Along with numerous of accessibility announcements today, such as the futuristic Live Captions on Vision Pro and hands-free CarPlay, Apple also revealed that iOS 18 will be launching a powerful new voice function. Saying “Siri” is not necessary when using Vocal Shortcuts to activate system-wide action triggers based on personalized phrases you define.
iOS 18’s Vocal Shortcuts: The Power:
Vocal Shortcuts allows users of iPhones and iPads to create unique utterances that Siri can comprehend in order to initiate shortcuts and finish challenging tasks.
Apart from one example, no more substantive information was provided. The term “Rings” was configured to launch the user’s Activity app and show their Activity Rings, as you can see in the images above.
The term “shortcuts” is mentioned directly in the feature, and given Apple’s recent history of allowing the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro to be used as a shortcut trigger, I believe these new used phrases will be able to launch any custom shortcut you create.
Simple voice shortcuts might be configured to activate Low Power Mode, Do Not Disturb, and other such system settings. Alternatively, you may create intricate, multi-step shortcuts that activate when you utter specific words by utilizing the Shortcuts app.
There could be a lot more accidental triggers if the word “Siri” is removed from voice triggers. However, those accidental triggers should be few because iOS 18 will force you to carefully put up each unique phrase and pronounce it aloud several times while setting everything up.
A turning point in voice-first computing:
In iOS 18, I’m eager to experiment with creating my own unique phrases. Both power users and ordinary users may find a wealth of new computing possibilities if this new speech capability proves to be effective. Perhaps Vocal Shortcuts will actually improve your device’s usability for you. But regardless of who you are or what you need, this powerful feature should to make computing engagement more effective, seamless, and innovative.