How to Use Siri Hands-Free in MacOS Sierra
Siri is an iconic new feature in macOS Sierra , but unfortunately you have to click an icon or keyboard shortcut to talk to your computer. Since “Hey Siri” is one of the best features in iOS, this is a bummer. The good thing is that you can hack it on your Mac too.
In addition to Siri, your Mac has a dictation function, and with it you can set up a hot word that will call Siri hands-free. Despite being a bit hacked, it works surprisingly well.
Step 1. Turn on dictation
This connects to the dictation system to work, so you’ll need to enable it first.
- Open System Preferences> Keyboards.
- Click the Dictation tab.
- Click the On button next to Dictation.
- Check the box next to Use Advanced Dictation.
This will also download some files for offline dictation.
Step 2. Create an accessibility shortcut
Now you need to turn your Mac into a machine that is constantly listening using the accessibility command. This requires two keywords: a trigger word to trigger dictation, and then a second keyword to trigger Siri.
- Return to the main menu “System Preferences” and select “Accessibility”.
- Scroll down the menu on the left, find and select Dictation.
- Select the Include Dictation Keyword checkbox.
- Write the first part of a two-part phrase to launch Siri. For example, if you want to say “Hello, computer,” enter “Hello”.
- Click the Dictation Commands button.
- Check the box next to Enable Advanced Commands.
- Click the “+” button.
- You will see three sections here. In the When I Speak box, enter the second part of the command, such as Computer if you want to say Hello Computer.
- Leave “When Used” as “Any Application”.
- To execute, select Open Finder Items, then select the Siri.app file in the Applications folder.
- Click Finish.
That’s it, now you can say “Hey computer,” and Siri will launch. You can of course use “Hey Siri” if you like, but considering that this will download it to your iPhone as well, it’s best to use a different phrase.