You can give a Siri shortcut a Harry Potter-inspired name. The trick is setting up the shortcut first, not convincing your phone that you graduated from Hogwarts.
That is a little less dramatic than waving a wand. It also gives you control over what happens when you say the words.
Apple’s Shortcuts guide explains how to build and name your own shortcuts. Pick a task you actually want your phone to do, then add the theatrical name.
- Open Shortcuts on your iPhone and tap the plus button in the upper-right corner.
- Tap New Shortcut, then Rename. Give it your spell-inspired name and tap Done.
- Tap Add Action. Choose from the actions available on your phone, and add what you want this shortcut to do.
- When you’re finished adding actions, tap Done. Open the shortcut in the editor and run it to check the result before trying the voice command.
Once the shortcut is in your collection, activate Siri and say its name. Siri runs the shortcut you made, with the actions you chose.
Choose a distinctive name. Apple notes that a custom shortcut with the same name as a standard Siri command takes priority over that command.
If it opens an app while your phone is locked, Apple says Siri will ask you to unlock the phone first. Even this tiny bit of wizardry has a security check.
Just need some light? Apple’s documented flashlight command is “Hey Siri, turn on my flashlight.” You can ask Siri to turn it off, too. No custom shortcut needed for those ordinary commands.
While we are clearing up phone mysteries, the orange and green dots on your iPhone have a much less magical explanation.
The spell name is the fun part. Making sure it does the right thing comes first. Accio fewer arguments with your phone.
