How to Use Siri to Control Your iPhone With Your Voice

Siri is Apple's built-in voice assistant — just say 'Hey Siri' and ask it anything, set reminders, make calls, or send texts hands-free.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Turn on Hey Siri
2.Ask Siri practical questions and commands
3.Use Siri to open apps and control settings
4.Use Siri to read and respond to messages

Turn on Hey Siri

~27s

Go to SettingsSiri & Search → turn on "Listen for 'Hey Siri.'" If prompted, speak a few phrases so Siri learns your voice. Once enabled, you can activate Siri at any time — even when your phone is locked and face-down on a table — by saying "Hey Siri" out loud.

Quick Tip

You can also activate Siri by pressing and holding the side button (on Face ID iPhones) or the Home button (on older iPhones with a round button at the bottom).

Ask Siri practical questions and commands

~25s

Say "Hey Siri" followed by your request in plain language. Useful examples: "Hey Siri, call Mom" — "Hey Siri, what's the weather tomorrow?" — "Hey Siri, set a timer for 20 minutes" — "Hey Siri, remind me to take my pill at 9 AM every day" — "Hey Siri, send a text to John saying I'll be there at 3" — "Hey Siri, how many cups in a gallon?" — "Hey Siri, turn up the volume."

Use Siri to open apps and control settings

~22s

Siri can open any app by name: "Hey Siri, open Facebook" or "Hey Siri, open Maps." It can also adjust settings: "Hey Siri, turn on WiFi" — "Hey Siri, make my screen brighter" — "Hey Siri, turn on Do Not Disturb" — "Hey Siri, increase text size." This is especially useful if you find it hard to navigate through multiple Settings menus.

Use Siri to read and respond to messages

~25s

Say "Hey Siri, read my latest message" to hear your most recent text. Siri will read it out loud and ask "Would you like to reply?" Say "Yes" and then speak your reply — Siri will transcribe it and ask you to confirm before sending. This lets you have a full text conversation without looking at your phone, which is particularly useful while cooking, doing chores, or when your hands are full.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use Siri to Control Your iPhone With Your Voice

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Siri is Apple's voice assistant, available on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You activate it by saying 'Hey Siri' or pressing a button, and then you talk to it naturally. Siri can set timers and reminders, make calls, send texts, answer questions, open apps, and control settings — all without you having to tap the screen.

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