iOS 9′s hidden Siri gem: ‘Remind me about this’

In iOS 9, Apple snuck a really great new bit into Siri’s vocabulary.

Whenever the screen is displaying something you might want to be nudged about later — an email, Web page, text message — you can tell Siri, “Remind me about this later.” Or “Remind me about this tonight at 7:30.”

Boom: Siri automatically creates a new item in the Reminders app, which you can tap at any time to return to the original email, Web page, or text message.

It’s not just mail, Web pages, and texts, either. Lots of iPhone/iPad apps understand the “Remind me about this” command:

  • Calendar—remembers the day or event you’re looking at

  • Clock—remembers where you were in World Clock, Alarm, Stopwatch, or Timer

  • Contacts—remembers the person’s contact card

  • iBooks—remembers the book and page you’re reading

  • Health—remembers your place in the app (which screen)

  • Mail—remembers the message you’re reading

  • Maps—remembers the place you’re viewing

  • Messages—remembers the message you’re looking at

  • Notes—memorizes the note you’re reading, and the position in that note

  • Numbers, Pages—remembers the document

  • Phone—remembers which tab you were on (Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, Voicemail) or the currently selected card or phone number from the calls log

  • Podcasts—remembers your current position in a podcast

  • Reminders—remembers which Reminders list you were in

  • Safari—remembers which Web page you’re on

Now, all you have to remember — is to use this command!

image

Adapted from the New York Times bestseller “Pogue’s Basics,” available here.