iOS 18.2 brought many changes, big and small. A smaller update that goes unnoticed provides a faster way to send messages to Siri or ChatGPT. Here’s how it works.
Type to Siri control is a new option for the iPhone action button
Siri is undergoing a gradual transformation. It started with iOS 18.1’s new design and some other improvements, then continued in iOS 18.2 when ChatGPT support was added.
One of the recent additions is a handy new messaging mode: tap Siri.
In iOS 18.1 and later, you can activate this mode by double-tapping the bar at the bottom of your iPhone or iPad screen.
But in iOS 18.2, there’s an even faster method thanks to a new system control.
Control Center received a notable addition in iOS 18.2: a Type to Siri control.
In my experience, the best place to use this control is the iPhone’s action button.
By setting your action button to the new Type to Siri control, you can open messaging mode faster than ever and easily enter your Siri or ChatGPT request.
Simply do the following:
- Open the Settings app
- Go to action button
- Select the Controls option
- Then choose Type on Siri from the menu
More Ways to Trigger Messaging Mode with Siri and ChatGPT in iOS 18.2
If you don’t want to override the behavior of your existing action button, there is an alternative.
With the versatility of iOS 18’s new controls system, you can add Type to Siri to your lock screen, replacing the Flashlight or Camera button. This can be done from the wallpaper/lock screen edit mode.
You’ve long been able to enable input mode through the iPhone’s accessibility settings, but enabling it made voice interactions a challenge.
Now that dedicated Type to Siri control exists, you can use the new feature not only with the built-in double-click gesture, but also from the action button, lock screen and of course the Center. control.
Pro tip: Type to Siri works best when combined with keyboard text replacements. For example, you can configure a text replacement to quickly enter the prefix “ask ChatGPT” so that your request is sent directly to OpenAI’s assistant.
Have you used Type to Siri a lot in iOS 18.1 or 18.2? Let us know in the comments.
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