- Siri Can Handle a Wide Range of Tasks
- Siri Relies on Content in Certain Apps
- Using the iPad's Dictation Feature
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Siri Relies on Content in Certain Apps
Not only does Siri require Internet access to function, but to handle certain types of requests, it needs access to data stored in various apps. As you begin using Siri, you must provide details about who you are and who you’re related to. This allows Siri to know where you live, where you work, what your email address and phone number(s) are, as well as who your mother, father, brother, sister, and other relatives are.
Thus, when you say something like, “Remind me to defrost a steak for dinner when I get home,” Siri will know where home is and remind you when you reach that location.
Siri Taps in to Data Stored in the Contacts App
To fully customize Siri, create a detailed entry for yourself in the Contacts app. Be sure to include your home and work addresses and properly label all your phone numbers and email addresses. Also include details such as your birthday and Twitter and Facebook account information, and use the Related People option (shown in Figure 2.8).
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Figure 2.8. Create a detailed entry for yourself in the Contacts app.
The Related People option in the Contacts app enables you to link to a record in other contact entries that are somehow related, plus use labels, such as “Mother” or “Father,” to describe the relationship.
First, create separate entries within Contacts for the people to whom you’re related, such as your mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, assistant, and/or children. As you do this, be sure to properly use each field’s label, and differentiate between home and work phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses, for example.
As you’re creating or editing your own Contacts entry, tap on the Add Field option. Next, scroll down and tap on the Related People option (shown in Figure 2.9). One at a time, link the entry for each related person by entering their name. Then, tap on the appropriate label to select how that person is related to you. Set up separate links in your own record for each relative.
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Figure 2.9. In your own Contacts entry, be sure to include the people you’re related to and label them appropriately.
After you’ve created your own detailed entry in Contacts, launch Settings, tap on the General option, and then choose Siri. Make sure the virtual switch associated with Siri is turned On. Then, tap on the My Info option and select your own entry in the Contacts database to inform Siri who you are (shown in Figure 2.10). Now, Siri will be able to refer to you by name and access details about you as needed.
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Figure 2.10. It’s important to link your own entry in Contacts with Siri from within Settings.
Later, Siri will be able to use this information. You’ll be able to say, “Call mom at home,” and Siri will know who you’re talking about, will be able to access that record, and then obtain your mother’s home phone number, assuming it’s properly labeled and stored in the Contacts app. When you use the command “Call” with Siri on the iPad, whenever possible, a FaceTime videoconference connection will be established.
Siri Also Uses Data from Calendar and Other Apps
Depending on your command or request, Siri uses information that’s stored in other apps as well. For example, you could say, “Show me appointments related to Jane Doe,” and Siri will search your Calendar database for any appointments containing “Jane Doe.” You could also say, “Search emails for John Doe,” to view any incoming or outgoing emails related to John Doe.
Likewise, if you tell Siri to play Madonna, it launches the Music app and begins playing songs by Madonna, assuming you already have Madonna songs stored in your tablet.
When you use Siri with the Maps app or Mail app, for example, and say something like, “How do I get to John Doe’s home?”, you’ll need to have John Doe’s home address already stored in your Contacts database so it can be accessed and automatically entered into the Maps app. Or, if you say, “Email John Doe,” John Doe must have an entry in your Contacts database that includes at least one email address.
Remember, Siri can find major locations and landmarks on its own. If you’re in New York City, for example, you could ask Siri, “How do I get to the Empire State Building?” or “How do I find Lincoln Center?” You could also ask for information relating to a local airport.