Scholle McFarland - Take Control of Siri, 2nd Edition

Scholle McFarland

Welcome to Take Control of Siri, Second Edition, version 2.0, published in December 2020 by alt concepts inc. This book was written by Scholle McFarland and edited by Joe Kissell.

Siri is the hands-free, time-saving, and fun technology that ties everything together on your Apple Devices. Whether you want to ask a question, make a call, find your iPhone, or set a timer, Siri is often the fastest way. This book explores how to get the most out of Siri on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, HomePod, and Apple TV.

If you want to share this ebook with a friend, we ask that you do so as you would with a physical book: lend it for a quick look, but ask your friend to buy a copy for careful reading or reference. Discounted classroom and Mac user group copies are available.

Copyright 2020, Sawyer McFarland Editing. All rights reserved.

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• Download any available new version of the ebook for free, or buy any subsequent edition at a discount.

• Download various formats, including PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket. (Learn about reading on mobile devices on our Device Advice page.)

• Read the ebooks blog. You may find new tips or information, as well as a link to an author interview.

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This book explores how to get the most out of Siri on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, and HomePod. Take Control has other books that can help you lock down the basics of using some of these devices, such as:

• To learn more about using your iPhone and iPad, see Take Control of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 by Josh Centers.

• To learn more about the Apple Watch, see Jeff Carsons Take Control of Apple Watch.

• To learn more about using Apple TV, see Josh Centers Take Control of Apple TV.

I cover all the ways you can activate Siri on all your Apple devices in the chapters , but heres the CliffsNotes version for the most commonly-used devicethe iPhone: Press and hold the Home button at the bottom of your phone (iPhone 8 and earlier) or the side button (iPhone X or later). Siri is listening when you see an orb pulsing at the bottom of the screen or feel two vibrations.

The second edition of Take Control of Siri is updated for iOS 14.3 and iPad OS 14.3, as well as macOS Big Sur and watchOS 7. (The Mac-specific instructions in this book should work for Catalina or later. Much of what I describe here also works in earlier versions of macOS, but somewhat differently than what youll read here.) Along with hundreds of small changes in the book, larger revisions include:

• Instead of taking over the whole screen of your mobile device, Siri now appears as a small widget at the bottom of the screen (iPhone) or bottom-right corner of the screen (iPad). This means you can keep an eye on other information while you make your query. The difference shows in screenshots throughout the book.

• If you have AirPodsor in some cases, Beats headphonesSiri can now and let you reply hands free.

• Tired of your Siri mixing up you and your teen or spouses music preferences? so it responds to each of you appropriately.

• Siri includes more ways to , including symptom-based coronavirus guidance.

• Siri now gathers knowledge from a variety of websites. The result is it can get answers to more questions without kicking you out to a general web search. See .

• Whether youd like to hear a collie or a cuckoo, now you can .

• If you need a little help relaxing, or like to fall asleep to white noise, you can use Siri to .

• Chained to Apple Maps no more, Siri now can use Google Maps for driving, cycling, walking, or transit directions. It can even access your contacts so you can get directions to a friends house by name. See .

• When your message requires some nuance, use Siri to instead of a text one.

• You can still use Siri to , but you might want to use iOS 14s new Translate app instead.

• If youre tired of family members ignoring their phones, use Siri to to get their attention.

• In responses to issues with Siri recordings, Apple changed some of its privacy settings and policies. One result is that you can now delete your information. See .

What science fiction dreams, tech companies set out to do. Few inventions embody that more than Siri, Apples digital assistant. Following in the footsteps of 2001: A Space Odysseys HAL 9000 and Star Treks shipboard computers, Siri lets you find information and perform commands without touching a keyboard (or worrying about the pod bay doors).

Still, its not always obvious what you can do with Siriparticularly with Apple adding new features all the timeand sometimes its tricky to make it act like you expect. That was especially the case when it came out in 2011; many people who were disappointed by its early performance havent paid much attention to Siri since.

Thats what this book is for. Youll be surprised at all you can get done with this hands-free, time-saving, and fun technology. Want to dictate a note, get a reminder when you reach to a certain location, find your iPhone, or turn on the lights? Siri can make it happen. The same goes if you want to call a friend, catch up on baseball stats, or set a timernot only can Siri do it, but it offers the fastest way.

Well look at how to ask questions and do common tasks with Siri on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and HomePod (with a little Apple TV thrown in for good measure). Since Siri is all about voice, look for links to video demonstrations, too.

Apple has poured a lot of love into Siri and it shows in Siris endless supply of witty comebacks and jokes, as well as its many thoughtful touches and hidden capabilities. Year by year, Siri is becoming the technology that ties the Apple universe together. Lets dive in and see what it can do!