The Apple digital assistant, Siri, has grown since it first appeared on the iPad. It can schedule meetings, take voice dictation, remind you to take the trash out to the street, read your email, and update your Facebook page. It can also speak to you in different accents if you prefer.

Here’s how to get the most out of the voice-recognition technology on your iPad.

How to Turn Siri On or Off on the iPad

Siri is probably turned on for your iPad. If you have a newer iPad, you may have set up the “Hey, Siri” feature. But you might want to check out a couple of settings and features to make sure your iPad is secure.

These instructions apply to devices with iOS 9 or later.

  • Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  • Tap Siri & Search.
  • The three settings under Ask Siri let you control when, or if, you can access the digital assistant. Listen for “Hey Siri” activates Siri when you say that phrase. Press Home for Siri turns it on when you press and hold the Home button. And Allow Siri When Locked makes it available without waking up your iPad.
  • Flip these switches to on/green to give full access to Siri, or switch the switches off to disable it.
  • You need an active internet connection to use Siri.
  • You can also control Siri from the Voice Feedback menu. Always On makes it available by voice or Home button (if those options are on) even if the iPad’s sound is off. Control with Mute Setting turns it off when the iPad’s speakers are deactivated. Hands-Free Only activates Siri with voice commands only.
  • Tap Siri Voice to choose how the assistant sounds. You can choose between male and female and a variety of accents.
  • If most of these options are off, you can activate and use Siri via voice commands with Bluetooth devices or headphones.

What Is “Hey, Siri”?

This feature allows you to activate Siri with your voice by proceeding any normal question or directive with “Hey, Siri.”

Open the Settings app on your iPad.

Tap Siri & Search.

The three settings under Ask Siri let you control when, or if, you can access the digital assistant. Listen for “Hey Siri” activates Siri when you say that phrase. Press Home for Siri turns it on when you press and hold the Home button. And Allow Siri When Locked makes it available without waking up your iPad.

Flip these switches to on/green to give full access to Siri, or switch the switches off to disable it.

You need an active internet connection to use Siri.

You can also control Siri from the Voice Feedback menu. Always On makes it available by voice or Home button (if those options are on) even if the iPad’s sound is off. Control with Mute Setting turns it off when the iPad’s speakers are deactivated. Hands-Free Only activates Siri with voice commands only.

Tap Siri Voice to choose how the assistant sounds. You can choose between male and female and a variety of accents.

If most of these options are off, you can activate and use Siri via voice commands with Bluetooth devices or headphones.

When you flip the switch for “Hey, Siri,” your iPad asks you to speak a few sentences to optimize Siri for your voice.

iPads preceding the 9.7-inch iPad Pro (March 2016) must be connected to a power source to use the “Hey, Siri” feature.

How to Use Siri on the iPad

When you activate Siri, either with “Hey, Siri” or with the Home button, the iPad beeps, and the screen prompts you for a question or directive. Ask a question or make a request, and Siri follows your instructions.

If you want to ask additional questions while the Siri menu is open, tap the microphone. The glowing lines appear again, which means you can ask your question.

Does Siri have trouble pronouncing your name? You can teach it how to pronounce it. 

Look for the colorful pattern at the bottom of the screen that indicates Siri is waiting for commands.

What Questions Can Siri Answer?

Siri is a voice recognition artificial intelligence decision engine that contains various databases that enable it to answer many of your questions. It can perform a lot of basic tasks and answer various questions. Here is the range of things Siri can do for you.

Basic Siri Questions and Tasks

  • Call [name]: “Call Tom.“Send text to [name] [text]: “Send a text to Tom: What did you say the name of that band was?“Launch [app]: “Launch Evernote.“Search the web for [whatever]: “Search the web for best iPad strategy games.“Listen to [band name, song name]: “Listen to The Beatles.“Get me directions to [shop/restaurant name/address]: “Get me directions to Six Flags over Texas” or “Where is Gilmer, Texas?“Will it rain [date]?: “Will it rain tomorrow?” or “What is the weather like?”

Siri as a Personal Assistant

  • Remind me to [do something] at [date/time]: “Remind me to walk the dog tomorrow at 10 AM.“Schedule a meeting for [meeting] at [date/time]: “Schedule a meeting for work at 3 PM on Thursday.“Change my meeting from [date/time] to [date/time]: “Change my meeting from 3 PM on Thursday to 4 PM on Friday.“Tweet [what you want to say]: “Tweet: I am having a cup of coffee.“Update my Facebook status to [what you want to say]: “Update my Facebook status to: Just watched Doctor Who and loved it.”

Siri Helps Feed and Entertain You

  • Show me nearby [type of food] restaurants: “Show me nearby Mexican food restaurants.“Find me [type of food] in [city]: “Find me pizza in Dallas.“Book a table at [date/time] for [restaurant]: “Book a table at 6 PM for Via Real.“What movies are playing?: This lists movies playing at nearby theaters. You can also add “in [city]” to check movies that aren’t near your current location.Show me a trailer for [movie]: “Show me a trailer for The Avengers.“What movies have [actor] starred in?: “What movies have Tom Hanks starred in?“What movies has [director] directed?: “What movies has Penny Marshall directed?“What is the cast of [tv series]?: “What is the cast of How I Met Your Mother?“Who wrote [book, movie, tv series]?: “Who wrote Harry Potter?”

Siri Knows Sports

  • Who are the [sports team] playing tonight?: “Who are the Rangers playing tonight?“What is the score of the [sports team] game?: “What is the score of the Giants game?“How are the [sports team] doing?: “How are the Yankees doing?“Who is leading the league in [stat]?: “Who is leading the league in rushing yards?“How many [stat] does [player] have?: “How many rushing yards does Maurice Jones-Drew have?”

Siri Is Full of Information

Siri is intelligent, so experiment with different questions. It’s connected to a number of websites and databases, which means you can ask a variety of questions. Here are some examples of how Siri performs calculations and finds information:

  • What is 18 “percent” of 32 “dollars” 57 “cents”? Siri is great for figuring out how much you should tip or performing simple math. Siri can also plot out equations.What is the price of AAPL? If you love to keep an eye on your favorite stock, Siri has that information.Where is area code 212? A good way to check where that unknown call originated.How much are 20 British pounds in dollars? Siri can do monetary conversions, making the assistant good for vacations.How old is Mitt Romney? Your query must be about someone famous enough for the assistant to recognize. You can ask a variety of questions about well-known people.What time is it in London? Not only can Siri give you the time in locations around the world, but it can also give you facts like when the sun rises in that location.

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