Siri Voice Recognition Arrives On the iPhone 4S

siri examples
As one of the main features of the iPhone 4S, Apple today introduced Siri a personal assistant that can
answer questions and perform for tasks for users based on voice input.

Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.


Apple covers a number of examples of Siri's flexibility on the feature page and describes them in its iPhone 4S press release:

Siri understands context allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions, for example, if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?” it understands you are looking for a weather forecast. Siri is also smart about using the personal information you allow it to access, for example, if you tell Siri “Remind me to call Mom when I get home” it can find “Mom” in your address book, or ask Siri “What’s the traffic like around here?” and it can figure out where “here” is based on your current location. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. You can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.

Siri is launching as a beta with support for English (US, UK, and Australia), French, and German. Additional languages and features will be added in the future.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...

Top Rated Comments

generationxwing Avatar
186 months ago
Agree, this was very disappointing..

How? How on Earth was any of this disappointing? The rumour mill comes up with the most impossible products every year, and every year what you dream of never happens. Every single year! My God, if you haven't learned by now there is no hope for you.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
generationxwing Avatar
186 months ago
This is siriously underwhelming. They didn't even bother renaming it! What have they been doing all those months? The stock is plummeting and all I can say is: well deserved.

Well, this about sums it up correctly. If an Apple nerd hates it, it'll be a hit in the market.

People around here hated the iPod, hated the iPad and just about every other product Apple releases.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamesr19 Avatar
186 months ago
this looks really good, shame it seems to be limited to the iPhone 4S hardware!!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AtariMac Avatar
186 months ago
No surprises this time...
...16 months wait for an antenna that works, no redesign & a crap gimmick you can only use when it's silent around you...
Goodbye crapple...i'm pretty disgusted & feeling let down, but not surprised at all...
Fanboys are so loyal and apple just p*ss on them every time because they know they can...

Your sense of entitlement is refreshing! I know Apple owed it to you to provide you with exactly what you imagined! I cannot believe they screwed you like this!

Dude, go get some fresh air. You may find it, um, refreshing.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
186 months ago
Yes, start by taking a hammer to any and all Apple hardware you now own - they purposely let everyone down by not introducing a new design iPhone with a bigger screen and super duper faster processor and 4G speed and and and.

Very odd that people have such strange expectations - if you want a bigger screen, either buy an android phone or try to get a job at Apple as a industrial designer or product manager and make the suggestion for a bigger screen.

I'm pretty sure Apple has looked at just about every aspect of every possible spec for a smart phone. They chose what they chose for reasons they don't necessarily need to explain to you or anyone for that matter.

You don't know and don't think big picture (not big screen) the way that Apple does. If all you care about is specs, please go get yourself any other manufacturers phone and enjoy you got the spec you wanted.

And for those people who say voice control is available already - it's not in the same integrated way just introduced by Apple.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
campingsk8er Avatar
186 months ago
I honestly don't know why all you crybabies are complaining. The made an excellent phone even more excellent. Or are you just upset that Steve Jobs didn't announce it, or the fact that there wasn't one more thing. I'm glad there wasn't one more thing because then you would all say, Tim is a copy cat. It seems apple can never please any of you. Well I was pleased
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)