Siri

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How to Identify a Song Playing on a Mac with Siri

Have you ever been watching a movie or video, or maybe you’re in a coffee shop or restaurant, and you hear a song or some music that you want to identify? If you’re on your Mac, your computer can recognize what songs are playing by using Siri. This is essentially the feature that also works to identify what song is playing by using iPhone or iPad, but it’s on the Mac, and allows for identifying songs playing from the same hardware.

This obviously requires a Mac with a modern Mac OS release with Siri support as well as a microphone, so if you don’t have Siri on the Mac you won’t have this capability on your computer. And yes, the internal microphone works fine for picking up songs that are playing out of the computers own built-in speakers.

Recognize Songs and Music Playing on a Mac with Siri

Either play a song or wait for a song to be playing somewhere…
Click on the Siri button in the upper right corner of the Mac

Siri icon

Ask Siri “what song is playing”, Siri will listen for a moment and then respond with the song if identified

Identify what song is playing on Mac with Siri

When Siri identifies a song on the Mac, iTunes will also open automatically, but often do nothing

Identifying what song is playing on a Mac with Siri

This works great to identify songs or music when watching a show or movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime, or even something you hear in a YouTube video, elsewhere on the web, or on Facebook or Instagram.

Find what song is playing on a Mac with Siri

That iTunes automatically opens after Siri has identified a song is a little strange and annoying, but there does not appear to be a way to disable that from happening so you’ll either have to quit iTunes or just ignore it.

Oh and by the way, if you have Windows 10 on a PC, Mac, or Virtual Machine, and have Cortana, Cortana can also identify music playing too on request. Or you can pickup and use an iPhone or iPad to ask Siri to tell you what song is playing as well.

This is just one of may abilities available with Siri, check out the Siri commands list for Mac and the Siri commands list for iPhone and iPad too, there is some overlap between the two but because Mac OS and iOS are different each has unique Siri functions available to their respective host operating systems too.

Source: OSX Daily

September 8, 2017 0 comment

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Have Siri Show Your Calendar & Appointments on iPhone, iPad, or Mac

written by applenws

Are you having a busy day, and wondering what is next on your Calendar agenda? Maybe you forgot when that appointment is tomorrow? Or perhaps you’re wondering if you’re free next Tuesday for a meeting at a specific time? You can ask Siri to tell you, utilizing the virtual assistant as a little personal assistant on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Interacting with Calendar using Siri is one my favorite set of Siri command tricks, and if you get into the habit of using it this way it may become one of yours too. The Calendar on iPhone, Mac, and iPad is one of the most useful features of iOS and Mac for anyone who is maintaining a busy lifestyle or a lot of appointments and meetings, whether work, personal, or both, and combined with Siri the Calendar is even better since you can request all sorts of information with the digital assistant.

Siri Calendar Enquiries and Reporting Commands

Siri has full access to your Calendar and any events, so if you want Siri to tell you what’s coming up on your calendar or if you have a meeting today, tomorrow, or several years from now, just ask. All of these Siri commands work on any device with Siri, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Summon Siri as usual by holding down the Home button, by using Hey Siri voice activation, or hitting the menu button on a Mac, and then use the following type of questions about the calendar:

What’s on my calendar today?
What’s on my calendar tomorrow?
What’s on my calendar for Friday?
What’s on my calendar this week?
What’s on my calendar next week?
What am I doing next week at 4pm?
Show me my calendar for next Tuesday
Show me my calendar for next month
What’s coming up on my calendar?
Do I have anything planned for September 4?
What’s on my calendar in December of 2021?
When is my meeting with Bob?

Siri will scan your calendars, including shared calendars, and report back any findings, if you use broader questions that have larger time spans Siri will even provide a little calendar embedded into the response.

If nothing is found that pertains to the question asked then a response something like “you have no appointments on that day” or “I didn’t find any appointments for today” will arrive instead.

And yes, if you show holidays on the Calendar then those will appear on the calendar requests from Siri too.

