There was a time when Siri was the best voice assistant. Then it lost its crown to the likes of Google Assistant and Alexa. Now, with the rise of AI assistants like Google Gemini and ChatGPT Voice, the competition has become even more fierce.
Thankfully, after letting Siri stagnate for years, Apple has finally given it the attention it deserved. And while there’s still a long way to go, I cannot deny that I am enjoying using this new Siri, and it has become more useful in my daily life than ever before.
That said, Siri is only as useful as the operator, which is why you need to learn the tricks to get the most out of it. The commands you use may get the job done, but they may not be the most efficient way to use Siri. We teach you about commands that can help you with everything from doing calculations to managing your device’s settings.
If you can’t talk to Siri, the feature may be turned off. On newer iPhones, head to Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri (or only Siri in iOS 27) to check (older, non-Apple Intelligence devices still use the classic Settings → Siri & Search path). Once it’s on, there are a few ways to activate Siri:
If you’ve felt like Siri has been stagnant for the last few years, that’s changing in a big way. Apple used WWDC this June to unveil Siri AI, easily the biggest overhaul Siri has ever received. Instead of the old command-and-response assistant, Siri AI can hold an actual conversation, remember what you just asked without repeating yourself, and dig through your Photos, Mail, Messages, Notes, Reminders, and Calendar to find what you need.
To power this, Siri AI runs on Apple’s new Foundation Models, and Apple built them with Google’s help. That doesn’t mean Apple just slapped its logo on Gemini, though. Apple took the techniques behind Gemini and used them to train something smaller and faster, tuned specifically for Apple’s own chips. Your personal data is still safe, since Private Cloud Compute handles sensitive data on its own.
Siri AI also picks up a Camera mode for Visual Intelligence. Point your camera at a membership barcode, and Siri can turn it into a Wallet pass, or snap a photo of a product and find its listing on Amazon. There’s a dedicated Siri app now too, so you can start a conversation on your iPhone and pick it up on your Mac or iPad. It even holds onto context across that switch, so if you ask about restaurant recommendations on your iPhone, you can keep refining the answer once you’re sitting at your Mac.
The rollout spans the whole Apple lineup:
The catch is hardware. You’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to actually run it, even though iOS 27 itself installs on iPhones as old as the iPhone 11. On the Mac side, macOS Golden Gate is also the first version to drop Intel support completely, so it’s Apple Silicon only from here on out.
One thing worth knowing before you get excited: Siri AI is still in public beta as of this writing, supports English first, and won’t be available in the EU right away. Apple says the full rollout lands later this year, with iOS 27 itself expected in September.
If you want to fine-tune how it sounds, head to Settings → Siri → Voice to adjust Siri’s pace and expressiveness. Those settings carry over to Maps and Safari’s spoken directions as well, so once you dial in a pace you like, it follows you across the whole system.
Whether you’re making a call or firing off a quick email, Siri can handle most of your everyday communication without you ever opening an app. Here’s what to say:
Skip the trip through Control Center and let Siri flip your settings for you instead:
From splitting a bill to checking the weather before you head out, these commands turn Siri into a pocket calculator and clock:
Keeping your schedule straight is one of Siri’s best tricks, and you don’t need to open a single app to do it. With iOS 27, it has become even better. Now that both Reminders and Calendar support natural language processing, you can speak naturally to create events and reminders for the right time and day.
Siri can double as your co-pilot, whether you’re driving across town or just trying to find the nearest coffee shop:
When you don’t know exactly where something is, Siri can dig through your apps and the web to find it:
Siri also moonlights as your DJ and personal scoreboard:
Siri’s built-in commands only get you so far. If you want Siri to do something specific to your life, Shortcuts is where you build it. Open the Shortcuts app, tap the plus button, add whatever actions you want strung together, give it a name, and save it.
iOS 27 update has made it even simpler. Now, you can simply ask the Siri AI to build a shortcut for you. After you create a shortcut, you can trigger the whole thing just by asking Siri for it by name.
You can also make use of Vocal Shortcuts. Instead of learning Siri’s exact phrasing, you can record your own custom phrase and assign it to a system action or a shortcut you already built. You can set it up under Settings → Accessibility → Vocal Shortcuts.
Siri also plugs into a long list of third-party apps through Shortcuts. Depending on what’s installed, you can say things like:
If you’re playing music through your iPhone on a HomePod, all the music commands above apply, plus:
HomePod also makes it easy to use Intercom, which broadcasts a message to every compatible speaker and device in your Home group, including AirPods:
Your Apple Watch gets its own set of Siri shortcuts too. Raise your wrist and start talking, or press and hold the Digital Crown if raise-to-speak isn’t cooperating:
If you’re wearing AirPods paired to your Watch, Siri reads incoming messages and lets you dictate a reply without ever touching your phone.
If you have HomeKit-compatible smart devices, Siri opens up a lot more control over your home:
If Siri’s gone quiet on you, it’s almost always one of a few usual suspects:
Siri isn’t just useful; it’s also weirdly good for a laugh when you’re bored. Here’s a list of commands worth trying, since this is where Siri’s personality really comes out.
That’s every Siri command worth keeping in your back pocket, from the practical to the downright silly. Siri clearly isn’t done changing either, and once Siri AI fully rolls out with iOS 27 this fall, some of these tricks will probably feel outdated fast. Until then, go try a few out for yourself, especially the funny ones, and let us know which command you didn’t know you needed.
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