Take a Note

Hit with a great idea for a novel or a sudden inspiration for getting the budget in the black? Combine Siri and Apple’s Notes to capture fleeting thoughts that might otherwise get away, as well as snippets of information you want to remember, like promo codes or favorite quotes. You can use Siri with Notes on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod (if Personal Requests are turned are).

Create a New Note

To get an idea down, say “Take a note.” Siri asks you what you want to say (Figure 60). On the Mac, Siri waits for your words, but on your iOS device, you must activate Siri again before you start talking. When you’re finished dictating, pause. Siri creates a new note with your text, using your default Notes account (usually iCloud).

Figure 60: Tell Siri to “Take a note.”
Figure 60: Tell Siri to “Take a note.”

To save yourself the effort of activating Siri twice on your iOS device, say “Take a note” or “Note to self” and then keep talking. Include punctuation as you speak (see Punctuate Your Notes, next).

Siri can’t delete a note, so you’ll need to do so by hand on your iOS device or Mac if you decide you don’t want one anymore.

Give a Note a Name

If you’re a prolific note taker, it’s a good idea to give new notes names, so that they’re easier to find and add to later. For instance, say “Create story ideas note” (Figure 61).

Figure 61: Name notes so they’re easier to find and add to later.
Figure 61: Name notes so they’re easier to find and add to later.

Add to Notes

If you’ve given a note a name and want to add to it, say something like “Add to my story ideas note.” Siri asks you what you want to say. Dictate your text. Or, cut to the chase and include the text you want to add with the command. For example, “Add romantic comedy set in San Francisco to my story ideas note” (Figure 62).

Figure 62: Speed things up by including the text you want to add along with your command to Siri.
Figure 62: Speed things up by including the text you want to add along with your command to Siri.

You can also say “Add to my last note,” but the result is that Siri reads out all your notes, one by one, to figure out the right one. This can go on a while. (Especially if you have more than 150 notes, like I do!)

Find Notes

When you need to track down your thoughts, search your notes by name, date, or keyword. For example: “Find my story ideas note.” “Find my meeting notes.” “Show my notes from yesterday.” “Show my notes from February 4.” “Show my notes from last week.” “Find notes about Macworld.” “Find notes about cats.”

Siri displays a list of notes that match your query. Tap (or click) the one you want. (You can’t navigate them by voice.)

Listen to Your Notes

To listen to what you have, tell Siri “Read my notes” or “Read my story ideas note.” (Remember to include the word “note”! See Figure 63.)

Figure 63: Make sure you include the word “note” or “notes” so Siri knows what you’re talking about.
Figure 63: Make sure you include the word “note” or “notes” so Siri knows what you’re talking about.
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