Chapter 3
Working with Voice and Accessibility
Your iPad includes the Siri personal assistant, helpful accessibility features, and integration with your Mac.
Gather and Share Information with Siri
Configure Siri to Work Your Way
Using VoiceOver to Identify Items On-Screen
Configure Other Accessibility Features
Give Commands with Siri
The powerful Siri feature on your iPad enables you to take essential actions by using your voice to tell your iPad what you want. Siri requires an Internet connection, because the speech recognition runs on servers in Apple’s data center.
You can use Siri either with the iPad’s built-in microphone or with a microphone on a headset. Unless you are in a quiet environment, you are free to speak loudly and clearly, or you can speak as close to the built-in microphone as possible. A headset microphone provides better results than the built-in microphone.
Open Siri
From the Home screen or any app, press the Home button or the headset clicker button for several seconds.
The Siri screen appears, showing the “What can I help you with?” prompt. Siri also plays a tone to indicate that it is ready to take your commands.
When your iPad is connected to a power source, you can also activate Siri by saying “Hey Siri” if the Voice Activation feature is turned on.
Send an E-Mail Message
Say “E-mail” and the contact’s name, followed by the message. Siri creates an e-mail message to the contact and enters the text. Review the message, and then tap Send to send it.
You can also say “E-mail” and the contact’s name and have Siri prompt you for the various parts of the message. This approach gives you more time to collect your thoughts.
If your Contacts list has multiple e-mail addresses for the contact, Siri prompts you to choose the address to use.
Say “Set an alarm for 5AM” and check the alarm that Siri displays.
You can turn the alarm off by tapping its switch (
changes to 
).
Send a Text Message
Say “Tell” or “Text” and the contact’s name. When Siri responds, say the message you want to send. For example, say “Tell Kelly Wilson” and then “I’m stuck in traffic, but I’ll be there in an hour.” Siri creates a text message to the contact, enters the text, and sends the message when you say “Send” or tap Send.
You can also say “Tell” and the contact’s name followed immediately by the message. For example, “Tell Bill Sykes the package will arrive at 10AM.”
Set a Reminder for Yourself
Say “Remind me” and the details of what you want Siri to remind you of. For example, say “Remind me to take the wireless transmitter to Acme Industries tomorrow morning.” Siri listens to what you say and creates a reminder. Check what Siri has written, and then tap Confirm if it is correct.
Say “Meet with” and the contact’s name, followed by brief details of the appointment. For example, say “Meet with Don Williamson for lunch at noon on Thursday.” Siri listens and warns you of any scheduling conflict. Siri then displays the appointment for you to check.
If you tap Confirm, Siri sends a meeting invitation to the contact if it finds an e-mail address. Siri adds the meeting to your calendar.
Dictate Text Using Siri
One of Siri’s strongest features is its capability to transcribe your speech quickly and accurately into correctly spelled and punctuated text. Using your iPad, you can dictate into any app whose keyboard displays the microphone icon (
), so you can dictate e-mail messages, notes, documents, and more. To dictate, simply tap the microphone icon (), speak after Siri beeps, and then tap Done.
To get the most out of dictation, it is helpful to know the standard terms for dictating punctuation, capitalization, symbols, layout, and formatting.
Insert Punctuation
To insert punctuation, use standard terms: “comma,” “period” (or “full stop”), “semicolon,” “colon,” “exclamation point” (or “exclamation mark”), “question mark,” “hyphen,” “dash” (for a short dash, –), or “em dash” (for a long dash, —).
You can also say “asterisk” (*), “ampersand” (&), “open parenthesis” and “close parenthesis,” “open bracket” and “close bracket,” and “underscore” (_).
For example, say “buy eggs comma bread comma and cheese semicolon and maybe some milk period nothing else exclamation point” to enter the text shown here.
Insert Standard Symbols
To insert symbols, use these terms: “at sign” (@), “percent sign” (%), “greater-than sign” (>) and “less-than sign” (<), “forward slash” (/) and “backslash” (), “registered sign” (®), and “copyright sign” (©).
For example, say “fifty-eight percent forward slash two greater than ninety-seven percent forward slash three” to enter the computation shown here.
