Brush Up on Siri Basics

Apple’s digital assistant makes it possible to do an amazing variety of tasks using just your voice, but first you need to know the basics, including what devices support Siri; how to adjust its language, voice, feedback, and volume; and how to give it the information it needs to provide a personalized experience.

Tip: See Understand Siri and Your Privacy for answers to common questions about how Siri deals with your data.

What You Need to Get Started

To use Siri, you must have a compatible device and an active internet connection.

The Right Hardware

Siri made its way to the iPhone in 2011 and since then has spread to just about all of Apple’s devices. You can use Siri on:

• the iPhone 4s or later

• the iPod touch (5th generation or later)

• the iPad 3 or later

• Macs running macOS 10.12 Sierra and later

• all Apple Watches

• all HomePods

• the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV (4th generation) and later

Tip: Update to the most recent version of your device’s operating system to gain access to all the latest Siri goodies.

An Internet Connection

Processing voice data requires a lot of computing power. To make its magic, Siri sends your voice data back to Apple’s servers, which means it can’t work without an internet connection—not even if all you’re trying to do is ask the time.

Tip: Siri works in Airplane mode as long as Wi-Fi remains available, for example through in-flight Wi-Fi. See Apple’s Use Airplane Mode on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch.

If you aren’t connected to the internet, Siri might say something like “Sorry, I’m having trouble connecting to the network,” or you might simply see a statement saying Siri isn’t available (Figure 1).

Figure 1: No internet connection means no Siri.

Here’s how to check your connection:

• On an iPad or iOS device: You need an active Wi-Fi or cellular data connection to use Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Tap Settings > Wi-Fi to see if the Wi-Fi switch is toggled on and you’re connected to a network. To check your cellular connection, tap Settings > Cellular and make sure the Cellular Data switch is toggled on.

  Tip: There’s a difference between a cellular data connection and a cellular connection. If you aren’t connected to Wi-Fi and you don’t see a 3G, 4G, 5G E, LTE, E, or GPRS icon in your phone’s status bar, you may be able to make calls, but Siri won’t work.

• On an Apple Watch: Press your watch’s digital crown, tap Settings > Wi-Fi, and make sure the Wi-Fi switch is toggled on. Your Apple Watch connects to the internet through your paired iPhone using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but it will use a known Wi-Fi network—or a cellular data connection on watches that support cellular—if your iPhone is out of Bluetooth range. Swipe up from the bottom of your watch’s screen to see the Control Center and look for telltale icons (Figure 2).

  

  Figure 2: Icons at the top left of the Control Center let you know if your watch is connected to the internet through a paired iPhone (left), through Wi-Fi (middle), or if there’s no connection at all (right). If you’re connected via cellular, the cellular icon highlights and green dots indicate signal strength.

• On a HomePod: To check or tweak HomePod connection settings, you must use the Home app on your iOS device, iPad, or Mac. If your HomePod is having trouble connecting to the internet, it says so when you try to invoke Siri.

• On an Apple TV: On your Apple TV HD or 4K, go to Settings > Network to make sure the device is connected to the internet.

• On a Mac: To see if your Mac is connected to the internet, go to System Preferences > Network.

Siri’s Country and Language Limitations

Where you live affects whether Siri works, too. It’s available only in selected countries and languages and what it can do varies by country. For instance, you can ask Siri for movie showtimes using your iPhone in Mexico, but not in Argentina. See where Siri for iOS and iPadOS works and what it can do there on this Apple support page; where Siri for macOS works and what it can do there on this Apple support page; where Siri for watchOS works and what it can do there on this Apple support page; and where Siri for tvOS works and what it can do there on this Apple support page. This book focuses primarily on Siri’s capabilities in English-speaking countries.

Change Siri’s Language and Voice

You probably think of Siri as a calm female voice reminiscent of Star Trek’s shipboard computers, but she’s not the only game in town. You can switch up how Siri sounds depending on what language you want it to speak and whether you want it to sound male or female.

Note: Voice actor Susan Bennett was responsible for the friendly tones of Siri’s original standard U.S. English voice.

Changing Siri’s language affects what spellings it uses—for instance, American color vs. British colour—as well as how it interprets your statements and replies to them. This is helpful not only for the obvious reasons (you speak a certain language), but also if you’re learning a new one. Practice by talking to Siri (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Learning a language? Change Siri’s language to brush up on your listening, speaking, and (of course) jokes.

Depending on the device, Siri gives you a choice of up to 41 language options, from Spanish (Mexico, Chile, United States, or Spain) to Mandarin (China or Taiwan). In English-speaking countries, choose between male and female voices with American, Australian, British, Irish, or South African accents. Most other languages have just a male or female voice.

Change Siri’s Language and Voice on an iPad or iOS Device

To change Siri’s language on your iPad or iOS device, go to Settings > Siri & Search, tap Language, and choose a language. Tap Back. Then, tap Siri Voice and choose an option. Finally, tap Male or Female. (You may have to wait while a language or voice downloads.)

Tip: What you choose as Siri’s language and voice on your iPhone is reflected on your paired Apple Watch.

