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Do people use an Apple Watch 7 without Siri?

H

houser

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2006
471
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Hello,
Just looking for some very general advice on Apple Watch 7 as I have been thinking about getting one for a while.
I have however tried to stay away from using Siri as I am an oldtimer and feel stupid speaking into a device ;)

So I assume an Apple Watch without using Siri is generally speaking not a very bright idea?
Or is it possible to own an use an Apple Watch 7 constructively and practically with Siri switched off?
Any comments appreciated.
 
I use Siri for timers but also dictate notes and use the Watch for phoning as I leave my iPhone at home most of the time.
 
I wouldn’t say it’s stupid at all, we have a couple of HomePods set up in the house and use Siri for a lot of things. I may have used it the odd couple of times on my watch, but it’s never my go to or something I do on a regular basis.
 
I use Siri with the watch when it will save me time, versus using my phone (eg. Calendar events, Reminders, Apple Notes creation, or quick questions).

I bet there are a lot of people who never use Siri with the watch. It all comes down to using the features you need in a meaningful way that works for you.
 
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I use Siri for setting reminders, but other than that not much at all. Even for my super limited Siri usage, it's a great feature.
 
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Sure, that definitely shouldn't be a reason not to get one. The 7 added a full keyboard so that would make things even better if you don't want to ever use Siri. Besides using Siri I do end up speaking into my watch. It's incredibly convenient to be able to answer calls with your watch. Personally I don't care if anyone who sees me doing that thinks it's silly.
 
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Appreciate all the replies, many thanks! So maybe it was not such a stupid question after all ;-)
Maybe I'll warm to Siri too, you never know. I do not mind what other people think, I would just feel silly to myself.
Probably getting one, but knowing I will at least not have to speak to my arm to get started is key for me.
 
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I don't use Siri that much on the Watch - mainly to set timers and quick replies to messages if I'm out and about without my phone.
 
houser said:
Appreciate all the replies, many thanks! So maybe it was not such a stupid question after all ;-)
Maybe I'll warm to Siri too, you never know. I do not mind what other people think, I would just feel silly to myself.
Probably getting one, but knowing I will at least not have to speak to my arm to get started is key for me.
Click to expand...

My parents were the same way and I hear my mom talking to Siri all the time now when she visits! It can be frustrating for some commands but for setting reminders, checking the weather, and sending text messages it's great.
 
I very rarely use Siri, but don't have her turned off. I could, and I wouldn't miss her. I keep the timer complication on my watch face and use my nose as a stylus when I'm cooking because I forget Siri can set timers.

Siri hasn't been terribly helpful for me...ever. I tried to send a text on my watch via Siri while driving a few weeks ago.

Me: "Reply, 'I'm on my way.'"
Siri: No response.
"Reply to Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Sorry I didn't understand that."
"Text Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Which Bob would you like to text?"
"Bob Smith."
"Okay, what would you like to say?"
"I'm on my way."
"I'm sorry, I didn't get that."
"Text Bob Smith, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Okay. Texting Bob, "Smith I'm on my way."
"Cancel. Siri you #@*$&!!! CANCEL."
"Sorry, I didn't understand that."

:rolleyes:
 
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Tdude96 said:
I very rarely use Siri, but don't have her turned off. I could, and I wouldn't miss her. I keep the timer complication on my watch face and use my nose as a stylus when I'm cooking because I forget Siri can set timers.

Siri hasn't been terribly helpful for me...ever. I tried to send a text on my watch via Siri while driving a few weeks ago.

Me: "Reply, 'I'm on my way.'"
Siri: No response.
"Reply to Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Sorry I didn't understand that."
"Text Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Which Bob would you like to text?"
"Bob Smith."
"Okay, what would you like to say?"
"I'm on my way."
"I'm sorry, I didn't get that."
"Text Bob Smith, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Okay. Texting Bob, "Smith I'm on my way."
"Cancel. Siri you #@*$&!!! CANCEL."
"Sorry, I didn't understand that."

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Yeah it's pretty frustrating sometimes.

