How to use Siri on iPhone 12

Contents

• 1The virtual assistant Siri is getting smarter and smarter
• 2How to enable Siri on iPhone 12
• 3How to use Siri on iPhone 12
• 4Siri improvements in iOS 14
• 5How to use Siri as an intercom

what you need to know

• There are two ways to access Siri on iPhone 12 models : Using the side button or using a voice command.
• Siri no longer takes over the entire screen, but instead works through a colorful icon and widget responses.
• You can even use Siri with Apple devices like HomePods and AirPods to announce messages through an intercom mode.

This article includes instructions on how to use Siri on iPhone 12, including how to activate Siri, how to access Siri, and what you can do with the voice assistant.

How to enable Siri on iPhone 12

Before taking advantage of the new features that were released in Siri in iOS 14, you first have to make sure that Siri is enabled on your iPhone 12.

1. Open Settings .
2. Select Siri and search.
3. On the Siri and Search page , make sure the following three options are enabled:

• Hear “Hey Siri”: This allows you to say the wake phrase “Hey Siri” to begin an interaction with the voice assistant.
• Press the side button for Siri: This allows you to wake up Siri by long pressing the button on the right side of the phone.
• Allow Siri when locked: This allows you to use Siri without unlocking the phone.

How to use Siri on iPhone 12

Once Siri is activated on your iPhone 12, to access it, all you have to do is say “Hey Siri” or press the button on the right of the phone.

With the Siri update in iOS 14, the voice assistant no longer takes care of the full screen. Instead, you’ll see a colored icon at the bottom of the screen to indicate that Siri is listening to your question or request. Then when responding, the responses will appear as widgets and banners on one part of your phone’s screen, but they still won’t fill the entire screen.

Siri improvements in iOS 14

The iOS 14 update to Siri (which is the version installed on the iPhone 12 at the time of its launch) included a series of updates to the appearance and abilities of the voice assistant. In addition to the appearance changes mentioned above, these features were also added or improved:

• Best Answers : Siri handles more than 25 billion requests per month, according to Apple. In order to meet all these requests, the virtual assistant has had to learn a lot. In fact, Apple claims that Siri has 20 times more data than a few years ago. And the ability of virtual assistants to use the web to provide answers has also improved.
• Smarter Suggestions : Among Siri’s enhancements is a handy Shortcut Suggestions widget that allows Siri to suggest actions that you take on a regular basis. For example, when you get into the car Siri can suggest opening maps, or order a coffee from your favorite coffee shop. And, you can have these suggestions in your view today or on your home screen (or both). Whatever works for you.
• Shared Estimated Time of Arrival : If you meet another iPhone user and want to give them an ETA, you can ask Siri to “share my ETA”. Siri will then send your ETA, through Apple Maps, to that person. However, there are a couple of caveats. You need to have started the directions on Apple Maps, and your Apple ID email will be used to share your estimated arrival time.
• Voice messages : Siri can record and send audio messages for you using iMessages or MMS text messages (which means you can even send audio files to Android users). Just say “Send an audio message to” and Siri will record and send the audio. You will have the option to listen to it, cancel it or re-record it before sending the message. You will also have the option to do it through CarPlay.
• Better translation : The translation services that have always been available through Siri have improved with iOS 14. There are now 65 language pairs and you don’t need to be connected to the Internet for the translation to take place. What’s more, the translations are much smoother than they have been in the past.
• Biking Directions with Maps : If you need directions for biking, you can now ask Siri, “What are directions for biking to [name of place]?” If Siri doesn’t understand or recognize the place you’ve asked for directions to, the voice assistant will offer suggestions and then redirect you to Apple Maps to get the appropriate directions.
• Automatic reminders from email : In iOS 14, Siri gained the ability to recognize potential email reminders and make suggestions. If you find that you create a lot of reminders from email, this will be a useful feature to keep you in the game.

How to use Siri as an intercom

An additional feature that you may find when using Siri on the iPhone 12 is the intercom feature that is available if there are multiple Apple devices in your home. The intercom function is available on all Apple smart devices, iPhone, iPads, Apple Watch , AirPods, and even CarPlay.

To use the function say, “Hey Siri, tell everyone [your message]”. Siri will send the messages to the connected devices, and recipients can respond by saying, “Hey Siri, repeat [your response].

Messages sent through the intercom feature will play on HomePod and AirPod devices, and will appear as notifications on devices such as the iPhone and iPad.