Siri may be Apple’s biggest software release in years. It’s not just a refinement on an old concept, but a brand new way of using your iPhone. You talk to Siri, and Siri does what you ask. It’s a simple concept and at the same time it’s also massively complicated. Here are 5 things you should know about Siri in order to have the best experience with it.
1. There’s more than one way to launch Siri.
Siri can be activated by holding down the home button on the iPhone 4S. After a second, the phone will beep and Siri will greet you. But there’s more than one way to activate Siri. Your phone doesn’t even need to be unlocked.
Siri is integrated with the iPhone’s proximity sensor. Just bring Siri up to your ear as if you’re about to make a call. You’ll hear the same beeps, and now you can use it without ever unlocking your iPhone 4S.
2. Siri Works With Other Apps
It is true that third-party apps can’t work with Siri, at least not yet. Apple has designed it to work with a number of native iPhone 4S apps, though. These include apps such as Messages, Contacts and Music.
You can ask Siri to do virtually anything that you would normally do with these apps. So don’t feel like you’re limited to just asking Siri for web searches and reminders, because you can also use it to start playing your favorite music.
3. Siri Learns
If you’re having trouble with Siri not understanding your voice, don’t fret: Siri learns over time and adapts to your voice. As you use it more, the software is designed to adjust to the depth of your voice and your accent.
So don’t give up on Siri if you have problems getting it to understand you at first.
4. You Can Talk Naturally to Siri
Just because you’re talking to a computer program doesn’t mean you need to talk any different. Siri’s best feature is that it can parse natural human language. There’s no need to memorize a set of commands or talk to Siri using jargon.
Talk to Siri like you would a person, and it will understand you. If Siri needs more information, it will ask you for clarification. It’s really that simple.
5. Siri is in Beta
Despite being an incredible product, Siri is still in beta. Even though it runs smoothly the majority of the time, you might still run into an unexpected error. If you do, just try to work around it.
