With iOS 18, I Can't Wait to Stop Talking to Siri and Start Typing

You'll soon be able to type to Siri instead of talking. Apple/Screenshot by CNET

I love using Siri to quickly start a workout, set a timer or turn on my alarm without having to tap and swipe. What I don't love, however, is talking into my iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods while I'm on the train or sitting at my desk in the office.

And I'm not alone. In 2016, Creative Strategies found that only 3% of iPhone owners used Siri in public. PwC similarly found in 2018 that three out of four consumers were using smartphone voice assistants in the home rather than out in public, largely due to privacy concerns and because speaking to a voice assistant "looks weird."

Thankfully, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max users won't have to speak to Siri any longer if they don't want to. With iOS 18, Siri is getting its own keyboard so that you can type a request instead of reciting it out loud. Not only can that make Siri more accessible, but leveraging the iPhone's screen also presents new opportunities for Siri to be more proactive.

Apple made the announcement during its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, where it introduced its big push into generative AI called Apple Intelligence alongside other software updates for iPhones, iPads and more. Apple couldn't pick a better time to give Siri an upgrade. Even though phone-based digital assistants have existed for more than a decade, there's a newfound interest in the technology, thanks to the rise of ChatGPT and generative AI.

The ability to text with Siri, combined with other upgrades like more knowledge of your personal context, could finally make Siri into the iPhone virtual assistant I've always wanted.

In iOS 18, double-tapping the bottom of your iPhone's screen will pull up Siri's typing interface, which consists of a keyboard along with suggestions based on the context of what you're doing on your phone. It sounds like the Siri Suggestions that already appear when you summon the search bar by pulling down from the home screen, but hopefully these recommendations will be even more targeted and helpful.

Typing to Siri is about more than just avoiding awkwardness in public; it could also motivate me to use Siri for more than just basic commands. Now that Siri will also be able to answer questions about how to use your device and can derive context from your phone, I'm expecting there to be a bunch of new commands at my disposal, most of which I'd rather type than speak.

If I want to check how much storage I have left on my phone without digging through the settings menu, for example, asking Siri could be a quick alternative. Even though it's not a private query, I'd rather not ask that question out loud if I don't have to. But this is just a hypothetical example; we'll have to wait until iOS 18 arrives to know what types of settings requests Siri can handle.

I also find myself speaking to Siri too quickly or in a hushed voice when I'm in public to avoid any confusing stares. That's especially true if I want to use Siri to set a reminder about something personal, such as a doctor's appointment. But once iOS 18 arrives, I shouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

Something about typing into my phone just feels more natural than speaking into it (except when making phone calls, of course). I really like the idea of using Siri as a personal search engine specifically for my phone that can help me figure out how to change the amount of time it takes for the screen to time out, see if I have enough time to make it to dinner before a movie and more. Tapping, swiping and scrolling to get things done on my phone has become so instinctive that there are very few circumstances in which I'd rather dictate a command.

There's also another way you can interact with Siri without speaking: nodding. If you're wearing the AirPods Pro, you'll also be able to nod or gently shake your head to respond to a Siri announcement. It may not be as rich of an experience as typing to Siri, but it's another update that can prevent you from having to speak to Siri in a less-than-ideal situation, such as when you're in a crowded area or during a commute.

Maybe it's because I'm a millennial, and like others in my generation, I apparently hate talking on the phone. Regardless of the reason, I'm expecting Siri's new text-based form to take Apple's virtual assistant to a whole new level.

Avoid an Overheated Phone This Summer With These Tips

People's phones travel with them, and in the summer that means out into the heat (and this year looks like it's going to be another record-breaking heat wave season). When these complex slabs of metal and glass get overheated, they can shut down abruptly, potentially shortening the life of their batteries.Whether you're relaxing on a beach or working outside, use these tips to help you avoid overheating your iPhone or Android phone this summer.

Manufacturers like to boast how bright their phone screens can get, allowing you to see your display clearly even in direct sunlight. Pushing the intensity of those pixels to 1,000 or 2,000 nits of peak brightness is great for reading what's on the screen, but sustaining that level uses more power and generates more heat than when you're inside or in the shade.Plus, direct sunlight delivers radiant heat to items like metal and glass, increasing the temperature of your device. If you need to use your phone for an extended period of time during sunny, hot days, find some shade to protect both it and you.

Heat doesn't just come from the outside environment.Your phone's processor has to work a lot harder when you do something like play graphics-intensive games, which can generate more heat than usual from within your device.And playing these games can also drain your battery quickly, so it's natural to want to plug into power.However, this combination of high processing and charging increases the heat generation even more, leading to overheating.

It's normal for a phone to heat up while it's charging -- the phone's surface dissipates that heat away from the inside by design. But if you're using a bulky case, the heat could get trapped. If the phone seems to be heating up too much, remove the case before charging.

Video recording is resource-intensive, capturing and storing multiple megabytes of data per second and usually processing that footage at the same time. Even expensive mirrorless cameras capable of shooting high-quality video hit thermal ceilings (or have add-on fans to dissipate the heat). If you're recording lengthy clips, you may need to pause for a few minutes between them to allow the phone to cool down.

It's just a power charger, so why not get the cheapest one? Be wary of amazingly low prices, because they're often attached to knock-off products that don't include safety electronics for regulating power throughput and preventing overheating. Better to pay slightly more and get a recommended USB-C charger or power bank you know you'll be able to trust.

It sounds like the worst sort of overly general advice: Make sure your device's software is up to date. And yet it's usually good advice, especially in this case. For example, a bug in iOS 17, plus a problem with apps including Instagram and Uber, caused many iPhone 15 Pro phones to overheat. Apple soon released iOS 17.0.3 to fix the problem. (The current version is iOS 17.5, which adds new features as well as bug and security fixes.)Note that it's normal for a phone to warm up during and after a system update as the software optimizes data in the background. However, this is a temporary temperature elevation.

If you can't avoid the heat and often find yourself waiting for the phone to cool, consider buying an inexpensive thermal phone pouch to store it in. Using materials designed to protect astronauts from temperature extremes, a pouch will reflect direct sunlight and heat away from the phone. Thermal pouches also work at the other end of the spectrum, protecting your phone from cold weather such as when you're skiing.

If you don't want to expose the phone to the sun, what about keeping it in a car while you're frolicking on the beach? Setting aside the risk of having it nabbed in a break-in, cars turn into hotboxes on sunny days, which can easily push past the recommended operating temperatures. It's better to take the phone with you.

If overheating becomes a frequent problem -- and the phone isn't exposed to the other situations mentioned in this gallery -- a faulty or failing battery might be the cause.First, see what the phone is telling you: on the iPhone, go to Settings > Battery and check Battery Health; on Android go to Settings > Battery > Battery Diagnostics (Pixel) or Settings > Battery and device care (Samsung). If the functionality is degraded, it might be time to schedule a battery replacement.And if the phone is bulging, cracked or shows other signs of a swollen battery, turn it off and contact the company's support programs immediately. That's a less likely circumstance, but with lithium-ion batteries, you don't want to mess around with safety.

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