How to Activate Siri on iPhone 12

Ivana Kotorchevikj

Written by Ivana Kotorchevikj Gadgets / Apple iPhone

Linkedin Twitter Published 1 year ago / updated 6 months ago - 4 min read

Apple users are very familiar with Siri - the built-in, personal assistant activated by voice, available on iOS devices.

Siri helps you do things faster by only using your voice. You only need to say “Hey Siri” and the smart assistant helps you send text and audio messages, schedule meetings, translate a phrase, set an alarm, find a location, report on the weather.

But Siri is not like other smart assistants that ask you to say specific keywords and commands. It understands natural speech and even asks you questions if it needs more information to complete a task.

iOS 14 comes with many Siri updates. It doesn’t take over the full screen, instead, it’s presented in a colorful icon at the bottom of the screen that indicates that Siri is listening to your question or request. When Siri is responding, the responses appear as widgets and banners on a part of your phone screen.

However, if you have never used it before, setting up Siri can be a bit complicated. In this article, we’ll explain how to activate Siri on your iPhone 12, how to access it, and what you can do with it.

How to enable Siri on your iPhone 12

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select ‘Siri & Search’.

3. On the Siri & Search page, activate the following three options that let you access Siri in different ways:

• Listen for "Hey Siri” - This option lets you interact with Siri by saying the wake phrase. In the setup, you’ll be prompted to say “Hey Siri" followed by several phrases: "Hey Siri, send a message," "Hey Siri, how's the weather like today," "Hey Siri, set a timer for three minutes," and finally "Hey Siri, play some music."
• Press Side Button for Siri - This option allows you to wake Siri by long-pressing the button on the right side of the phone.
• Allow Siri When Locked - This option lets you use Siri even if your phone is locked. If you want Siri to respond only when your phone is unlocked, you can turn this option off.

How to use Siri on your iPhone 12

When you have enabled Siri on your device, there are two ways you can use it:

1. You can activate your voice by saying "Hey Siri" and asking a question such as “Hey Siri, what’s the weather for today?” or “Hey Siri, set an alarm for 8 a.m.” If you want to ask Siri another question, just say “Hey Siri” or press the Siri icon.

Note: If you want Siri to stop responding to “Hey Siri,” either place your iPhone face down or go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn off “Listen for “Hey Siri”.

2. You can activate it by long-pressing the button on the right side of the phone. When Siri appears, ask Siri a question or to do a task. If you want to ask Siri another question, just tap on the Siri icon.

Note: When the iPhone is in silent mode and you activate Siri with a button, Siri responds silently. When silent mode is off, Siri responds loudly. You can change how Siri responds in Settings > Siri & Search.

How to use Siri as an Intercom on iPhone 12

Apart from asking Siri questions and getting it to do tasks, you can also use Siri as an intercom with iPhone 12. The intercom feature is available if you have multiple Apple smart home devices in your home: iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, AirPods, and even CarPlay.

To use the intercom feature:

1. Say “Hey Siri, tell everyone (your message)”.
2. Siri will send the messages to connected devices.
3. After the recipients receive the message, they can respond by saying "Hey Siri, replay (their response).

When you send a message via the intercom feature, it will play on HomePod devices and AirPods, and it appears as a notification on iPhone and iPad.

If you are looking to learn more iPhone tips and tricks, read how to do Inspect Element on your iPhone.