To insert currency symbols, say the currency name and “sign.” For example, say “dollar sign” to insert $, “cent sign” to insert ¢, “euro sign” to insert €, “pound sterling sign” to insert £, and “yen sign” to insert ¥.
For example, say “dollar sign six equals yen sign one thousand” to enter the comparison shown here.
Control Layout
You can control layout by creating new lines and new paragraphs as needed. A new paragraph enters two line breaks, creating a blank line between paragraphs.
To create a new line, say “new line.” To create a new paragraph, say “new paragraph.”
For example, say “dear Anna comma new paragraph thank you for the parrot period new paragraph it’s the most unusual gift I’ve ever had period” to enter the text shown here.
Control Capitalization
You can apply capitalization to the first letter of a word or to a whole word. You can also switch capitalization off temporarily to force lowercase:
• Say “cap” to capitalize the first letter of the next word.
• Say “caps on” to capitalize all the words until you say “caps off.”
• Say “no caps” to prevent automatic capitalization of the next word — for example, “no caps Monday” produces “monday” instead of “Monday.”
• Say “no caps on” to force lowercase of all words until you say “no caps off.”
For example, say “give the cap head cap dining cap table a no caps french polish period” to enter the text shown here.
To insert double quotes, say “open quotes” and “close quotes.” To insert single quotes, say “open single quotes” and “close single quotes.”
To enter standard emoticons, say “smiley face,” “frown face,” and “wink face.”
For example, say “she said comma open quotes I want to go to Paris next summer exclamation point close quotes” to enter the text shown here.
Gather and Share Information with Siri
You can use Siri to research a wide variety of information online — everything from sports and movies to restaurants worth visiting or worth avoiding. You can also use Siri to perform hands-free calculations.
When you need to share information quickly and easily, you can turn to Siri. By giving the right commands, you can quickly change your Facebook status or post on your wall. Similarly, you can send tweets using your Twitter account.
Find Information About Sports
Launch Siri and ask a question about sports. For example:
• “Siri, when’s the next Patriots game?”
• “Did the Lakers win their last game?”
• “When’s the end of the NBA season?”
• “Can you show me the roster for the Maple Leafs?”
Find Information About Movies
Launch Siri and ask a question about movies. For example:
• “How good is the movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?”
• “Siri, where is the movie Deliver Us from Evil playing in Indianapolis?”
• “What’s the name of Blake Lively’s latest movie?”
• “Who’s the star of Transformers: Age of Extinction?”
Launch Siri, and then tell Siri what type of restaurant you want. For example:
• “Where’s the best Mexican food in Spokane?”
• “Where can I get sushi in Albuquerque?”
• “Is there a brewpub in Minneapolis?”
Address a Query to the Wolfram Alpha Computational Knowledge Engine
Launch Siri, and then say “Wolfram” and your question. For example:
• “Wolfram, what is the cube of 27?”
• “Wolfram, minus 20 Centigrade in Kelvin.”
• “Wolfram, tangent of 60 degrees.”
• “Wolfram, give me the chemical formula of formaldehyde.”
Update Your Facebook Status or Post a Comment on Your Wall
Launch Siri and give the appropriate command:
• “Update my Facebook status,” and then give details when Siri prompts you.
• “Post on my Facebook Wall,” and then dictate the post when Siri prompts you.
If the post turns out to your liking, tap Post.
Launch Siri, and then say “Tweet” and the text of the tweet. If necessary, tap the tap to edit prompt and edit the text of the tweet manually.
When you are satisfied with the tweet, tap Send.
Configure Siri to Work Your Way
To get the most out of Siri, spend a few minutes configuring it. You can set the language Siri uses, choose between using a female voice and a male voice, and control when Siri should give you voice feedback. You can also enable or disable Voice Activation or temporarily turn Siri off.
Most important, you can tell Siri which contact record contains your information, so that Siri knows your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address, and other essential information.
Configure Siri to Work Your Way
Tap Settings.
Tap General.
The General screen appears.
Tap Siri.
The Siri screen appears.
Set the Siri switch to On (
).
Set the Voice Activation switch to On () if you want to be able to activate Siri by saying “Hey, Siri!” when your iPad is plugged in to a power source.
