Apple is completely revamping its virtual assistant with a new face and personality. As with everything else getting upgraded, this change is also giving new power to users who can now call Siri whatever they want. Maybe Alexa? This is possible because with the iOS 18 beta, many users are finding a new setting that allows them to rename Siri. This new feature, part of the Vocal Shortcuts accessibility option, enables users to assign a custom phrase to activate Siri, moving away from the traditional “Hey Siri” command.

With iOS 18 releasing in beta, users are now exploring the capabilities of Vocal Shortcuts, reports MacRumors. The feature, primarily designed for accessibility, allows users to create custom voice commands for a variety of tasks, including launching shortcuts and executing complex operations. Among these, setting an alternative wake word for Siri has emerged as a notable innovation.

How to change Siri’s name

To customize Siri’s wake word, users will need to navigate to the Settings app, select Accessibility, and then scroll down to Vocal Shortcuts. By choosing “Set Up Vocal Shortcuts” and selecting “Siri” (different from “Siri Requests”), users can type in their preferred wake word. For example, one could choose to activate Siri by saying “Simba” or perhaps go crazy by saying “OK Google” instead of the standard “Hey Siri.”

Once configured, the new wake word can be used to activate Siri on the iPhone. However, it is important to note that this customization is currently limited to the iPhone and does not sync with other Apple devices such as the HomePod. Hence, users will still need to use the traditional “Hey Siri” for those devices.

According to the report, although the feature offers a new level of personalization, it has a small operational difference. Unlike the traditional wake phrase, where one can say, “Hey Siri, what time is it?” without pausing, the Vocal Shortcuts setup requires a brief pause after saying the wake word before issuing the command. This delay, although slight, may affect the fluidity of the conversation for some users. Despite this, Siri will continue to respond to both the custom wake word and the standard “Hey Siri” command, providing flexibility in usage.

Meanwhile, in addition to customizing Siri’s wake word, iOS 18 is also bringing a variety of other functionalities, including a new design, improved speech and understanding capabilities, and integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT model. Announced at Apple’s WWDC event on June 10, these enhancements are part of Apple Intelligence, a privacy-focused system that enables Siri to perform complex tasks, such as retrieving information from user emails or detecting images on the device. The updated Siri will also have more prominent, bright, multi-colored borders on the screen, better understanding of user speech even if they falter, and maintaining conversational context between requests.

Users can now interact with Siri by describing the apps or features they want to use, with the virtual assistant able to bring up relevant information. Additionally, Siri will support both verbal and typed interactions, allowing users to type their questions by double-tapping the screen. Apple Intelligence will give Siri “on-screen awareness” to perform tasks like updating contact addresses from Messages and performing hundreds of in-app actions via voice commands. Integration with ChatGPT will allow Siri to use its expertise for tasks like recipe advice, presenting information directly on the device screen with user approval. These features will be available in beta for iOS 18 later this year, and ChatGPT integration is expected.