How to Use Siri on Your iPhone: A Beginner's Guide

Siri sits inside every iPhone, waiting to help, but a lot of people never use it because talking to a phone feels strange at first. Once you try a few simple requests, it becomes one of the fastest ways to get small things done.

This guide covers the basics: turning Siri on, setting reminders, sending texts without typing, asking everyday questions, and finding the settings if you want to change how Siri behaves. Nothing here requires downloading anything new.

By the end, you will have a short list of phrases you can try right away, plus a few safety notes worth knowing before you let Siri read your messages out loud.

How Do You Use Siri on an iPhone?

You get Siri’s attention by saying “Hey Siri” (or just “Siri”) or by pressing the side button, then you speak your request in plain, everyday English.

Siri is not picky about exact wording. You do not need to memorize commands. Saying “remind me to take my pills at eight” works just as well as a more formal phrasing.

If terms like this leave you wondering what counts as “AI” on your phone versus a plain old voice command, our guide on explaining AI to an older person breaks down the difference in plain language.

Two Ways to Get Siri’s Attention

There are two main ways to start a Siri request on iPhone.

1. Say “Hey Siri” or “Siri.” A small colorful glow appears at the bottom of the screen when Siri is listening.
2. Press and hold the side button (the button on the right edge of the phone), wait for the glow, then speak. On an iPhone with a Home button, press and hold that instead.

The voice option only works once you turn it on, which the first FAQ below covers.

Setting Reminders With Siri

Reminders are one of the most useful things Siri handles, because you can create one without stopping what you are doing.

1. Say “Hey Siri” or press the side button.
2. Say your reminder in plain words, for example “remind me to call the pharmacy at ten tomorrow morning.”
3. Siri repeats the reminder back and shows it on screen.
4. Say “yes” if it sounds right, or “cancel” to start over.

You can also ask Siri to remind you about something tied to a place instead of a time, such as “remind me to buy milk when I get to the supermarket.” Siri uses your phone’s location for this, so Location Services needs to be turned on for Reminders.

Sending Texts Without Typing

Typing on a small screen is not comfortable for everyone. Siri can write and send a text message for you in a few seconds.

1. Say “Hey Siri, text” followed by the person’s name, for example “Hey Siri, text David.”
2. When Siri asks what you want to say, speak your message clearly.
3. Siri reads the message back to you before sending it.
4. Say “send” to send it, or “change it” to try again.

Asking Siri Questions

Siri can answer plenty of everyday questions without opening a single app. A few examples:

• “What’s the weather going to be today?”
• “What’s 20 percent of 85?”
• “How do you spell necessary?”
• “What time is it in London?”
• “Who won the game last night?”
• “Set a timer for 15 minutes.”

If Siri does not know the answer, it usually offers to search the web instead and shows the results on screen, which you can then read at your own pace.

Adjusting Siri’s Settings

Siri’s settings live in one place, though the exact label depends on your iPhone.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Siri & Search, or Apple Intelligence & Siri if your iPhone shows that label instead.
3. From here you can turn “Listen for Hey Siri” on or off, choose whether Siri responds when the phone is locked, and change Siri’s voice or language.
4. Scroll down to Siri Responses to turn on or off spoken answers versus text-only answers on screen.
5. Under Siri Voice, you can change the accent and whether Siri sounds like a man or a woman.
6. Under Language, you can switch Siri to a different language if you prefer, separate from your phone’s overall language setting.

Does Siri Work When Your Phone Is Locked?

Yes, by default. You can say “Hey Siri” and ask for the weather or set a timer even while the phone is sitting locked on a table. For anything more personal, such as reading messages or making a call, Siri usually asks you to open the phone first with your passcode or Face ID.

If you would rather Siri stay completely silent until the phone has been opened with a passcode or Face ID, go to Settings, tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode), enter your passcode, and turn off Siri under the “Allow Access When Locked” list.

Type to Siri, If Talking Feels Awkward

Not everyone wants to talk out loud to their phone, especially around other people. Apple built a text-only option for exactly this.

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility.
2. Tap Siri.
3. Turn on Type to Siri.
4. From now on, when you activate Siri, a text box appears so you can type your request instead of speaking it.

This setting pairs well with making text on screen easier to read; see our guide on six settings that make iPhone text bigger if the keyboard or Siri’s replies feel too small.

A Few Siri Phrases to Try Today

Siri also starts video calls, which makes it a quick way to reach family. If you have not tried video calling yet, our guide on how to video call your grandkids walks through FaceTime step by step.

Why Siri Sometimes Gets It Wrong

Siri is not perfect, and a few things commonly trip it up:

• Background noise. A television, traffic, or a fan running nearby makes Siri mishear words.
• Speaking too quietly or too slowly. A normal, clear speaking pace works better than an exaggerated one.
• A case covering the microphone. Check that your phone case is not blocking the bottom or side of the phone.
• No internet connection. Most Siri requests need Wi-Fi or cellular data to work, since Siri checks online for things like weather and search results.
• Talking too far from the phone. Siri’s microphones work best within a few feet. Across a noisy kitchen, it may simply not hear you at all.

If Siri keeps misunderstanding the same word, such as a name, try spelling it out the first time: “text D, A, V, I, D” often helps Siri learn the correct spelling for next time. It is also worth pausing for half a second after saying “Hey Siri” before continuing, so the phone has time to start listening before you speak the rest of the request.

For anyone who finds the whole iPhone a bit overwhelming rather than just Siri, Apple also offers a simplified screen layout worth knowing about. Our guide on Assistive Access, Apple’s simple mode for iPhone explains how to turn it on for a parent or partner who wants fewer buttons and bigger icons.

Where to Go From Here

Siri is one small part of what a modern iPhone can do, and it is worth spending a few minutes getting comfortable with it before moving on to anything more advanced. Once “Hey Siri” feels natural, reminders, texts, and quick questions stop being a chore.

For a fuller walkthrough of iPhone features built with older adults in mind, including settings that make everyday use easier, take a look at our book Your iPhone.