How to use Siri hands-free on your Apple Watch

BY Gautam Prabhu

Published 11 May 2015

When Apple introduced the “Hey Siri” feature in iOS 8, we all wanted to use it hands-free without tethering our iPhone to a power source. But Apple was worried about battery life so it had to put in that restriction.

The implementation of the “Hey Siri” feature on the Apple Watch is just perfect thanks to the wrist detection feature.

So you can use Siri on your Apple Watch completely hands-free without the need to press the Digital Crown to invoke it or without being connected to power source like the iPhone.

Here’s how it works:

  • Raise your wrist, and say “Hey Siri” to get a response, without pressing the Digital Crown. Note: This will work only if the Wrist Detection feature which is enabled by default hasn’t been disabled.
  • You should see the “Hey Siri” screen. You can now say your request, and Siri should get back to you with a response.

Apple Watch - Hey Siri - hands-free

So you can use Siri on your Apple Watch completely hands-free t0 create a reminder, set an alarm, reply to a message, play music, set a new timer, get directions, and lots more. However, since Siri on the Watch is silent and does not provide any vocal confirmations to your request, you will still need to see the screen.

This method also works best in quiet areas where the background noise can’t interfere with the “Hey Siri” command.

Let me know how it goes in the comments.

If you want to learn more about the Apple Watch, you can view additional tutorials on our Apple Watch Tips and Tricks page  and our Watch Help page. If you have an area you would like to see covered in this ongoing series of Watch tutorials or have discovered your own handy tips or tricks, please share them in the comments.