Change Siri’s Language and Voice on HomePod

To change Siri’s language and voice on your HomePod, open the Home app on your iPad or iOS device, touch and hold the device’s name, and then tap the Settings icon. Scroll down to Language, tap it, and choose the language you want to use. Tap Back. Next, tap Siri Voice and choose an accent (if available) and gender. This process is much the same in the Home app on a Mac.

Tailor your HomePod’s settings however you like, even setting up different HomePods with their own individual voice settings. Note that Siri on the HomePod includes many fewer languages than the iPhone and Mac—16 as opposed to 41. This is a reflection of the device’s more limited availability worldwide.

Change Siri’s Language and Voice on a Mac

You can change Siri’s language and voice on your Mac, too. Go to System Preferences > Siri and choose from the options in the Language and Siri Voice pop-up menus. What you choose affects your options in the Voice pop-up menu (Figure 4). (It might take a bit for a language or voice to download.)

Figure 4: What language you pick affects the choices you’ll see in the Siri Voice pop-up menu.

Change Siri’s Language on Apple TV

Siri uses whatever language you picked when setting up your Apple TV HD or 4K. To change the language, go to Settings > General > Siri, and then select Language. There is no option to change Siri’s voice, because Apple TV’s Siri doesn’t talk. (See Adjust Siri Feedback on Apple TV for details.)

Video Alert! To see how to change Siri’s language on the iPhone and hear an audio tour of Siri’s English-language voices, check out the video “How to Change Siri’s Voice” on the Siri video page.

Control How Siri Talks Back to You

Whether it’s the middle of the night and your spouse is sleeping or you’re working in a quiet office with coworkers all around, sometimes it would be nice for Siri to pipe down. You can control how Siri talks back to you—both its volume and whether it uses text instead—to varying degrees, depending on the device.

Adjust Siri Feedback on an iPhone or iPad

On your iOS or iPadOS device, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Responses. You have three options here:

• Always: Siri talks to you even when your device’s Ring/Silent switch is set to silent. (If you’re not sure where the Ring/Silent switch is, see this Apple help page.)

• When Silent Mode is Off: Siri speaks aloud when Silent Mode is off, when using “Hey Siri,” or when connected to headphones (either Bluetooth or wired) or CarPlay.

• Only with “Hey Siri”: Siri responds out loud only when you use “Hey Siri,” or when connected to a headphones (either Bluetooth or wired) or CarPlay.

What if you want Siri to speak extra quietly or extra loud, but like your music to play at a different volume? You can adjust Siri’s volume independently of your device’s system volume. First, Activate Siri. While you’re on the Siri screen, use your device’s volume controls. This setting only applies to Siri’s verbal responses.

Note that when Siri responds to your queries, it no longer takes over the whole screen of your mobile device. As of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, instead, a small window appears with the response.

Tip: Your favorite nickname may not have stuck with your friends, but Siri is happy to call you whatever you want. Just say “Siri, call me O Captain! My Captain!”

Announce Incoming Messages on AirPods (and More)

If you use second-generation or newer AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Powerbeats, or Beats Solo Pro headphones, Siri has another trick, introduced in iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3. It can announce incoming messages while your iPhone or iPad is locked. This is particularly helpful if your device is tucked away while you do chores or exercise, because you can reply hands free.

The first time you connect compatible headphones, your device shows an alert asking if you want to turn on “Announce Messages with Siri.” To adjust settings later, tap Settings > Notifications > “Announce Messages with Siri,” and then toggle on “Announce Messages with Siri.”

You can choose to have Siri announce messages from Messages, the Home app, or both by toggling each on or off here, but Messages gives you a little more control. By default, only messages from people in your Contacts app are announced. Choose Favorites if you want to limit interruptions. (To add a person to your favorites, tap Phone > Favorites > the plus icon, and then choose their name from your contacts list.) Alternatively, choose Everyone, if you’re less picky.

When a message comes in, your headphones are on, and your device is locked, Siri plays a tone, announces the sender’s name, and reads the message. If it’s particularly long, Siri announces the sender’s name instead and says they sent you a message. Say “Read message” or open your device to see it.

Once you’ve heard the message, Siri pauses for your response. Say something like “Reply, ‘Yes, I can stop at the store for hamster food.’” Or, “Tell him ‘I’ll meet you there.’” Siri repeats your message and asks you to confirm that you want to send it. If you have faith in Siri’s recognition powers, you can speed things up by skipping this step. In the “Announce Messages with Siri” settings, toggle on “Reply without Confirmation.”

Not sure you want this feature on all the time? Add it to your device’s Control Center to make it easy to turn on and off. Tap Settings > Control Center, scroll down to More Controls, and then tap “Announce Messages with Siri.” Once that’s set up, you can swipe down from your device’s upper-right corner and tap the “Announce Messages with Siri” icon to turn the feature on or off.

Adjust Siri Feedback on an Apple Watch

Using Siri on the Apple Watch can let you finally live out any Dick Tracy wrist watch radio fantasies you may have developed as a child. (After all, where do you think Apple got this idea?) But if you prefer a less chatty watch, it’s possible to dial back the amount Siri talks, too.

