What Siri Can Do For You
What types of things can I ask Siri about or ask it to do?
You can ask Siri to make a call, find a businesss and get directions, schedule reminders and meetings, search the web, and more. You can even ask Siri “What can you do for me?” or tap the “i” in the right corner of the screen when you bring Siri up. You’ll see examples of things Siri can do, along with ways you can ask for things.
Which apps does Siri work with?
Siri works with almost all the built-in apps on iPhone 4S. And it’s smart enough to figure out which apps to use to provide you with answers. It also uses Search and Location Services to help you with your requests. Here’s a list of apps and services that Siri works with worldwide:
- Phone
- FaceTime
- Music
- Mail
- Messages
- Calendar
- Reminders
- Notes
- Contacts
- Weather
- Stocks
- Web Search
- Find My Friends
- Alarms, World Clock and Timer
- Wikipedia search
- Wolfram|Alpha (English only)
- Siri can also assist you using these apps and services in the U.S. in English:
- Maps
- Local search with Yelp!
Maps and local search support will be available in additional countries in 2012.
How does Siri learn who I am?
If Siri knows who you are, it can use your information to help you. To make sure Siri knows who you are, select your contact information in
Settings > General > Siri > My Info.
Your information is used for questions like “How do I get home?” or “What good restaurants are near work?”
How does Siri learn about my key relationships?
Siri also helps you by learning about the key people in your life. The first time you ask Siri to call your sister, it will ask you who your sister is. That information is stored in Contacts along with other relationship information like “mom,” “husband,” and “grandma.”
How do location-based reminders work?
Because Siri knows your current location and other locations like “home” and “work,” it can remind you to do a certain task when you leave a location or arrive at a location. So if you tell Siri,“Remind me to call my wife when I leave the office,” Siri does just that.
To turn off the ability for Siri to use your location, go to Settings > Location Services and set the switch for Siri to Off. Regardless of how Locations Services is set for Siri, information about your location is not tracked or stored outside the phone.
Does iPhone 4S take dictation?
Yes. iPhone 4S supports dictation in any app that has a keyboard. So instead of typing, you can speak and your words will be entered as text.
To start dictation, tap the microphone button on your keyboard and start talking. When you’re finished, tap Done and your words will be turned into text. Dictation for each langauge is built into the keyboard for that langauge.
Is Siri accessible to blind and visually impaired users?
Yes. VoiceOver, the screen reader built into iOS, can speak any text that’s displayed in responses from Siri. You can navigate through the responses and have each one read to you. This includes the days of a weather forecast, the body of an email, the details of an answer from Wolfram|Alpha, and more.
Langauge Support and Availability
Siri works exclusively on iPhone 4S. Siri understands and can speak the following langauges:
- English (United States, United Kingdom, Australia)
- French (France)
- German (Germany)
In 2012, Siri will support additional langauges, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Spanish.
Can I use Siri in any of these langauges in other countries?
Yes. Siri can be enabled in any country, and you can choose to speak to it in English, French, or German. However, Siri is designed to recognize the specific accents and dialects of the supported countries listed above. Since every langauge has its own accents and dialects, the accuracy rate will be higher for native speakers.