Of course you can also add and modify calendar events, meetings, and dates using Siri too, with commands like “set up a meeting for 10am with Bob”, “make a new appointment next Friday at 4pm”, “reschedule my meeting with Bob from 3pm to 4pm” or “cancel todays appointment” and many other variations. The Calendar and Siri work fantastic together, so give them a try.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like to see a giant list of Siri commands or browse through our wide collection of Siri tips here.

Source: OSX Daily

August 30, 2017 0 comment

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How to Type to Siri on iPhone and iPad in iOS 11

written by applenws

Siri has primarily been a voice based assistant. While other assistants like Microsoft’s Cortana and Google Assistant have the ability to text to the assistant, Siri remained voice only. iOS 11 finally adds the ability to type to Siri. This will come in really handy when you’re in a position where you can’t talk out loud to your virtual personal assistant.

How Type to Siri Works

iOS 11 has a new accessibility setting that switches you to a text mode for Siri. Using this mode, you’ll be able to use the keyboard to type out questions to Siri. And Siri will reply on screen. It won’t read out the answers.

Google Assistant lets you use both voice and keyboard in the same view. Siri does not. You have to expressly switch to Type to Siri mode.

When enabled, you’ll find a keyboard propped up and ready to go. Type your question or just a keyword like weather and you’ll see the response on the screen. The keyboard will go away and you’ll still see a text input box at the bottom of the screen.

Yes, this isn’t the ideal way we’d want to use this feature. But as it’s under Accessibility, the implementation makes sense. And if you have hearing issues, you can finally switch to this mode and start using Siri. For others, we’ll need to make a choice if switching to the keyboard mode is useful enough to permanently give up on the voice assistant functionality (including Hey Siri feature).

How to Switch to Type to Siri Mode

Step 1: Open Settings app from the Home screen.

Step 2: From General, select Accessibility.

Step 3: Tap on Siri.

Step 4: In this section, tap on the toggle next to Type to Siri.

Will You Switch to This Mode?

Is this feature what you thought it would be? Will you be switching to the keyboard mode? Share with us in the comments below.

Don’t forget to check out the iOS 11 features for the list of 125+ features, and our iOS 11 category page for the comprehensive coverage of the upcoming update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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Source: iPhone Hacks: How to Type to Siri on iPhone and iPad in iOS 11 by Khamosh Pathak

August 18, 2017 0 comment

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9 Cool Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Siri

written by applenws

Some people use Siri every day to take care of tasks like opening apps, setting up meetings, or creating reminders. But, there are many others who completely forget that Siri exists. If you are in the latter group, you may not realize just how much Siri can help. Aside from ordinary tasks, take a look at what else Siri can do for you on your iOS device or Mac.

On Your iPhone or iPad

#1. Phone – Access Calls

When you need to make a call in a hurry, there is no reason to hunt down a contact’s number. And, Siri can get you other details as well. Try these commands without even opening your Phone app:

Call (contact) on their home phone.
Get my call history.
Play the voicemail from (contact).
Do I have new voicemails?

#2. Restaurants – Get Details

You may have a preferred app for finding restaurants or making reservations. But, Siri can do this for you too. The next time you want to make plans for dinner, you can use these Siri commands:

Find the best burger place in (city).
Show me reviews for (restaurant and city).
Make a reservation at (restaurant name or type) (day and time).
Where is the closest pizza place?

#3. Movies and TV – Search for Shows and Theaters

Whether you want to find the latest episode of your favorite show or see which movies are playing at your local theater, you are covered with Siri. Check out these examples of how Siri can help you find what to watch:

Watch the latest episode of (TV show).
Find horror movies on Netflix.
What is (movie) rated?
Show me what movies are playing nearby.

#4. Settings – Access Settings

Save time from opening your Settings app to perform simple actions. Siri can do exactly what you need, when you need it. Here are just a few things you can ask:

Is my Bluetooth on?
Turn on Airplane Mode.
Open Sounds.
Show me my Facebook settings.

