Hey Siri, what are Siri Shortcuts?
Here at Hive, we aim to be led by our customers, putting you at the heart of all our decisions. We’ve been listening, and we know that there’s been interest in adding Siri Shortcuts integration to our app. So that’s just what we did.
What are Siri Shortcuts?
Put simply, Siri Shortcuts allow you to tie a piece of functionality in an app to a phrase in Siri. The phrase is entirely defined by you, so it can be whatever you’d like. Once set up via your iPhone, it even works with your Apple Watch or HomePod for frictionless use around the home, even if you’re busy and have your hands full.
What support for Siri Shortcuts does the Hive app have?
Hive have launched support for two types of Siri Shortcuts; Quick Action Siri Shortcuts, and View Camera Siri Shortcuts.
Quick Action Siri Shortcuts mean that you’ll be able to use any Quick Action you have set up just by asking Siri via your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or HomePod.
This could do anything that a Quick Action can on your app. Say you have a “heading out” Quick Action set up that turns off lights and any appliances plugged into Smart Plugs? All you have to do is say “Hey Siri, heading out” to trigger it. These Quick Action Siri Shortcuts can be whatever you can imagine, as unique as you are.
The other type of Siri Shortcuts we’ve launched support for are View Camera Siri Shortcuts. They let you check your Hive View camera live feed faster than ever.
All you need to do is say something like “Hey Siri, check the kitchen”, and the Hive app will open straight to the kitchen camera and start loading the live stream.
That sounds great, but how do I set up Siri Shortcuts?
Anyone with an iPhone or iPad on iOS 12 (or later) can set up Siri Shortcuts from the Hive app.
To set up Quick Action Siri Shortcuts
- Open the menu in the app
- Tap ‘Actions’
- If you already have Quick Actions set up, tap on the one you’d like to use with Siri.
OR
- If you don’t have any Quick Actions already set up, you’ll have to do so. After creating a Quick Action you’ll be asked if you’d like to add this Quick Action to Siri.
- Tap ‘Add to Siri’ to record a convenient phrase to trigger the Quick Action. We recommend using the name of your Quick Action, for example “Movie Night” or “All lights on”.
- Once you’ve chosen your phrase, tap ‘Done’.
- That’s it! You can now say this phrase to Siri to use your Quick Action.
To set up View Camera Siri Shortcuts
- Navigate to your Hive View or Hive View Outdoor camera.
- Tap on the settings icon.
- Tap on ‘Siri Shortcuts’.
- Tap ‘Add to Siri’ to record a convenient phrase you’d like to say to launch your camera feed. We’d recommend something like ‘Check living room’ or ‘Check outdoor camera’.
- Once you’ve chosen your phrase, tap ‘Done’.
- That’s it! You can now say this phrase to Siri to launch your Hive View camera feed.
Note: If your Hive View camera is in privacy mode then this Siri Shortcut will still take you to the camera view, but you’ll need to confirm that you want to switch on monitoring before you can view the stream.
Tell me more about using Siri on HomePod & Apple Watch?
The Quick Action Siri Shortcuts (once set up on the iPhone or iPad) will also be usable with Siri on the Apple Watch and HomePod automatically. Those devices might be a little bit slower than using Siri on the phone because they work by sending the request to the phone anyway, but it does mean that Hive products can be controlled via a HomePod.