Chapter 8
Talking to Your iPhone with Siri
Get ready to . . .
⇒ Activate Siri
⇒ Understand All That Siri Can Do
⇒ Call Contacts
⇒ Create Reminders and Alerts
⇒ Add Tasks to Your Calendar
⇒ Play Music
⇒ Get Directions
⇒ Ask for Facts
⇒ Search the Web
⇒ Send E-mail, Messages, or Tweets
⇒ Use Dictation
⇒ Get Helpful Tips
One of the hottest features on iPhone 4S, 5, and 5S/5C is Siri, a personal assistant feature that responds to the commands you speak to your phone. With Siri, you can ask for nearby restaurants, and a list appears. You can dictate your e-mail messages rather than typing them. You can open apps with a voice command. Calling your mother is as simple as saying, “Call Mom.” Want to know the capital of Rhode Island? Just ask. Siri checks several online sources to answer questions ranging from the result of a mathematical calculation to the next scheduled flight to Dubai. You can also have Siri perform tasks such as returning calls and controlling iTunes Radio.
If you have an iPhone 4 or 3GS, you don’t have Siri but you do have a Voice Control feature you can explore by holding down the Home button for about two seconds until you hear a beep. This feature is more limited, and you have to state commands in a very specific way such as “Call Joe” or “Play Music.” Note that, with an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPhone 5S, when you activate Siri, you override Voice Control, which ...
