fact, Siri’s capabilities have grown exponentially since 2013
and continue to improve as Apple releases updates.
At this point, Siri is so multi-functional it has become an
amazing swiss army knife. And yet people tend to use Siri
for simple things like directions or making phone calls. Siri is
much more valuable that. Look through the “what can you
do” list as well as at my favorite uncommon commands be-
low to get some inspiration.
Check defi nitions &
spelling
Do you remember when you
were a kid, and you would ask
your parents how to spell a
word and they would tell you
to look it up in the dictionary. I
would always think to myself
“If I knew how to fi nd it in
the dictionary, I wouldn’t have
asked how to spell it.” Now
you don’t have to be frustrated
anymore. You can simply say,
“Hey Siri spell arachnophobia,”
and it will spell the word out
letter by letter for you. You can
even ask Siri to defi ne it for
you.Make calculations
Don’t get me started on
math. I was always a pretty
good student, but as I have
gotten older, complicated math
problems make my head hurt,
and fi nding a calculator (even
on the iPhone) takes too long.
Now I simply ask Siri, “What is
9,426 divided by 12?” and in a
moment I have my answer.Use conversions &
translations
Here’s my fi nal trick. Ask Siri
to convert any currency, weight
measurement, or temperature
reading, and it will stun you
with its quick-minded brilliance.
Have you ever been cooking
and tried to convert liters to
cups in your head? Or won-
dered how far a kilometer is
compared to a mile? Or tried to
convert a pound into ounces?
Finally, it can be easy.
But there’s still one more
thing—translations. Imagine
you’re traveling through Mexi-
co but left your phrase book at
the hotel, or you’re in Europe
and desperately need to use
the restroom, or you’re in a
fancy French restaurant and
want to impress your girlfriend
but can’t understand the words on the menu. Once again, Siri
to the rescue! Just ask it how to say any word in another lan-
guage, and Siri will make you look like a true world traveler.Make Siri a Habit
You see, Siri is much more than just a way to make a phone
call or send a text. Now comes the most complicated part—
remembering to ask!
Practice using Siri, ask it lots of questions, get into the hab-
it of exploring its capabilities, and I guarantee you won’t be
disappointed. Now what are you going to do with all the time
you save?Dylan Stewart, a.k.a. the MacWhisperer, is an Apple technology coach living in Los
Angeles who is dedicated to the belief that using technology should be simple and
fun. He has trained students ranging in age from 9 years old to 90 years old, and he
can train you too.