If you have a Series 3 or later watch, go to Settings > Siri to adjust Siri’s feedback (Figure 5). You’re out of luck if you have a Series 2 or earlier Apple Watch. With these models, Siri can use only text.

Figure 5: In Settings, choose how Siri responds to you and adjust its volume.

Choose from three voice feedback options in settings:

• Always On: Siri always responds to your queries verbally.

• Control With Silent Mode: If your watch is in silent mode, Siri responds with text only. Otherwise, it responds verbally.

• Headphones Only: Siri only responds verbally if you’re connected to your watch with Bluetooth headphones. This is a good option if you generally want Siri to be silent, but don’t want to keep your watch in silent mode.

Adjust how loudly or softly Siri responds by tweaking the Voice Volume Speaker slider on this settings screen. By default, the slider is set to its maximum, which I find QUITE LOUD.

Adjust Siri Feedback on HomePod

Unfortunately, you can’t (yet) adjust Siri’s volume independently from music volume on the HomePod. That means if your tunes were blasting last time you used the HomePod, Siri booms out the weather the next time you ask.

Say “Hey Siri, turn the volume down” or “Hey Siri, set the volume level to 10 percent” or even “Hey Siri, shh!” (to shut it up immediately). You can also tap or touch and hold the minus (-) or plus (+) signs on the top of the HomePod to adjust the volume that way.

Adjust Siri Feedback on a Mac

The Mac’s options for Siri voice feedback are pretty darn simple. Go to System Preferences > Siri. Next to Voice Feedback you’ll see two radio buttons: On and Off (Figure 6). (If you select Off, you’ll see text responses in the Siri window.) There’s no separate volume control for Siri on a Mac. Use the volume controls on your keyboard or in the menubar at the top of your screen.

Figure 6: Your Mac doesn’t offer much in the way of fine-tuning for Siri feedback. It’s either on or off (boxed).

Adjust Siri Feedback on Apple TV

Apple TV’s Siri replies to your requests either by carrying them out or with text. In fact, if you ask Siri “Why don’t you talk?” it replies with “No one likes a Chatty McChatterson when there’s a show on.”

Although Siri is silent, the Apple TV does have a VoiceOver feature for people who are visually impaired. Hold down the Siri button on your Siri Remote, and say “Turn VoiceOver on” or “Turn VoiceOver off.” Then release the button.

Share Siri Training Across Devices

As Siri learns about you, its accuracy increases and it’s better able to predict what you might want to do next. You can speed this process up by sharing Siri data across most of your devices using iCloud. You must sign in to iCloud on your devices using the same Apple ID in order to share Siri training.

Tip: Siri data is encrypted as it travels between devices, but you still might want to leave some of them out of the mix. For example, you might not want to share your iPhone’s Siri data (which can be more personal) with your work Mac.

Set Up Data Sharing on an iPad or iOS Device

Go to Settings > your name > iCloud and toggle on the Siri switch. Apple Watch uses the same Siri data as its paired iPhone.

If you change your mind, toggle this switch off. However, be aware that iCloud data sharing is required for HomePod multiuser features. (For more about these features, see Teach HomePod to Recognize Different Voices.)

Set Up Data Sharing on Your Mac

Go to System Preferences > Apple ID. Select iCloud in the list to the left, and then select the Siri checkbox.

If you decided not to include your Mac in Siri data sharing, uncheck this box.

Give Siri the Information It Needs

Many Siri features depend on your device knowing personal information about you, like your name, where “home” is, your contacts’ phone numbers, and where you are right now. To learn how to let Siri know where you are, see the sidebar Location, Location. Set up the rest in the Contacts app:

• Who you are: To see whether Siri knows who you are, say “Who am I?” On your iPad, iOS device, or Mac, your contact card opens with all relevant information filled in. If something’s missing, add it here. If you don’t have a card, create one. On your Mac, open Contacts, choose File > New Card, fill it in, and then choose Card > Make This My Card. On your iPhone, tap the Phone icon, tap Contacts, tap the plus sign , and fill in your information. Once you’re done, Activate Siri and say “My name is your name” to let Siri know that card refers to you.

• How to say your name: The easiest way to teach Siri how to pronounce your name is to say “Siri, my name is pronounced your name.” Siri then asks you to pronounce your first and last name separately, playing back and letting you choose from options as you go along to make sure it gets it right.

• How to say a contact’s name: You can stop Siri from continuously mangling a contact’s name, too. Say “Learn to pronounce name” and go through the same process.

• Your home: If you want to be able to ask Siri to “Get directions home,” it needs your address. Make sure it’s included in your Contacts card and designated as your home address.

• Your relatives: To make it possible to ask Siri to call your sister, boss, or dad, tell them who they are. For example, tell Siri “Katy Sawyer is my sister,” confirm the decision, and you’re set. Check to see if Siri got it right by asking “Who is my sister?”

• Birthdays: If you’ve entered a birthday in a contact’s card, you’ll be able to ask Siri questions like “When is Phillip’s birthday?”

• Phone numbers and more: To make a call or send an email, make sure that information is filled in for your friends and family in the Contacts app, too.

If you sync your contacts using iCloud (see this Apple support page), all devices that use the account have access to the info.