Last winter I was making Bob's favorite pot roast, with flour all the way up to my elbows, when the phone rang in the other room. It was our daughter. By the time I'd washed my hands and found the phone, I'd missed the call, and the gravy had burned.
That evening Bob said, "Why didn't you just tell your phone to answer?" I had no idea I could. That little assistant had been sitting in my phone for years, and I'd only ever used it by accident.
So we spent a Saturday learning the handful of things actually worth asking it. Here are the five we use every single day in our house, plus one important safety fact you should know.
What is a voice assistant?
A voice assistant is a helper built into your phone or smart speaker that does things when you talk to it. On an iPhone it's Siri. On many Android phones it's Google's assistant, now called Gemini on newer phones. On Amazon Echo speakers it's Alexa. You start by saying its name, like "Hey Siri" or "Alexa," and then your request.
You don't need to talk like a robot. Speak normally, the way you'd ask a helpful grandchild.
What are the most useful things to ask a voice assistant?
In plain words, here are the five. Reminders, like "Remind me to take my pills at 8 every morning" or "Remind me about the dentist Thursday at 2." Timers, like "Set a timer for 20 minutes," perfect when your hands are covered in flour. Calls, like "Call Karen," wonderful when the phone is across the room. Quick answers, like "How do you spell necessary?" or "What's 15 percent of 80?" And listening, like "Play the news" or "Play some Frank Sinatra."
Start with just the medication reminder. Say it once, exactly like the example. Once it quietly works for a week, try the others. And keep that reminder matched to your current medicines. I explained why in my post on keeping a medication list.
Can a voice assistant call 911?
This is the one to know before you need it, because the answer depends on your device. On an iPhone, you can say "Hey Siri, call 911." But an Amazon Alexa speaker is different. According to Amazon's own help page, Alexa doesn't support calling 911 by default. Amazon offers a paid service that connects you to a response agent, and you can set up an emergency contact in the Alexa app.
Put simply, on an iPhone you can say "Hey Siri, call 911." An Alexa speaker doesn't call 911 by default, so set up an emergency contact in the Alexa app and keep a phone within reach. Please don't test it by actually calling 911. Just know which device you have. If you live alone or worry about falls, Bob's watch has a better option, which I explained in my post on Apple Watch fall detection.
Is my voice assistant listening to everything?
Voice assistants wait for their wake word, like "Hey Siri" or "Alexa," before they start paying attention. Sometimes they wake up by mistake when they hear something similar. You can review and delete your voice history in the settings, and on a smart speaker you can press the microphone button to turn the microphone off when you want privacy.
How dinner goes now
These days, I have Siri announce who's calling, so when I'm elbow-deep in pie crust and the phone rings, I just say "Answer." My pill reminder chimes at 8 every morning, and my kitchen timer has saved more than one batch of cookies. The pot roast hasn't burned since. Bob says that's the best use of technology in the whole house.
Take good care of yourself, and take even better care of each other.
What do you ask your voice assistant most? Tell me in the comments. I'm always looking for new ideas.
