8 New Siri Features in iOS 17 You'll Like

1. Activation by name

It has long been possible to call a virtual assistant with a voice command, but constantly repeating “Hey Siri” is somehow ridiculous. Apple has finally fixed this: starting with iOS 17, you can activate the assistant simply by telling Siri. Unfortunately, this only works in English for now, but this happens with all new features.

To enable the option, go to Settings → Siri and Search → React to and set the option to Siri or Hey Siri. Surprisingly, everything works without false positives. The iPhone is good at distinguishing between when you simply say the word Siri and when you greet the assistant.

2. Repeated requests without additional activation

Another innovation that improves interaction with Siri. From now on, having called the voice assistant and received a response from it, you can immediately ask the next question - you no longer need to activate Siri before each request. For example, you could ask about the current weather and then add “What about tomorrow?” and find out information immediately.

3. Work offline

Not all Siri requests require access to the Internet, but the assistant could not work without a connection to it. Beginning with iOS 17 Internet is not required for this. Of course, you won’t be able to find out the weather and news, but setting a timer or, say, turning on music is easy.

4. Reading articles aloud

This is one of the most useful skills that Siri has acquired in iOS 17. It allows you to turn almost any article into Safari to podcasts and listen to the text on the go. The only condition: the web page must have a readable version.

To try it out, tap the “aA” button and select “Listen to Page.” Siri will start reading the text in the standard player. You can minimize it to the background, adjust the speed, switch the sound source.

5. Sending messages to different instant messengers

In iOS 17, using Siri, you can send messages not only via SMS and email, but also through third-party applications that are installed on the iPhone. To do this, when sending, you need to select the desired messenger from the list of available ones.

6. Using Siri during calls

If you ever wanted to use Siri during a call, now this feature is implemented in iOS 17. When talking via FaceTime or regular communication, you can interact with the voice assistant and use the information received from it in the conversation. The other person will hear your calls to Siri, but not her replies.

7. Access in Standby mode

In the new dashboard mode, which contains a lot of useful data, you can also use Siri. In addition to voice responses, the assistant will be able to show detailed information, for which there will be much more space due to the horizontal orientation of the screen. For example, in this way it is convenient to view the weather forecast for the week, the results of sports matches, and the like.

8. Improved information processing

As always, Apple has improved Siri's learning algorithms: the voice assistant has become smarter and now uses information more efficiently. This manifests itself in everyday details and makes work more convenient. For example, if you ask Siri to write a message to a friend, instead of the standard email, the assistant will immediately suggest the messenger in which you usually communicate with the selected person.