You Can Give Siri a New Name With iOS 18's Vocal Shortcuts

Apple in iOS 18 added a Vocal Shortcuts accessibility feature, and now that ‌iOS 18‌ is available in a beta capacity, users have figured out that this option can be used to give Siri a new wake word.

iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature
With Vocal Shortcuts, you can assign a custom phrase that ‌Siri‌ can understand to launch shortcuts and complete "complex tasks," and one of the shortcuts you can set up is an alternative for "Hey ‌Siri‌."

To set up a Vocal Shortcut for ‌Siri‌, open up the Settings app, go to Accessibility, and scroll down to Vocal Shortcuts. From there, choose "Set Up Vocal Shortcuts," and select "‌Siri‌" (not ‌Siri‌ Request). Type in the new name that you want to use to activate ‌Siri‌, such as "Computer."

siri vocal shortcut setup
Once your new name is set, you can say that name to activate ‌Siri‌ on the iPhone. Note that this is limited to the ‌iPhone‌, and it does not sync to other devices like HomePod so you'll still need to use "‌Siri‌" for those devices.

siri vocal shortcut setup 2
As noted on Reddit, if you set this up, you need to pause to wait for it to activate before you give a command. With ‌Siri‌, you can say an entire phrase, like "Hey ‌Siri‌ what time is it?" without stopping. That does not work with the Vocal Shortcut setup. You need to state the wake word, pause, and then give the command once the wake word has activated ‌Siri‌.

Because of the delay, this isn't likely an option that most people are going to want to use permanently, though ‌Siri‌ will still activate with "Hey ‌Siri‌" as well as the shortcut.

Vocal Shortcuts can be used to set a voice command to run any shortcut, plus you can set up triggers for apps, system features like taking a screenshot, changing volume, scrolling, activating Control Center, and more. Vocal Shortcuts can be paired with a custom sound instead of speech, and it is a useful accessibility option aimed at those who need alternative ways to activate system features.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Launching This Year With One Thing in Common

Wednesday January 8, 2025 6:18 am PST by
It was recently reported that new Apple TV and new HomePod mini models will launch this year, and the devices are expected to have one thing in common. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last month reported that the new Apple TV and the new HomePod mini will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. Gurman said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, so that could end up being a key upgrade...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

New iPhone SE and iPad 11 Launch Timing Allegedly Revealed by Leaker

Tuesday January 7, 2025 11:12 am PST by
A new iPhone SE and an iPad 11 might be coming very soon. In late December, a private account on X with a track record of leaking accurate iOS-related information said devices codenamed "V59" and "J481" will be released alongside iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that "V59" is a new iPhone SE, and that "J481" is a new entry-level iPad. iOS 15.3, iOS ...
airpods pro 2 botw

Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature

Thursday January 9, 2025 3:42 pm PST by
If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year. In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended. From Apple: To help ensure that your AirPods...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

5 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's MacBook Pro

Wednesday January 8, 2025 6:33 am PST by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.2.1 With Bug Fixes

Monday January 6, 2025 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems. iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1 come almost a month after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, iOS 18.2.1...
airpods 4 blue

Apple's Student Offer With Free AirPods Returns in These Four Countries

Thursday January 9, 2025 7:18 am PST by
Apple's annual "Back to School" or "Back to Uni" promotion has returned this week in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Korea. From January 8 through March 13, qualifying higher-education students and staff in these countries can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation with the purchase of any new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac, or a free Apple Pencil Pro or Apple...

Top Rated Comments

jooish Avatar
8 months ago
I hope I can use profanity. Hey "dumb b*tch", turn off the lights.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
8 months ago
I renamed her to Alexa.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
8 months ago

I renamed her to Alexa.
Dyslexa would be more fitting.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The_Auryn Avatar
8 months ago
"Hellllooooo computer ..."



Attachment Image
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
8 months ago
I’ll use “wife”, maybe someone will listen ;)
/s
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliApple Avatar
8 months ago
Lol people are going to have fun with this...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)