Apple‘s iOS 18 update brought with it a ton of new features, of which was the intriguing ability to use custom, ‘vocal shortcuts’. Vocal Shortcuts let users activate a very specific set of commands by simply speaking to your device.
This feature is very similar to Siri’s voice commands, but works in a much more seamless fashion – and isn’t exactly exclusive to iOS 18 (but is more accessible thanks to the update).
More on the feature, and how to enable it below.
How to use vocal shortcuts in iOS 18
- Unlock your iPhone and fire up the Settings app.
- Scroll down to the Accessibilities tab.
- Enter the Vocal Shortcuts tab. Click on Set Up Vocal Shortcuts.
- Hit Continue. Choose from the predefined set of custom actions.
- Type in the exact phrase for which you wish to set up the shortcut for.
- You will be prompted to speak the phrase out loud in order to train your device.
Once completed, hit Continue to save the keyphrase. Rinse and repeat for multiple phrases and/or commands.
Triggering a vocal shortcut is easy – simply speak the associated trigger phrase out loud in order to execute the action.
How to remove vocal shortcuts in iOS 18
- Unlock your iPhone and fire up the Settings app.
- Scroll down to the Accessibilities sub menu.
- Within the Accessibilities menu, select Vocal Shortcuts.
- Click on the Edit option.
- This should generate a list of all your saved keyphrases.
- To remove a keyphrase, simply click on the delete (red icon that looks like a stop symbol with a minus sign on it) button.
Rinse and repeat the steps to delete multiple vocal shortcuts in iOS 18.
Keep in mind that this action is irreversible and will permanently delete your vocal shortcuts, so be extra careful when attempting the same.
You will have to re-record your vocal shortcuts in case of a deletion.
