Unlock the Power of Siri: 12 Must-Try Features for Your iPhone

Apple's voice assistant, Siri, has been improved over the years, but it still falls short compared to its competitors. Using Siri effectively requires knowledge of some of its more helpful commands. To make it easier for you, we've compiled a list of our favorite commands.

Restart or Turn Off Your iPhone Using Siri

For instance, restarting your iPhone can be a hassle as it involves holding down the Volume Up and Side buttons on most modern devices. On older devices, it requires pressing a combination of buttons before your iPhone turns off. Additionally, there's no "Restart" option when using this method, which means you have to turn it off and power it up manually.

However, you can skip this entire process with Siri. Simply command Siri to "restart my iPhone," and it will restart your device for you. Alternatively, you can also tell Siri to "turn off my iPhone," and it will turn off your device after confirming your decision.

Ask Siri to Find a Password for You

Having an iPhone comes with a great benefit of being able to save your login credentials with Apple's password manager. This functionality is even more convenient if you have a Mac or iPad, as it syncs over iCloud. Moreover, you can use iCloud for Windows and an Edge or Chrome extension to access your passwords on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. Instead of manually finding passwords, which can be time-consuming, you can simply ask Siri to locate a specific password for you, and it will show up in the relevant search results. This feature allows you to copy or share your password, or even generate a new one.

Get Siri to Locate Your Car

Gone are the days of aimlessly wandering through parking lots in search of your car. With the help of your iPhone and Siri, you can easily locate your parked vehicle. By using Apple CarPlay or a Bluetooth head unit, your iPhone can detect when you’ve parked and mark the location in Apple Maps. Simply ask Siri, “Hey Siri, where am I parked?” and she’ll provide you with the exact location. If you don’t have Apple CarPlay, consider upgrading your car with an aftermarket option to take advantage of this handy feature.

Appending Lists and Notes with Siri

Streamline Your Life with Siri's Voice Commands

Siri has been capable of adding items to your lists or notes using just your voice for a while now. It may seem like a small feature, but it can save you a ton of time, especially when your hands are preoccupied. For instance, you can easily add items to your grocery list while cooking in the kitchen or driving.

Moreover, Siri's voice commands come in handy when you're multitasking and can't reach for your phone. Though there may be a few errors in transcription, you can always edit the note or reminder later. So, next time you need to jot something down quickly, just ask Siri to do it for you.

Ask Siri Where You Are Right Now

Utilize Siri to Navigate Safely

While driving, it can be dangerous to take your eyes off the road to check your location on a map. Fortunately, Siri can help with this task. Simply ask Siri, “Hey Siri, where am I?” to receive your current street address and neighborhood. This feature is especially helpful when driving in unfamiliar areas, as it allows you to stay focused on the road while still obtaining necessary information.

Use ChatGPT from Within Siri

To enhance your Siri experience and get more personalized responses, you can integrate ChatGPT directly into Siri with the Shortcuts app. This feature allows you to have more engaging conversations with Siri and receive richer responses. However, it requires you to sign up for an OpenAI account and use your API access token to make requests. Upon registration, you'll receive $18 worth of free API calls, but after that, you'll need to pay to continue using ChatGPT in this way. Try it out by saying "Hey Siri, ChatGPT" to get started. Another useful shortcut is "Hey Siri, enable Dark Mode," which can help reduce eye strain and save battery life.

Access iPhone settings with ease using Siri. Instead of searching through the Settings app, simply ask Siri to make the changes for you. While some commands may not work as expected, there are still useful ones such as turning on Airplane Mode, turning off Low Power Mode, and setting the volume to a specific level.

To access Chrome settings, you can simply type "chrome://settings" into the address bar. From there, you can customize your browsing experience by adjusting preferences for privacy, appearance, and more.

Try using different labels such as "call home" or common ones like "work," "dad," "partner," "wife," etc. Utilize Siri's integration with the Find My app to locate AirTags and any contacts that have shared their location with you. For example, ask Siri "find an AirTag" or "where is Waldo?" to see the location on a pop-up map at the top of the screen.

Use Siri to Find People, AirTags, and Other Devices

It's compatible with a variety of Apple devices, including AirTags, AirPods, and MacBook. If you need to locate an AirTag, simply ask Siri and you'll receive a list of options to choose from. This feature comes in handy if you're tracking pets with names that Siri may not recognize.

Help Siri Pronounce and Understand Names

For instance, if Siri struggles to pronounce your name correctly, simply ask her to learn how to say it. You'll be directed to the Contacts app, where you can easily edit your own or someone else's contact information.

To improve the pronunciation of your contacts' names on Siri, start by selecting a contact and tapping “Edit” in the top-right corner. Scroll down until you see “Add Field” and tap on it. Here, you can choose pronunciation and phonetic fields for first, middle, and last names. To test it out, ask Siri, “how do you say Contact Name.” It may take some experimentation to get the pronunciation right, but once you do, you can easily use Siri to call or message your contacts by saying, “Hey Siri, Luke is my son.”

Define Contacts for Easier Communication

If Siri struggles to understand names, even after being trained, it may be helpful to label your contacts for easier communication. This way, you can simply tell Siri to “call my wife” and it will understand immediately. Labels can be applied to any contact, whether it be a family member or even a friend labeled as “bestie” or “nemesis”. Plus, with Siri’s ability to transfer money, you can easily use voice commands to complete tasks like transferring $100 to Complete Access.

To make your life easier, you can utilize Siri Shortcuts through a third-party app that supports it. These shortcuts are voice commands that can trigger simple, repetitive tasks, similar to Apple's Shortcuts. For instance, after transferring funds from your savings to your current account, you can add a Siri shortcut to make the process even more effortless. Although these commands aren't dynamic, they function as voice shortcuts for common tasks. To find compatible apps, check out u/iBanks3's table of apps that support Siri Shortcuts on Reddit. Alternatively, you can look for the "Add to Siri" button while performing actions. These shortcuts can be found in the Shortcuts app, where you can delete or modify the voice command as needed.

Do Even More With Siri

If you found this list helpful, there are many other ways you can optimize your experience with Siri. With a few simple adjustments, you can tailor Siri to better suit your needs, such as silencing notification readouts, enabling captions for spoken responses, and toggling hands-free "Hey, Siri" mode on or off.