Apple’s suite of AI features, Apple Intelligence, is bringing a new feature to access Siri from anywhere on iPhone and Mac. You can now type to Siri without activating Siri with your voice or pressing the power button. If you want to use the new Type to Siri feature on your Apple Intelligence-enabled devices, here’s how.
Enable typing on Siri
Once you have joined and activated the Apple Intelligence waitlist, follow these steps:
- On iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Speak & Write to Siri
- Here, enable the toggle button for typing to Siri.
- On Mac, open the Settings app > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Keyboard Shortcuts.
- You can now choose from the keyboard shortcuts you want to use to invoke Type to Siri or click Customize to set the key for Type to Siri on Mac.
How to use Type to Siri
After following the steps above to enable Type to Siri on iPhone or Mac, you can access the feature from anywhere by double-tapping the bottom bar on iPhone or pressing the keyboard shortcut you set on Mac. Siri will appear with the new animation and you can type your query.
You can invoke Type to Siri even when using third-party apps. Honestly, this is a great feature of Apple Intelligence because I can now access Siri from anywhere. However, the true potential of this feature will be realized when Apple rolls out the new Siri with contextual awareness and the ability to operate through third-party apps.
Some users have complained that they accidentally triggered Type to Siri by double-tapping the bottom bar on their iPhone. You can disable it by following the steps using which you enabled the feature.
It is worth noting that holding the power button also invokes Siri. Type to Siri is just another method to access Siri from anywhere in situations where you don’t want to talk to Siri.
How to Use Type to Siri on Older iPhones
If you don’t have a device that supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll be surprised to know that the Type to Siri feature has always been there. You can use it on the iPhone 15 and older devices that don’t support Apple Intelligence.
- Open the Settings app > Accessibility > Siri.
- Now, enable the Type to Siri option.
When you long-press the side button, a Type to Siri window will appear, but without the new animation. You can type your queries here.
