Questions to Ask Siri
Twenty things worth saying to Siri that get a real answer rather than a web search, written the way you would actually say them out loud. Each note explains what the assistant does with the request and where it tends to fail, so you know which ones to trust hands-free.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What's the weather going to do this afternoon?
Why ask it
Works because it is a narrow window rather than a general question. Asking about the afternoon or the weekend gets a forecast for that period; asking simply what the weather is gets today's number and nothing you can plan around.
Set a timer for ten minutes.
Why ask it
The single most reliable thing to ask, and it works with wet hands. If your device supports more than one at once, add a name, since two unnamed timers are impossible to tell apart when they go off.
Wake me up at 6:30 tomorrow.
Why ask it
Phrasing it as waking you up creates an alarm; asking for a reminder creates something that may only produce a notification you sleep through. The distinction matters more than it sounds.
What's on my calendar tomorrow?
Why ask it
Reads back your events, which is the fastest check while driving. Be aware it only sees calendars the phone has been given access to, so a work account that was never added will silently be missing.
Remind me to take the recycling out when I get home.
Why ask it
Location-based reminders are the capability most people never try. It needs your home address saved and location permission granted, and if either is missing you get a plain reminder with no trigger.
Add milk to my grocery list.
Why ask it
Goes into a list in Reminders, and the list has to exist under roughly that name or one gets created. Useful precisely because it is faster than unlocking the phone in a shop.
Text Mom that I'm running fifteen minutes late.
Why ask it
Requires that Mom is set as a relationship on your own contact card, otherwise you get asked which of four people you meant. Always let it read the message back before sending, because transcription errors here get sent to a real person.
Read my unread messages.
Why ask it
The main reason to use an assistant at all while driving. Worth checking your notification settings first, since whether messages are announced through headphones is controlled separately from this request.
What's my ETA?
Why ask it
Only works while navigation is already running, which is why it fails for people who ask it cold. Said mid-drive it is one of the cleanest interactions available, because the context is already loaded.
Where's the nearest pharmacy that's open now?
Why ask it
The words open now are what make this useful, since a list of closed shops is worse than nothing. Treat opening hours as a claim to verify by phone before driving anywhere at eleven at night.
How many tablespoons are in half a cup?
Why ask it
Unit conversion is answered directly rather than handed to a search, which makes it genuinely hands-free in a kitchen. Currency and temperature work the same way, though currency rates depend on a connection.
What's 18 percent of 64?
Why ask it
Arithmetic and percentages come back spoken, which is the point when your hands are holding a bill. Long or ambiguous expressions get misheard, so keep it to one operation.
How do you spell necessary?
Why ask it
You get the letters read out and shown, which is faster than typing a guess into a search box. It also works as a mild party trick with children who are learning to write.
How do you say where is the station in Spanish?
Why ask it
Translation is spoken aloud, which is what makes it usable in front of another person. Keep the phrase short and concrete, because long sentences with clauses come back stiff or wrong.
What time is it in Tokyo?
Why ask it
Answers instantly without opening the clock app, and it is the quickest way to avoid calling somebody at four in the morning. Ask about the city rather than the country, which is ambiguous across time zones.
What song is this?
Why ask it
Listens through the microphone and identifies what is playing in the room, which most people do not realize is built in. It needs a few seconds of reasonably clear audio, so hold the phone toward the speaker.
Play the album Rumours.
Why ask it
Naming the album rather than a song avoids the common failure where you get a playlist or a single track. If you use a service other than Apple's, add the service name at the end of the request.
Turn on the flashlight.
Why ask it
One of the few requests that works reliably with the screen locked and no connection. Genuinely useful in the dark, when finding the control on a glowing screen is the hard part.
Turn on low power mode.
Why ask it
A settings change made by voice, which is faster than three taps. Pair it with asking for the battery level first, since the two together take about five seconds.
Did the Lakers win last night?
Why ask it
Sports results are answered directly rather than handed to a browser, and follow-ups about the next fixture usually work too. If it offers you a web page, the league or team is one it does not cover.
Getting more out of the assistant
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Set-up worth doing once
Teach it your people
Add relationships to your own contact card, so Mom, my wife, and my boss resolve to one person. Also fix the pronunciation of any name it mangles, which is a per-contact setting rather than a general one.
Decide how it gets triggered
The wake phrase and the side or home button are separate settings, and on some devices you can raise the phone to speak. Pick one and use it consistently, since half-triggered requests are the main source of frustration.
Turn on typing
Type to Siri, in the accessibility settings, lets you make the same requests silently. Useful in a quiet office, and much easier when a long request keeps being misheard.
How to phrase a request
- Speak at your normal pace. Over-enunciating hurts recognition rather than helping, because the model was trained on ordinary speech.
- Put the important word early. 'Text Sarah, I'm outside' works better than a long preamble followed by the instruction.
- One instruction at a time. Requests joined with 'and' are frequently half-completed, and you will not notice which half.
- Use follow-ups for context. After asking about one city's weather, 'what about tomorrow?' usually holds the thread for a turn or two.
When it goes wrong
- 1Check whether it heard you before blaming the answer. The transcription is shown on screen, and most failures are recognition rather than understanding.
- 2Say 'change it to' before a message sends, rather than starting the whole request again.
- 3If a request keeps failing in a noisy room, use headphones or type it. Background noise is the most common cause of a wrong result.
- 4Remember that most requests need a connection. Timers, alarms, and device controls generally survive without one; anything involving information does not.
Worth knowing
- Voice requests may be processed off the device. The settings for history and for improving the service are where you control what is kept.
- Answers change with software versions, so a command that failed a year ago may work now, and one that worked may have been retired.
- Lock screen access is a trade-off. Allowing the assistant when locked is convenient and means anyone holding your phone can send a message.
- Do not test emergency calling as a joke. Asking for an emergency number can place a real call, and the countdown is easy to miss.