts ranging from R749 – R1639 per month
Network: Vodacom
iPhone 12
Contracts ranging from R849 – R1739 per month
Network: MTN
iPhone SE 2020
Contracts ranging from R405 – R505 per month
Network: MTN and Vodacom
Browse iPhone deals with Mobile Store
Quarantining alone with Siri doesn’t really feel so alone, now does it? Tap into the world of one of the iPhone’s best features by getting in Mobile Store’s top iPhone contract deals or specials.