#5. Home – For Home App Users

If you use the Home app to secure your home or automate settings, Siri can speed things up when you are heading out the door. Give commands or ask questions like these:

Lock the back door.
Is the porch light on?
Set up for movie night.
Is the front door locked?

On Your Mac

#6. Finder – Open Files

This may be one of the commands you already use to open folders quickly. But, what many people might not know is that Siri can open files based on a day, name, or contact. Just start the command with the words Find, Open, Get, or Show. Here are a few examples:

Find the Word doc I worked on yesterday.
Open the file (filename).
Get the file (contact) sent me.
Show me all Excel files.

#7. System Preferences – Make Adjustments

You can view and adjust system settings, change your display settings, and even ask a settings-related question. For instance:

Make my screen brighter (or darker).
Change my wallpaper.
Is my Wi-Fi on?
Put my Mac to sleep.

#8. About This Mac – Get Information Fast

While you can certainly click the Apple logo from your menu and select About This Mac, you don’t have to if you just ask Siri. Try some of these handy commands for quick details about your machine:

How much storage space do I have?
How fast is my Mac?
What is my serial number?
What OS version do I have?

#9. On All of Your Devices

General Questions: Get answers to math problems, city details, word spellings, and more.
Maps: Ask for directions, show locations on the map, or find local businesses.
Messages: Send or respond to messages, read alerts, search for messages.
Music: Play a specific artist or song from Apple Music, identify tunes, or buy songs.
Sports: Get scores, game schedules, and standings.

If you are ever unsure of what you can ask Siri, just open the app and click the Question Mark icon. Each category will display on your device and you can select one for more details.

You can also have a little fun with Siri by asking questions like, “What’s your last name?”, “What’s your favorite color?”, or “Do you like Microsoft?”. Or, ask to hear a joke, story, or poem. Whatever you choose to use Siri for, remember to take advantage of this handy built-in tool. Are you an avid Siri user and if so, which commands do you use most often?

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Source: iPhone Hacks: 9 Cool Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Siri by Sandy Stachowiak

August 2, 2017 0 comment

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How to Remove Siri from Touch Bar on MacBook Pro

written by applenws

Some Mac users may find the Siri button on Touch Bar to be less than useful, and some may accidentally hit the Siri button and inadvertently trigger Siri when trying to hit another key on the MacBook Pro Touch Bar keyboard. If you don’t want Siri so readily available on your Pro Mac for whatever reason, you can remove Siri from the Touch Bar on a Mac.

Note that by removing Siri from Touch Bar on MacBook Pro you are not disabling Siri on the Mac or otherwise getting rid of Siri, you’re only removing the Siri button on the Touch Bar itself. Siri can still be used by any other Siri summoning method.

How to Remove Siri Icon from Touch Bar on Mac

This is obviously only applicable to Mac hardware with the Touch Bar screen:

Go to the  Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” and then go to “Keyboard”
Under the Keyboard tab, choose “Customize Control Strip” (note it is not called Touch Bar here)

Customize Touch Bar to remove Siri

Now tap on the Siri button and drag it into the Trash on the touch bar, or use the mouse to drag the Siri icon onto the screen and out of the Touch Bar to remove it

Choose “Done” when finished and close out of System Preferences

The change is immediate but if for some reason it doesn’t take effect you can manually refresh the Touch Bar if its frozen or otherwise unresponsive to your settings changes.

Remember this only removes Touch Bar button from the keyboard, you will still be able to access Siri from the menu bar on the Mac, or a keyboard shortcut, but it will no longer be on the touch bar hovering above the delete key on Touch Bar Pro models.

You can customize other options in the Touch Bar and Control Strip through settings on the Macs equipped with the function key replacement screen. There is no way to remove the Touch Bar from a MacBook Pro (well, aside from simply not ordering a Touch Bar Mac to begin with), but customizing it so it’s better suited to your needs when you’re looking down at your fingers to hit the little touch bar buttons and screen can be helpful to many users.

Source: OSX Daily

July 24, 2017 0 comment