I’ve had a number of friends tell me recently that Siri is worthless and never gets anything right. “And besides,” they say, “I can just do it faster myself than asking Siri!”
Granted, Siri had her challenges when she was first rolled out, and many of them remain. But if you just ask her to do simple tasks, she’ll generally get them right.
Here are ten things I frequently use Siri for:
- Call people: For example, ask Siri to call your Mom. (If you haven’t’ set up relationships within your contact settings, here’s an article that teaches you how to do that.)
- Email people
- Text people: I especially like this feature. I will dictate the message to Siri and she’ll type and send it.
- Set timers and alarms Just be aware that Siri sometimes hears “60” as “16”. I will instead ask for a timer for “61 minutes”.
- Check on the weather
- Show most recently received email
- Search emails: You can find emails with specific text in them or emails from a specific person
- Find out the time and weather in another city: Don’t forget, these are two separate questions!
1. Siri, what time is it in London?
2. Siri, show me the weather forecast in London. - Search for a local business When you ‘re looking for a specific business, ask Siri to look it up for you. She’ll generally respond with a map and all of their contact information.
- Open an application on your phone: Simply ask Siri to open the map application or the FitBit application, etc.
Siri still has her flaws, but if you know what they are and can work around them, she’ll serve you well. (In a limited capacity!)
Questions? Comments? Feel free to post them below. I’ll try to respond to every single one!
Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more at www.GeekForHireInc.com. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area. They can provide remote service throughout North America.
