Hi all,
Put here because I assume this exists in 18.3.2. Mods can move to beta if wrong. Just found something that maybe of use to some people. Vocal shortcuts. You can assign certain things via your voice like torch or app switcher etc. You just say your shortcut and the phone performs it. To create them go to settings, accessibility and scroll til you get to vocal shortcuts. Then, follow the prompts. It seems not to be fully vo accessible though. I managed it by following the instructions and once I enter a name to use turn vo off and tap the go button. You then speak the gesture 3 times. Turn vo back on and you can complete it.. With vo on you can't say the action 3 times or at least I couldn't work out how. Hope someone finds a use.
Comments
This has existed since 18.0
This is nothing new in any betas. This was introduced in iOS 18.0. Never used them myself.
I will note that they do use a lot of battery, because your microphone is always on listening for you to say the phrases.
I don't understand the use case
I never heard of this feature. What is the use case and how does it work? Is this supposed to be instead of saying "hey Siri?".
--Pete
I’m guessing it’s sort of like voice control
I’ve never used this feature, but rather than using a predefined set of commands to trigger actions around the system, you can assign a custom phrase to do a custom action.
From what I can tell, it’s like back tap, except you can activate the shortcut/gesture with your voice.
More info on vocal shortcuts
Here’s an apple support article which discusses more about vocal shortcuts, as well as how to set them up.
https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-vocal-shortcuts-iph7f242ea2c/ios
Thanks for clarifying
Thanks for sending the link to the Apple support page. Now I know what the Vocal Shortcuts function is used for and how it works.
Nice feature for some people
--Pete
Renaming Siri
That's what a load of mainstream Apple fanzines are recommending you use it for. But it's not as efficient as the hardware-offloaded (Hey) Siri commands, so it doesn't work in quite the same way. It also conflicts with the other stuff that listens to the mic, like sound recognition and voice control. Still, a neat little feature if you find you have a use for it, and together with all the other inputs, another nice way to automate your phone.