It was with the presentation of the iPhone 4S (2011), which came to disappoint many of those who expected the arrival of an iPhone 5, when Apple decided to take the step and introduce Siri , a really fun name for a very simple concept of recognition of voice
And it basically consists of that: Apple’s virtual assistant , which we can find and use in the different operating systems of the bitten apple brand, both iPhone and iPad (iOS), through macOS (available from macOS Sierra) and even the Apple Watch.
In this way, and even when we are not experts using it, it offers us the possibility of carrying out many tasks only by voice . You just need to know a few basic voice commands. And, above all, the effective command to start it: Hey Siri . From that moment on, the virtual assistant will be activated automatically, waiting for us to ask it something or give it an order.
Otherwise, especially when we do not have this option enabled, it may be necessary to press the Start button on our device, or activate Siri directly from macOS.
What is Apple’s Siri?
As the brand itself indicates, Siri basically consists of an intelligent assistant that helps us carry out a wide variety of tasks on our Apple devices, being able to even use it to consult doubts or have access to information completely wirelessly, without pressing buttons or keys and only with the voice.
Although it was originally created for your smartphones (iPhone) and touch tablets (iPad), today it is also possible to find Siri on any Apple device, including Macs.
It is a functionality very similar to Cortana (Microsoft), S Voice (Samsung) or Google Now (Google), so that, thanks to a text-to-speech conversion system, Siri is able to respond in natural language.
For it to work, it is necessary to have an Internet connection, since this artificial intelligence is hosted on Apple’s servers.
Using the Clock with Siri
Siri offers us the possibility of using the Clock app on our device without the need to hold it in our hands. For example, it allows us to set an alarm or activate a timer , something extremely useful when, for example, we find ourselves cooking with stained hands and we cannot pick up the iPhone. How to do it?:
- Alarms After activating Siri, we can ask you to sound an alarm. For example, if we need to wake up at 6 in the morning, we can say “Set an alarm tomorrow at 6:00 am.”
- Timer If instead of an alarm you need to activate the timer, you can do so by saying “Start a 7 minute timer”.
Saving an appointment or event in our Calendar
Saving a certain appointment on our calendar is even simpler and easier thanks to Siri. In fact, it is possible to indicate a date and time, as well as a small comment. What’s more, the system offers us the possibility of even eliminating it when we need it.
To do this, for example, we could say to Siri “Add an appointment for March 29 at 3:00 pm, go to the doctor.” In this way, once we have indicated the day and time, Siri will take what we say below as a comment for said event.
In case you want to delete it, you just have to tell Siri “Delete today’s appointment”.
Writing a note by voice
If you usually use the Notes app a lot, you should know that Siri also offers us the possibility of adding notes by voice , easily and without having to write them on the keyboard of our device.
How? It is as simple as saying “Write a note”, or something similar. Then, he will understand that he must open the Notes app and he will write what we tell him from the moment he tells us, after he tells us “What do you want me to say?”.
Data conversion and calculations
If you’re cooking and need to convert units of measurement, Siri can easily solve this task too. In fact, you can convert units of measure, currency, temperatures or duration, among others.
To activate this option, we only have to ask what we want to convert. For example, if we want to know how much is 100 euros in US dollars, we will have to ask you: “How much is 100 euros in US dollars?”
Similarly, Siri is also capable of quickly solving calculations based on the instructions we give it. What’s more, beyond the numbers, you can also carry out measurement and time calculations. For example, “Calculate 10 + 10”.
Curiosities about Siri
Siri was originally developed by the Stanford Research Institute, which originally proposed it as an app for free download through the Apple App Store. However, the Californian brand decided to acquire the technology in April 2010, shortly before it reached the BlackBerry and Android smartphones.
Since then, specifically a year later (in 2011), Siri accompanies us every day.
