X

What you need to know about 'Hey, Siri' in iOS 8

Siri is capable of answering your questions without you having to touch the device, if you so choose.

Jason Cipriani Contributing Writer, ZDNet
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani

ios-8-siri-3968-001.jpg
Josh Miller/CNET

Apple's new "Hey, Siri" command allows you to wake your iOS device while it's charging (and only when it's charging) by declaiming, "Hey, Siri" and waiting for the familiar beeps.

The feature can be enabled by going to Settings > General > Siri. There you'll find a new switch to turn on the voice command.

ios8heysiri.jpg
Settings path to enable, or disable, "Hey, Siri" on iOS 8. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

It's a convenient feature, no doubt, but only when it works as intended. Several times while testing iOS 8, I accidentally started Siri without ever muttering the trigger phrase. Also, in a puzzling omission, Apple didn't include a way to train your device to listen for a specific voice; in one instance my wife was able to wake both my iPhone 5S and iPad Air.

Should you find yourself dealing with beeping devices and having Siri randomly strike up a conversation with you, rest assured you can disable the feature by visiting the same path detailed above and switching it off.

What say you, dear readers, are you turning "Hey, Siri" on or leaving it off?

For more helpful iOS 8 tips, be sure to check out our complete guide on how to use iOS 8.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus face off against the competition (pictures)

See all photos