Tap Language.
The Language screen appears.
Tap the language you want to use, placing a check mark next to it.
Tap Siri.
The Siri screen appears.
Tap Voice Gender.
The Voice Gender screen appears.
Tap Male or Female, as needed.
Tap Siri.
The Siri screen appears.
Tap Voice Feedback.
The Voice Feedback screen appears.
Tap Handsfree Only or Always, as needed, to choose when to receive voice feedback.
Tap Siri.
Tap My Info.
The Contacts dialog appears.
Note: To change which contacts appear in the Contacts dialog, tap Groups, select the groups to display, and then tap Done.
Tap the contact record that contains your information.
The name appears on the My Info button on the Siri screen.
Using VoiceOver to Identify Items On-Screen
If you have trouble identifying the iPad controls on-screen, you can use the VoiceOver feature to read them to you. VoiceOver changes the standard iPad finger gestures so that you tap to select the item whose name you want it to speak, double-tap to activate an item, and flick three fingers to scroll. VoiceOver can make your iPad easier to use. Your iPad also includes other accessibility features, which you can learn about in the next section.
Using VoiceOver to Identify Items On-Screen
Press the Home button.
Tap Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
The Accessibility screen appears.
Tap VoiceOver.
Note: You cannot use VoiceOver and Zoom at the same time. If Zoom is on when you try to switch VoiceOver on, your iPad prompts you to choose which to use.
Set the VoiceOver switch to On ().
Tap VoiceOver Practice.
A A selection border appears around the button, and VoiceOver speaks its name.
Double-tap VoiceOver Practice.
Practice tapping, double-tapping, triple-tapping, and swiping.
Tap Done to select the button, and then double-tap Done.
On the VoiceOver screen, tap Speaking Rate to select it, and then swipe up or down to adjust the rate.
Swipe up with three fingers.
The screen scrolls down.
Set the Speak Hints switch to On () to have VoiceOver give you hints.
Set the Use Pitch Change switch to On () if you want VoiceOver to use different pitches.
Set the Use Sound Effects switch to On () to use sound effects.
Tap Typing Feedback to select it, and then double-tap.
The Typing Feedback screen appears.
In the Software Keyboards area, tap and then double-tap the feedback type you want: Nothing, Characters, Words, or Characters and Words.
In the Hardware Keyboards area, tap and then double-tap the feedback type you want: Nothing, Characters, Words, or Characters and Words.
Tap and then double-tap VoiceOver.
The VoiceOver screen appears again.
Configure Other Accessibility Features
VoiceOver can be helpful, but you will probably also want to explore the other accessibility features that your iPad offers. To help you see the screen better, iOS provides a full-featured zoom capability. After turning on zooming, you can display the Zoom Controller to give yourself easy control of zoom, choose the zoom region, and set the maximum zoom level. You can then triple-tap the screen to zoom in and out quickly.
Configure Other Accessibility Features
Press the Home button.
The Home screen appears.
Tap Settings.
The Settings screen appears.
Tap General.
The General screen appears.
Tap Accessibility.
The Accessibility screen appears.
Tap Zoom to display the Zoom screen.
Set the Follow Focus switch to On () to make the zoomed area follow the focus on-screen.
Set the Zoom Keyboard switch to On () to zoom the keyboard as well.
Set the Show Controller switch to On ().
A The Zoom Controller appears.
Drag the Maximum Zoom Level slider to set the maximum zoom level.
Tap Idle Visibility.
The Idle Visibility screen appears.
Drag the slider to set the visibility percentage for the Zoom Controller when it is idle.
Note: Move the slider on the Idle Visibility screen to the left to make the controller fade more after you have not used it for a while.
Tap Zoom.
The Zoom screen appears.
Tap Zoom Region.
The Zoom Region screen appears.
Tap Full Screen Zoom or Window Zoom, as needed.
Note: Window Zoom displays a movable window frame that you can position over the area you want to zoom, leaving the rest of the screen unchanged.
Tap Zoom.
The Zoom screen appears.
Tap Accessibility.