The ones that get me are
Me: "Set a reminder for tomorrow at 5pm".
Siri: "What would you like to be reminded about"
Me: "Meeting with Bob tomorrow morning".
Siri: <<I'm just going to ignore what you asked for and instead create a reminder at a random time tomorrow called "Meeting with Bob">>.
 
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My wife actually has Siri turned off on her watch. Occasionally, she will use the text transcription to “type out” a lengthier response to a message through the watch but that’s it.

I use Siri either on my watch or phone for the same basics it seems a lot of folks do (set a reminder, timer, alarm) or things like asking the hours of a local business or date of a particular holiday. I find it works well for those kinds of quick, spur of the moment requests.
 
I’m an old, retired guy and I use Siri every day on my Apple Watch.

Siri:
What’s the weather in (any city where various relatives live)?
Will it rain today? (Or other weather questions before I leave the house)
How much is 13.7 times 14.2? (Or any other arithmetic question)
How many gallons in 200 cubic feet? (Or similar trying to figure out how much rain water we can collect)
What’s the score in the Niners game? (Or others)
What time is the Rams game next Sunday?
How old is Tom Brady? (Or other trivia questions)
Remind me to plug in the car at 9:00PM.
Remind me to call mom tomorrow at 2:00PM.
Remind me to get coffe beans when I arrive (at some location).
(Reminders are great because I forget so easily)
Add brown mushrooms to my shopping list. (I keep something in Notes called Shopping List so this is an easy way to add something to any Notes entry.)
Call ***. (Quick way to dial people in your contact list).

These are the things that come to mind quickly.
 
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Tdude96 said:
I very rarely use Siri, but don't have her turned off. I could, and I wouldn't miss her. I keep the timer complication on my watch face and use my nose as a stylus when I'm cooking because I forget Siri can set timers.

Siri hasn't been terribly helpful for me...ever. I tried to send a text on my watch via Siri while driving a few weeks ago.

Me: "Reply, 'I'm on my way.'"
Siri: No response.
"Reply to Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Sorry I didn't understand that."
"Text Bob, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Which Bob would you like to text?"
"Bob Smith."
"Okay, what would you like to say?"
"I'm on my way."
"I'm sorry, I didn't get that."
"Text Bob Smith, 'I'm on my way.'"
"Okay. Texting Bob, "Smith I'm on my way."
"Cancel. Siri you #@*$&!!! CANCEL."
"Sorry, I didn't understand that."

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

As someone who uses Siri to sends texts constantly I feel your pain. Sending via the watch still seems to be very error prone. Siri on the iPhone is now on device so it doesn't have to send the request via the Internet before it even knows what you're asking.
 
I use Siri to run shortcuts I've made. A couple of them are to turn the 'Always On' display on or off. With raise to speak enabled, I just need to raise my wrist and say "turn display off/on" rather than having to manually fiddle through the settings each time. Another is "start/pause/stop cleaning" for my Roomba. Siri coupled with Shortcuts can be very useful.
 
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Just because you don’t use Siri doesn’t mean it won’t be a good experience. Sometimes Siri might even think you’re saying something completely different. Dont worry, you’ll have a stellar experience regardless!
 
I don't ever use siri with my watch or phone. Not because I mind talking to a device -I just don't like siri
 
My dad LOVES his watch with SIRI. He talks to it ALL THE TIME, especially when I don't feel like answering his questions. I used to be his SIRI. :D:rolleyes:

For example he's an avid reader but used to use dictionary or used to have to google on his computer. He also loves geography, which I know nothing about. So since getting him the Apple Watch, he just asks SIRI. He would also ask SIRI to translate a foul word from one language to another, or vice versa. It's hilarious!

Do try!

I, on the other hand, don't use it so much. I only use it for timer when cooking.
 
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When exercising outdoors with AirPods, it is very convenient to just control the volume, skipping a track, etc. Other than that scenario, I could live without it.
 
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Howard2k said:
I use Siri for setting reminders, but other than that not much at all. Even for my super limited Siri usage, it's a great feature.
Click to expand...
This. Reminders are the only thing I've ever really used Siri for on the Apple Watch, going back to 2015.
 
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