iPhone users from around the world have only good things to say about Siri, the multi-functional, pre-programmed personal assistant present in internet-enabled iOS devices. A guide on how you can start using Siri, and the things it can help you with, has been presented here.
To all those who have bought an Apple iPhone for the very first time – did you know that there lives a really helpful lady, right inside your handset? Her name is Siri, and she is easily more efficient than any human personal assistant that you might ever have. Interacting with Siri can be mighty addictive, as ‘Rajesh Koothrappali’, from the runaway hit television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, once found out (!). We would here familiarize you with the ways in which you can initialize and use Siri:
How should You turn on Siri on your iPhone?
It hardly takes a few seconds. All you have to do is navigate to the ‘General’ tab under ‘Settings’ from the home screen of your device. You will find the icon of Siri on the right-hand side, with a button next to it. Slide the button, to make Siri come to life. You can, of course, turn off this feature any time too.
Select the appropriate language
If there is one shortcoming of Siri, that would be the fact that – it does not understand all the languages in the world. However, on a standard Apple iOS device, you can take your pick from as many as nine different languages, for conversing with Siri. The option to select your country and preferred language is present right under the Siri settings tab.
Siri can be a guy too!
Siri is, by default, a caring virtual lady – but you can easily transform the personal assistant to a dutiful guy as well. You only need to modify the ‘voice gender’ of Siri as per your preference. Both the male and female voices of Siri are distinctive, and Apple has stayed away from imitating the voice of celebs through it.
The commands that you can give to Siri
When you have Siri on your iPhone/iPad, you can get real-time help on practically every issue under the sun. Right from looking up your phonebook and dialing the number(s) you want, to setting alarms, managing your email accounts, and planning your daily itinerary – Siri does them all. Professionals from the field of iPhone app development in India also rave about the sheer range of general knowledge questions that Siri can answer correctly.
Siri helps you in becoming an expert on identifying colors
For any creative purpose, you might need to know the exact shade of the color – for which you only have the hex code. The color swatch of Siri takes care of this requirement, since it has an in-built capacity to accurately transform such hex values to their RGB visuals. Whatever might be the code you give to Siri, (s)he will give you a visual presentation of it in seconds – right on your mobile screen.
How to converse with Siri?
Just like the smartphone apps released by any iPhone application development company in India, you need to converse with Siri in a manner that – it understands what you require. Provided that you have a properly functional Bluetooth headset, you can start giving commands to Siri, by pressing down the phone button. Alternatively, Siri can also be used by holding ‘Home’. Speak clearly enough, and don’t shout at Siri. Even virtual personal assistants can get confused!
Using Siri to manage your personal and professional lives
This functionality is particularly useful for business professionals struggling to cope up with work-pressures and obligations to their family. Siri would keep you updated about all the professional tasks, tours, meetings and appointments you have within a specified time frame (say, a month). Accordingly, you can chalk up plans for fun weekends and holidays with your family members. Oh…and Siri can also erase all the preset alarms, so that you are never disturbed while spending time with your near and dear ones.
Siri is a mathematical genius
That’s right – the toughest maths problems can be solved by Siri, in next to no time. If you are a student (or are the parent of one), Siri can help in finding solutions to tricky mathematics-related questions, with absolute ease. From calculus and algebra, to trigonometry – you can seek the help of Siri for solving any type of problem that might have stumped you. Don’t get too carried away though, and tag along your iPhone to the examination hall!
Siri is a whole lot of fun
Ask any existing user of Apple iPhone about ‘Siri-isms’ – and you will be amazed at the sort of random questions that the person inside your handset has a ready answer for. If you are feeling lonely, turn on Siri – and have a nice chitchat with him/her (depending on the voice you have preferred). You might not go on a date with Siri (as Rajesh Koothrappali did) – but there is no denying that (s)he is a charming, witty virtual companion. The programmers at Apple indeed deserve a lot of kudos!
You can even take the help of Siri to check out the movie listings and timings at the theaters in your locality. The iPhone personal assistant has easy integration features with Mobile Safari – and can bring to you live scores and other sports updates too. Siri is helpful, fun, obedient and ever-eager to please – iOS devices would not have been the same without him/her!
Hussain Fakhruddin
Latest posts by Hussain Fakhruddin (see all)
- How do mobile apps help small businesses? - October 10, 2019
- Top 15 Mobile App Ideas For 2020 - October 1, 2019
- Top 15 Software Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2020 - September 18, 2019