Introduced 11 years ago, Apple’s Siri voice recognition software was the first virtual intelligence assistant of its kind on smart devices. Although the technology initially seemed like a niche experiment, it grew in popularity quite quickly, with Siri performing increasingly sophisticated tasks, such as voice control of devices.

Arnoldas Lukošius, an expert from Tele2 Innovation Office, talks about how to make friends with the virtual assistant Siri and make the most of the help that artificial intelligence provides.

Siri functionality in everyday life

The voice-operated personal assistant Siri can answer your questions, help you make a shopping list, find the information you need, remind you of important events or tasks. Siri has access to Apple Gadgets: Email Email, Contacts, Messages, Maps, Navigators and more. This means that it recognizes the commands associated with them: it can help you go to a web page in a browser or find an object on a map.

Siri also works with your Apple ID account, which means it remembers commands and learns over time and can help you more effectively. You can use this assistant not only on your phone, but also on other Apple smart devices, such as your watch, headphones, tablet, or computer. However, Siri does not understand Lithuanian computers, so it will be difficult for non-English speakers to use this assistant.

Siri in third-party apps

Third Party Apps – Non-Apple Apps – Choose if you want to integrate with Siri. By adding appropriate lines to the program code, they allow users to use the application’s voice commands. This not only allows you to open Facebook or Messenger apps by voice, but also tell Siri to perform a certain action on its UI, such as composing a message or scrolling the screen.

The biggest challenge facing Siri in Lithuania is the lack of local third-party apps, but this gap is gradually being filled. The virtual assistant is already integrated into the “Fill in” application, where users can instantly check the balance of their mobile account and perform more complex tasks: recharge and check the balance of data, calls or SMS.

Link to gadgets

Siri on your mobile device usually works automatically, but it’s a good idea to make sure Virtual Assistant is turned on on your phone. In the Settings section, scroll down and select Siri and Search, and make sure Listen Hey Siri and Press Side Button for Siri are turned on. All you have to do is press and hold the lock button on your phone or say “Hey Siri” to use the virtual assistant. If all goes well, you should check Siri integration with gadgets. In Settings > Siri & Search, scroll down until you find a list of available apps to link and activate the ones you want.

Equipment and its formulation.

There are several important principles to keep in mind when managing third-party apps with Siri: Formulate your commands as precisely as possible with as many keywords as possible, especially at the beginning of use. It’s helpful to highlight both the name of the gadget and the action you want to perform: “Siri, play a song on Spotify” or “Siri, start a 5K with Runtastic.” To send a message through Messenger, the voice command must be worded as follows: “Send [vardas] messenger message that says [tekstas]“. This technology seems complicated at first glance, but it is very useful and quick to master. You can also add additional commands by clicking “Add to Siri” in the gadget section. Here you’ll see tips from the team that will keep Siri from getting lost and make it easier to recognize.