How to make Siri talk when your phone is plugged in

by
Siri

Unlike Android, Apple usually takes time to roll out new features. The only good thing is that the features come out ready to deliver peak performance. In this article, we want to talk about a very interesting feature that came with the iOS 14 update—the ability to make Siri talk when plugging in (or unplugging) your phone.

The automation feature is quite versatile as you can program it to say anything when connecting or disconnecting to a charger. This means you don’t have to check the battery bar to confirm it’s charging. Especially for individuals with faulty or substandard cables that must be connected at a certain angle to start charging.

Now, without wasting much time, let’s get to it.

How to make your iPhone speak when charging

Follow these steps to enable Siri while charging your phone.

Step 1: Install iOS 14

This feature only works for devices with iOS 14 and later versions. So, the first step is to update your device software to iOS 14 if you haven’t.

  • Open “Settings”.
  • Select “General”.
  • Tap on “Software Update”.
  • If the iOS 14 update is available, download and install it immediately.
  • Ideally, tap on “Automatic Updates” and toggle it on. The device will automatically update to the latest iOS version.

READ: Is there a secret code to unlock your iPhone?

Step 2: Install the Shortcuts app

If you had deleted the shortcuts app on your device, go to the App Store and reinstall it.

Step 3: Launch the Shortcuts app on iPhone

You can open the app from your home screen or the App Store.

Step 4: Start a new automation

From the shortcuts app, check the bottom of the screen and tap on the “Automation” tab. When the automation screen opens, tap on the “Create Personal Automation” prompt that appears (if you’re using shortcuts automation for the first time). For those who have opened automation on shortcuts before, tap the “+” icon on the top right corner of your screen.

Step 5: Select the “Charger” trigger

iPhone charging

Scroll to the bottom of the “New Automation” screen and select “Charger”. You will have to:

  • Check “Is Connected” if you want Siri to speak only when it starts charging.
  • Check “Is Disconnected” if you want Siri to speak only when it stops charging.
  • Check both if you want Siri to speak when charging starts and stops.

You can start by checking “Is Connected” and then hit “Next” on the top-right corner of the screen. Add “Speak Text”

Once you’re on the Actions screen, tap on the “Add Action” button. You’ll see a number of Actions on the screen. Look for “Speak text” and select it. Better still, tap on the search bar at the top and type “Speak”. Speak Text will appear among the top options.

Next, tap on the highlighted “Text” option that’s adjacent to “Speak” and type the text that you want Siri to say when you connect your iPhone. This is the part where you come up with funny things to make Siri say when plugged in. It could be something unique, song lyrics, or famous movie lines. Make it as short or as long as you want.

After typing the entire text, tap on “Show More” below the text box. Here, you’ll get the options to:

  • Adjust the speed with which Siri speaks.
  • Adjust the pitch of Siri’s voice.
  • Select the language you want Siri to speak.
  • The type of voice you want to hear.

Tap “Next” on the top-right corner of the screen when you finish making the changes.

Step 6: Disable “Ask Before Running”

On the next screen, toggle off “Ask Before Running”. Confirm by selecting “Don’t Ask” on the prompt that appears. This will ensure the automation runs without requesting permission.

Go to the top-right corner and tap on “Done”. To save your changes. The shortcuts automation will appear inside the Automation tab that’s inside the shortcuts app.

READ: The best alternatives to Speed Dial

Step 8: Connect your iPhone to a charging cable

To be sure the automation works, connect your iPhone to a charger and listen to what Siri says. If it works, go back and configure the text that Siri will say when you disconnect your iPhone.

How to make your iPhone text someone when you plug it in

If you want your iPhone to text a contact when you connect it to a charging cable, follow the guide below:

  • Open the shortcuts app on your device.
  • If you’ve used shortcuts before, tap on the “+” icon on the top-right corner of the screen.
  • If you don’t see it or you’re just starting out on shortcuts, go to the bottom of the screen and tap on “Automation” then select “Create Personal Automation”.
  • Scroll through the available options and tap on “Charger”.
  • Check the “Iss connected” option.
  • Go to the top-right corner of the screen and tap on “Next”.
  • Tap on “Add Action” then type “Message” in the search bar at the top.
  • Select “Message”.
  • Tap on the highlighted Message text and start typing your message.
  • When you finish, tap on “Recipient” below it and enter the recipient of the message.
  • Go to the top-right corner and tap on “Next”.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the new screen and toggle off “Ask Before Running”.
  • Confirm the action by selecting the “Don’t Ask” option. This is to ensure the message is sent automatically when your iPhone is plugged in.
  • Connect your iPhone to a power cable to make sure the automation works.

Conclusion

iOS 14 has a host of other great features that automate several functionalities and customize your user interface. We’ll be posting all of them here so you can check back often.