(Pocket-lint) - Siri is Apple's voice-controlled idiosyncratic adjunct and she, oregon he, has been astir for respective years now. The adjunct archetypal appeared connected the iPhone 4S but Siri is besides disposable connected iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod and the Mac (macOS Sierra and later) - cheque retired our usher to Siri connected macOS.
Siri has developed with age. Her quality has grown and her abilities person expanded. She has besides had to support up with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant.
So what is peculiar astir Siri? What is she capable to do, however does she bash it and what tin she assistance you with if you are an Apple user? Here is everything determination is to cognize astir Siri.
What is Siri?
As we mentioned, Siri is simply a built-in, voice-controlled idiosyncratic adjunct disposable for Apple users. The thought is that you speech to her arsenic you would a person and she aims to assistance you get things done, whether that beryllium making a meal preservation oregon sending a message.
Siri is designed to connection you a seamless mode of interacting with your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, HomePod oregon Mac by you speaking to her and her speaking backmost to you to find oregon bash what you need. You tin inquire her questions, archer her to amusement you thing oregon contented her with commands for her to execute connected your behalf, hands-free.
Siri has entree to each different built-in exertion connected your Apple instrumentality - Mail, Contacts, Messages, Maps, Safari and truthful connected - and volition telephone upon those apps to contiguous information oregon hunt done their databases whenever she needs to. Ultimately, Siri does each the legwork for you.
How to commencement Siri
You tin inquire Siri to transportation retired a task by conscionable saying "Hey Siri" to your iPhone, AirPods, connected Bluetooth headsets, Apple Watch, HomePod oregon HomePod mini.
You tin invoke Siri by utilizing buttons, too. If you person a Touch ID iPhone (iPhone 6S oregon later) clasp down the Home button, past accidental what you need. For Face ID iPhones (iPhone X and newer), clasp down the broadside power/wake button. On immoderate devices, you mightiness request to hold for Siri to look earlier you marque your request.
On HomePod and HomePod mini, you tin property the location fastener successful the centre of the apical of the device.
Apple
On Apple Watch, clasp down the Digital Crown oregon accidental "Hey Siri" wrong a fewer seconds of raising your wrist. From here, you tin bid Siri to bash assorted tasks and it depends connected what you are asking arsenic to however Siri connected the Apple Watch responds.
For example, if you inquire her to nonstop you somewhere, she volition bring up the representation connected your Watch and you conscionable property commencement to get going.
Ask a much analyzable question that requires a longer reply however, and Siri volition unfastened connected your iPhone to implicit the task.
Things specified arsenic opening an app, mounting an alarm, calling your mum oregon uncovering retired the people of your favourite squad tin each beryllium done from the Watch though and Siri besides offers on-device construe and enactment for Announce Messages.
Apple
What tin Siri do?
Siri tin bash a lot. She's beauteous damn clever and sometimes she is rather comic too. If you privation to get a giggle retired of Siri alternatively than inquire her to bash thing serious, past cheque retired our usher to the best Siri Easter Eggs.
Otherwise, Siri tin assistance you erstwhile you're retired and about, successful the car if you person a CarPlay compatible car, with sports and amusement information, telephone calls and messages, getting organised, tips and tricks and of course, giving you answers.
At a glance, she volition work your past email, substance your person to archer them you're moving late, shuffle your roadworthy travel playlist connected Apple Music, fto you cognize what films are playing today, find a array for 3 successful London oregon telephone your dada astatine work.
She tin besides archer you wherever a bully edifice is nearby, flip a coin, find books by a circumstantial author, acceptable an alarm, springiness you directions and adjacent acceptable a reminder that volition activate lone erstwhile it recognises that you're in, oregon person left, a definite determination ("pick up adust cleaning", erstwhile you permission work, for example).
That's not each though, successful information it astir apt isn't adjacent half. She'll archer you what the upwind is similar tomorrow, determination meetings, archer you erstwhile the adjacent crippled is for your squad and you tin adjacent get her to rotation a die, on with a bid of different things specified arsenic thatch her however to pronounce your sanction oregon archer her which of your contacts are household members. We told you she was beauteous smart.
Apple
How does Siri work?
Siri is based connected the based connected the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, and it is comprised of 3 components - a conversational interface, idiosyncratic discourse consciousness and work delegation.
The conversational interface is astir however Siri understands you successful the archetypal place. The wide workings of the consecutive word-for-word dependable designation person to beryllium bully successful bid to perceive what you're saying but deciphering the meaning is each down to statistic and instrumentality learning, which is wherever the idiosyncratic discourse consciousness strategy comes in.
There's a immense magnitude of enactment successful Siri that tin foretell what you're getting astatine based connected cardinal words that you use, arsenic good arsenic your wide habits and connection choice. She is designed to accommodate to your idiosyncratic preferences implicit clip and personalise results.
The work delegation strategy is the unbridled entree to each of the iPhones built-in apps and their interior workings. This entree is however Siri does what she does. Without the access, Siri would beryllium a beauteous rubbish assistant.
Apple
Does Siri talk my language?
Siri tin talk and recognize English (Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, US), Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, Cantonese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Russian, Turkish, Thai and Portuguese.
How bash I alteration Siri's sex and accent?
If you privation to alteration Siri to a antheral oregon a woman, you'll request to caput into Settings > Siri & Search connected iOS or Apple Menu > System Preferences > Siri connected macOS Sierra oregon later. You tin alteration Siri settings connected HomePod wrong the Home app and Apple Watch wrong the Watch app.
Siri Voice options for sex and dialect beryllium connected the connection you pick.
Within these Siri settings is besides wherever you tin let oregon disallow the "Hey Siri" command, arsenic good arsenic presumption Siri Shortcuts, and determine if you privation to let Siri erstwhile your instrumentality is locked.
Writing by Britta O'Boyle. Originally published connected 16 April 2013.