I need a 2nd Siri and a 2nd Notes app. What options are there for my problem?

[Turnpike]

I've had this problem for years, but just thought of another way to put it, as I was explaining it to a friend. For context, I enjoy my work and spend about 14-16 hours a day doing it, most times with my hands full with machine stuff or whatever, so I can't write things down most of the time. I manage two considerable projects, and the Siri/Notes combo have been an absolute game changer for me once I learned them and got used to it. BUT now at this point I need two separate note apps that Siri can send put the info into.

I use Notes to record the timing of about 20-45 items a day. So at 8am I might say "Hey Siri, new note: 8:02am received notice of blah blah blah..." and at the end of the day, I have 40 or so items and just leave them there so I have appropriately tracked 40 items (medical, errands, deliveries sent/received, whatever it is, doesn't matter, I am just trying to keep this simple.)

Here's what I'd WANT to do. I'd want to, during that same day, be able to say "Hey Barbara, new note: And "Barbara" would be the second app/secretary to take a note on a different app/notepad/paper. So as I went about my day, reading, researching, whatever... I can say "Hey Barbara, new note: Silicone spray is better for door hinges because it doesn't collect dust as easily as regular oil" or whatever note, measurement or fact I discover while doing research that I can go through every day and work into an outline or move the whole list to that project somewhere.

What happens now is Siri is taking all the notes, the timestamped timestamps that I won't ever need to go through unless there's an issue one day, and mixed in are all these things I mean to copy down somewhere else each evening. Often times I don't, or get behind because I have 70-100 notes with the ones I need to copy mixed in with so many unrelated notes to go through, it becomes a time consuming job. Especially if you need to do it every day.

So what I wish I could say is something like "Hey Siri, new note on white pad: 8:02am blah blah blah..." or "Hey Siri, new note on yellow pad: Lithium grease is better than oil for car door hinges" and at the end of the day my time stamps are on one note pad, and my notes and info are on another- NOT another folder in Notes, but another app entirely. So when I put my "yellow pad" notes into the outline or whatever, I only have to look at one thing.

I know there are other note taking apps similar to notes, but does anyone use something like one of those apps that works with Siri as smoothly as Notes does? Or is there a second assistant I can buy/load with a different name? I can't be the only one who could use this, and maybe there's an easy solution that I still haven't discovered, but if there isn't, and I find that out for sure, I can look into developing something.

Also I don't care if it costs money, even a subscription. But it needs to work on an iPhone. BY VOICE. Ideally this solution would also sync to my Mac too, not for the "Siri" part, but the app and info I add to it. I don't use Apple watch, just iPhone and Mac. If anyone uses a second assistant, app, or whatever, it would be great to know what you use. I've been trying to solve this for years. Thanks!

 

[Slartibart]

Depending on "white" and "yellow notes" it might be easy to do this with a bit of Applescript and/or using Apple’s Shortcuts or Automator.

What are the notes programs you want to use?

you can for example check wether "yellow" notes app allows to create a new note via Apple's Shortcuts.
Then you create a simple Shortcut which basically includes only the “create new note/document”-command of "yellow" notes and you save/name this Shortcut as e.g. »new yellow note«.
Because Siri automatically detects Shortcuts, you can use "Siri, new yellow note" to create a new "yellow" note.
Depending on the programs involved it might be necessary to use partly Applescript to create/open a new "yellow" note and activate dictation and then call this Applescript from Shortcuts - but before venture further in hypotheticals, maybe you like to provide more detailed information which programs you want to use?

 

[DeltaMac]

Maybe this could help, too...
Instead of using different "note-taking" apps, why not just use a different identifier to start each note that you want to save. Such as starting the note with "Yellow", or "1", or "work", or some other starting word that would be easy to distinguish. Then, at the end of the day, just sort the notes. So then, all the "yellow" notes would be together, easy to do. Just my idea, but I think would easier than trying to remember what name you are using for SIRI today.
(Note: the "Hey" in activating Siri is no longer needed, just say "Siri" ... I also read that the upcoming iOS 18 will allow renaming Siri to your choice of name. I don't know if that will extend to using more than one name for Siri at the same time on the same Mac or iPhone. )

 

[Turnpike]

Depending on "white" and "yellow notes" it might be easy to do this with a bit of Applescript and/or using Apple’s Shortcuts or Automator.

What are the notes programs you want to use?

you can for example check wether "yellow" notes app allows to create a new note via Apple's Shortcuts.
Then you create a simple Shortcut which basically includes only the “create new note/document”-command of "yellow" notes and you save/name this Shortcut as e.g. »new yellow note«.
Because Siri automatically detects Shortcuts, you can use "Siri, new yellow note" to create a new "yellow" note.
Depending on the programs involved it might be necessary to use partly Applescript to create/open a new "yellow" note and activate dictation and then call this Applescript from Shortcuts - but before venture further in hypotheticals, maybe you like to provide more detailed information which programs you want to use?

That's kind of what I'm wondering... what programs ARE there....? It doesn't have to do anything but keep the notes I dictate to it on a separate app. So if there is any app that Siri can take a voice command to put a note into it, that's what I'm looking for.

Doesn't have to look or be any certain way, just a Notes alternative that Siri can let me say "Hey Siri, new note for NoteMachine or some actual note app. As far as I know, Siri will only put notes into Apple's Notes app, right? I couldn't find anything in Google (I look for alternatives a lot here and there) where something said they could do this.