When Siri was first introduced as a beta product alongside the launch of 2011’s iPhone 4S, people couldn’t wait to get their hands on Apple’s new virtual personal assistant and give it a try. Then… they actually gave it a try. Siri got off to a rocky start to say the least, with server issues that plagued early users and a limited feature set that often didn’t work as advertised. Despite the “beta” label, it seemed like no one was really prepared for how unreliable Siri was going to be, so many people were turned off and ditched Siri completely.
Of course, launching a half-baked software product and then fixing it over time is par for the course at Apple. What started as a frustrating mess has grown into one of Apple’s most useful software tools, but many people still don’t use Siri because of the bad taste that was left in their mouths the first time around.
Now, it’s time to give Siri another shot.
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In the early days, the biggest problem with Siri was the simple fact that it often didn’t work. Speaking a command would be met with confusion and people had to repeat themselves multiple times before Siri would deliver. A product intended to make people’s lives easier was having the exact opposite effect.
Today, the biggest problem with Siri is remembering all of the great features that are baked in. Apple has put forth a tremendous amount of effort fixing and refining Siri, and it’s a completely different beast now. Siri works very well and it packs more functionality than you could ever remember — which is why Switzerland-based developer Sandro Roth created the site “Hey Siri.”
Hey Siri, which by no mistake is also the command you can speak to your iPhone to wake Siri without having to hold the home button, is a simple website that lists hundreds of voice commands that can be used with Siri on Apple’s iPhones, iPads or Macs running macOS Sierra. The site says it currently holds 489 different commands, and they’re split up into categories to make browsing and discovery easier.
Did you know you can tell Siri to capture a photo with the iPhone’s camera app? Did you know Siri can make your screen brighter or enable Night Mode? Did you know Siri can read your notifications to you or locate a family member using Find My Friends?
There’s plenty more to learn, and you’ll find it all on the Hey Siri site.
