iPhone Tip – iPhone 4 Voice Commands

When I got my iPhone 4, I was excited to try out the voice commands.  I had the iPhone 3G which did not have this feature.  So, I trolled the Internet looking for the Voice Control commands, and I didn’t find much I liked that were not to the point as to what to say and what the output would be.  However, I found in the iPhone User Manual For iOS 4 Software a helpful list of commands for both voice dialing and playing music.

Below are list of commands for voice dialing, playing music, and additional voice commands.  But before we start with those commands, here is how you initiate Voice Control:

Use Voice Control: Press and hold the Home button until the Voice Control screen appears and you hear a beep. You can also press and hold the center button on the iPhone earphones (or the equivalent button on a Bluetooth headset).

Voice Dialing

  • Call someone in contacts

Say “call” or “dial”, then say the name of the person.  If the person has more than one phone number, you can add “home” or “mobile,” for example.

  • Dial a number

Say “call” or “dial,” then say the number.

Playing Music

  • Control music playback

Say “play,” or “play music.”  To pause, say “pause” or “pause music.”  You can also say “next song” or “previous song.”

  • Play an album, artist, or playlist

Say “play” then say “album,” “artist,” or “playlist” and the name.

  • Shuffle the current playlist

Say “shuffle.”

  • Find out more about the currently playing song

Say “what’s playing,” “what song is this,” “who sings this song,” or “who is this song by.”

  • Use Genius to play similar songs

Say “Genius,” “play more like this,” or “play more songs like this.”

Additional Voice Commands

  • Find out the current time

Say “what time is it?” or “what is the time?”

  • Cancel Voice Control

Say “cancel” or “stop.”

One thing, though: I wish that I wouldn’t be taken out of iPod mode to enter the voice commands.  With that said, I hope you find these voice commands as helpful as I did.

Photo Credit: Apple, Voice Control

I'm a husband, dad of two great kids, and I have a passion for Apple products. I got my first Mac in 2005, and I haven't looked back. I like the simplicity of the Mac, and how does the motto go, oh yeah, It just works. I think that's the great thing about Macs how the hardware and software work harmoniously together. I've also been in the IT industry for over fourteen years. I've worked with everything from Windows computers to Mac computers. I can say I thoroughly enjoy working with Macs.