The Siri app on the Apple iPhone and iPad devices allows users to control their home appliances, make calls, search the internet, set alarms, read news and other tasks. You can even integrate third-party apps to get additional functionality. However, you must know how to set up your iOS device in order to get the most out of the Siri app. Here are a few tips to help you.
Gender-neutral voice
Apple recently released a gender neutral Siri voice. The new voice is part of the latest beta version of iOS 15.4. With this release, the iPhone no longer defaults to the original female voice. However, you can still switch back to the classic if you don’t like the new voice. Alternatively, you can turn the voice on or off via the Settings app.
The gender neutral Siri voice uses Neutral Text to Speech (TTS) technology, so there’s no need to worry about sounding like a robot. There are six different voices to choose from, including an Indian accent, a British one, and two Black ones with American accents.
One of the more interesting things about the new voice is that it has been made available in more languages than just English. This is a huge improvement for people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and it’s a good thing. In addition to the newly introduced voice, Apple is also rolling out Universal Control and a fresh batch of emojis.
While the new Voice 5 isn’t out yet, it’s probably coming soon, and you can expect to get your hands on it by the end of March or so. Once you get it, you can change the voice on your iPhone, and on your Mac.
Shortcuts
Siri Shortcuts are an iOS feature that allows iPhone users to interact with apps in a voice-controlled way. This is an enhancement to Apple’s digital assistant and a great way for developers to make their app more useful.
With Siri Shortcuts, users can create custom voice commands. For example, if you have a favorite recipe app, you can ask Siri to launch it. Then, the app can play instructions for cooking the dish.
Siri Shortcuts was first announced at last year’s WWDC. Since then, the company has raised a $1.5 million seed round and is working on integrating with third-party devices and gadgets. These include the EcoBee, PebbleBee, Greenbox, Sonos, and Unikey.
One of the first apps to support Siri Shortcuts is Pandora. Its new button lets users add shortcuts to albums, playlists, and more. In addition, the app now includes full support for iOS 12.
Users can record custom voice commands and create a variety of actions. They can also create multi-step shortcuts. And since Siri Shortcuts works across Apple platforms, you can get your shortcuts up and running on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Aside from creating your own custom voice commands, you can also choose from pre-configured shortcuts that appear in the Siri gallery. Among the shortcuts available today are Weather and Sky Guide.
Integration with third-party apps
Siri is a popular voice-recognition feature, and many people are not aware of the fact that it can also be integrated with third-party apps. In iOS 10 and beyond, it can be added to more than just messaging and payments. It can also handle some device settings, and help users schedule events.
Third-party apps can integrate with Siri for a variety of uses, including sending and receiving payment, checking information, booking rides, and more. The list is growing with each new release of iOS. However, there are some restrictions that prevent some third-party apps from fully taking advantage of the feature.
The most notable change is that Apple has deprecated some commands. These include adjusting climate settings, setting an audio source in a car, and searching photos. Also, the number of Siri commands that users can use will be drastically reduced.
Apple has also introduced the Intent UI Extension, allowing third-party apps to create custom views. This feature is not available for all apps, but it does allow developers to extend the default UI of iOS.
Conclusion
In addition to integrating with Siri, third-party developers can also provide their own custom artwork for responses. They can also add shortcuts that work with Siri.