Configure Other Accessibility Features (continued)
To make your iPad’s screen easier to read, you can invert the colors or switch the screen to grayscale. You can also increase the text size, make the text bold, and make iOS display the shapes around buttons so you can see exactly where they are.
iOS also includes a range of features that can help with hearing problems. You can connect a hearing aid, make the LED flash to warn you about alerts, and play mono audio instead of stereo audio.
Configure Other Accessibility Features (continued)
The Accessibility screen appears.
B You can set the Invert Colors switch to On () to invert the colors.
C You can set the Grayscale switch to On () to make the screen appear in grayscale.
Note: Setting the Grayscale switch to On () does not reduce the amount of power needed for the display.
Tap Speech.
Set the Speak Selection switch to On () to enable your iPad to speak selected text. If you turn this feature on, the Voices button, Speaking Rate slider, and Highlight Content switch appear, and you can set them.
Set the Speak Screen switch to On () to enable your iPad to speak the content of the screen.
Set the Speak Auto-text switch to On () to make your iPad speak automatic corrections.
Tap Accessibility.
The Accessibility screen appears.
To use larger type on-screen, tap Larger Text, choose settings on the Larger Type screen, and then tap Accessibility.
To display text in boldface, set the Bold Text switch to On (). This setting requires your iPad to restart.
To display a shape around each on-screen button, set the Button Shapes switch to On ().
To increase the contrast, tap Increase Contrast and choose settings on the Increase Contrast screen.
Set the On/Off Labels switch to On () if you want to display labels on the switches — I for On, O for Off.
Set the Mono Audio switch to On () if you want to use mono audio. Drag the slider to the left or the right as needed.
Choose other options as needed in the Media, Learning, and Interaction sections.
TIP
What does the Reduce Motion switch do?
Set the Reduce Motion switch to On () if you want to reduce the amount of movement that occurs when you tilt the iPad when displaying a screen such as the Home screen, where the icons appear to float above the background.
Using Your iPad with Your Mac
If you have a Mac, you can enjoy the impressive integration that Apple has built into iOS and OS X. Apple calls this integration Continuity. Continuity involves several features including Handoff, which enables you to pick up your work or play seamlessly on one device exactly where you have left it on another device. For example, you can start writing an e-mail message on your Mac and then complete it on your iPad.
To use Continuity, your iPad must be running iOS 8 or a later version, and your Mac must be running OS X 10.10, which is called Yosemite, or a later version. Your Mac must have Bluetooth 4.0 hardware. In practice, this means a Mac mini or MacBook Air from 2011 or later, a MacBook Pro or iMac from 2012 or later, or a Mac Pro from 2013 or later.
Enable Handoff and Suggested Apps on Your iPad
To enable your iPad to communicate with your Mac, you need to enable the Handoff feature. Press the Home button to display the Home screen, and then tap General to display the General screen. Tap Handoff & Suggested Apps to display the Handoff & Suggested Apps screen, and then set the Handoff switch to On ().
On this screen, you can also set the My Apps switch and the App Store switch to On () to display suggested apps on your iPad’s lock screen and in the app switcher.
You also need to enable Handoff on your Mac. To do so, click 
on the menu bar and then click System Preferences to open the System Preferences window. Click General to display the General pane. Click Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices (
changes to 
). You can then click System Preferences on the menu bar and click Quit System Preferences to quit System Preferences.
Work on the Same Task on Your Mac and Your iOS Devices
With Handoff enabled, you can easily start a task on one device, pick it up on another device, and finish it on a third. For example, you can start writing an e-mail message on your Mac at home, continue it on your iPhone as you commute, and then finish it on your iPad while waiting for a meeting to start.
Send and Receive Text Messages from Your Mac
Your Mac can already send and receive messages via Apple’s iMessage service, but when your cellular iPad’s Internet connection is available, your Mac can send and receive Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages directly. This capability enables you to manage your messaging smoothly and tightly from your Mac.
Get Your Mac Online with Personal Hotspot
With Continuity, you can use your cellular iPad as a hotspot for your Mac without having to set up the Portable Hotspot feature. Click Wi-Fi on the menu bar on your Mac and then click your iPad’s entry on the pop-up menu to connect. The iPad’s menu entry on the Wi-Fi pop-up menu shows the signal strength and battery life, enabling you to make sure you don’t run your iPad down unusably low.