Almost every second Internet user in Germany now relies on the help of language assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. While it was around 39 percent in 2020, according to a survey commissioned by the Bitkom industry association, 47 percent now rely on the helpers who take on simple tasks or with which other devices can be controlled. Here is a selection of useful tips for Apple’s digital assistant Siri.
In order for Siri to work at all, users must first activate the voice assistant on their iPhone, for example. To do this, in the settings you have to select the sub-item “Siri
After users have spoken a few example sentences, they can start – with the activation words “Hey Siri”, followed by the corresponding command. It is important to speak as clearly as possible and to make a specific request so that Siri recognizes it correctly and can help. Alternatively, depending on the device model, users can press and hold the home or side button to bring up Siri.
According to Bitkom, many users prefer female voices for language assistants, but if you prefer an assistant with a male voice, you can also set this up with Siri. The voice is changed under “Settings”, “Siri
Some settings and functions of the smartphone can also be controlled by voice. With the corresponding command, users can, for example, switch the flashlight or flight mode on and off again or adjust the volume of the device – either with a relative instruction such as “quieter” and “louder” or with a percentage: “Hey Siri, volume 50 Percent.”
The Shazam service, which can be used to find out which song is currently playing on the radio or can be heard in a series, has been around for around two decades. Shazam has been owned by Apple for a few years and Siri can also access it – without having to install the appropriate app. So simply the command is enough: “Hey Siri, which song is that?” After a few seconds, the assistant often reliably gives the correct answer.
If you want to convert information between different units, Siri can also help you here. This is sometimes useful if only units like Fahrenheit are to be found in an American baking recipe, with which most Germans are probably not very familiar. After a “Hey Siri, how much is 300 degrees Fahrenheit?” the assistant reports, for example, that this is the equivalent of around 148.9 degrees Celsius.
An excursion or the like should ideally be planned in advance. Not only can the alarm clock be set via Siri (“Hey Siri, alarm clock for 7:00 a.m.”) so that you don’t miss the train in the morning. The language assistant can also remind users to book train tickets in advance (“Hey Siri, create a new reminder: Book tickets.”). Users can also ask about the weather and thus find out whether they should pack an umbrella.
