Siri: Apple's voice assistant and what it can do now

Siri is Apple's voice assistant, built into iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod and CarPlay. Siri carries out voice and typed commands: calls, reminders, timers, smart home control and looking things up.

Siri: an assistant in every Apple device

In plain words

Siri is like a personal assistant who lives in all your Apple devices: you tell your watch "remind me to buy bread" and the reminder appears on your iPhone and Mac too. Newer versions have got smarter thanks to AI, but like any assistant, Siri sometimes does not get it the first time.

How it works

The device listens for "Hey Siri" or "Siri", or a button press.
Speech recognition partly runs on the device.
Siri works out the intent and performs the action in an app.
Apple Intelligence handles complex requests on the device or on Apple's secure servers, and can pass some to ChatGPT with your permission.
The answer is spoken or shown on screen.

Siri behind the wheel

Where you'll see it

On all modern Apple devices. Languages and features depend on your country and OS version, so check your language in Siri settings. Apple Intelligence works on newer iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Does it matter when buying

For iPhone owners it is handy while driving, with earbuds and with a HomePod. But the AI features depend on your iPhone model and language. If an assistant in your language matters most to you, check availability before buying.

Myths

Myth: Siri is always eavesdropping. Reality: It responds to the wake phrase; you can delete your request history in settings.
Myth: Siri is the same on every iPhone. Reality: Advanced AI features only work on newer models.

FAQ

How do I turn on Siri?

Settings - Siri - turn on "Listen for".

Does Siri understand my language?

Check the list of languages in Siri settings on your device.

Can I type to Siri?

Yes, with the "Type to Siri" feature.