Siri and App Shortcuts

From the Speak List user guide · updated 2026-10-20.

Open the app or use a command

Say “Hey Siri, open Speak List.” Or activate Siri with the phone's Siri button, then say “Open Speak List” without saying Siri again. Unlock the phone if asked. This opens the app; it does not guarantee the Lists page rather than the screen you last used.

Opening the app is a standard Siri function. Speak List's custom Read, Open, Add, Pause and Stop commands below require iOS 16 or later. On iOS 15, including an older SE, use Siri to open the app and then use its controls. Siri uses its own language setting (in iPhone Settings → Siri); changing Speak List's interface language does not change Siri's language.

What can I say? (English commands)

Use Sample list, if you still have it, or replace it with the exact name of one of your own lists. These are English phrases for English Siri. Other Siri languages use the app's registered localized phrases; do not translate these examples word for word. You can inspect and tap the available actions in Apple’s Shortcuts app → Apps → Speak List (section names vary by iOS).

Action	Say after activating Siri	What happens
Read	“Read Sample list in Speak List”	Opens the app and reads from the beginning, not the saved place.
Open	“Open Sample list in Speak List”	Opens that list without starting a read.
Show one list	“Show Sample list in Speak List”	Another way to open that particular list.
Add items	“Add to Sample list in Speak List”	Siri asks “What should I add?”; answer “milk and eggs”.
Pause	“Pause reading in Speak List”	Pauses an active reading session without needing to open the app.
Stop	“Stop reading in Speak List”	Ends the active reading session.

If Siri asks which app to use, choose Speak List. Including the app name helps identify it but does not guarantee Siri will skip that choice.

Add a few items; Speak for longer lists

Adding is a two-step conversation: first ask to add to the list, then answer Siri's question with the items. The registered command does not contain the item text. Start with one to three items joined by and, such as milk and eggs; that is practical guidance, not a fixed item limit. Siri may stop listening. Check the resulting items in the app.

Supported item separators include English and / &, Spanish y, French et, and Chinese 和 / 、 / 及. In German and Japanese, add one item per Siri request, or use Speak for more: und and と are not item separators in this Siri path. For longer lists, open the app and use Speak. Finish or cancel an open Speak capture before asking Siri to read or add items.

Pause, continue, and limits

While Speak List is reading, a plain “Hey Siri, pause” also works (in Chinese, “暂停”), because Speak List is the audio now playing. Siri may pause without saying anything. If another app is playing audio, say the full “Pause reading in Speak List” so Siri reaches Speak List. A plain “stop” may only pause; “Stop reading in Speak List” ends the reading.

After Pause, continue with Play in Speak List or with the Lock Screen's Speak List player. Your earphones' play/pause and next-track controls may also work; gestures depend on the model and settings. A generic Siri play request may start another media app, so use the playback controls to resume reliably. After Stop, use Read out in the app if you want the saved-place choice; the Siri Read command always starts from the beginning.

Move to the next item with Siri

Start Read out in Speak List, choose Step by step, and let an untimed item finish. Say “Hey Siri, next” and wait for Siri to close. The next item reads aloud and then waits for you; this does not turn on Continuous mode. A timed item still follows your Count down setting.

You can use this with the app visible, in the background, or with the phone locked. A reading session must still be active, including its normal wait between steps. This does not start a new read after Stop or force-quitting. Siri must be available in the current phone state, including permission to use Siri while locked. Wording and recognition depend on Siri's language and settings.

This is Siri's playback Next command, not a new Speak List App Shortcut or the app listening for a bare “Next.” If Siri does not respond as expected, use Next in the app or the Lock Screen's Speak List player. The separate caution about a generic Siri play request still applies.

Next and Play are not always the same. When Siri's Play command reaches Speak List during the normal wait after an untimed step, it continues to the next item, just like Next. If speech was interrupted mid-item, Play instead re-reads that item from the start; Next skips it. Next also leaves a timed step early. To pause or continue a countdown, use the timer's controls rather than assuming Siri Play means skip. Generic Siri Play can also target a different media app, even when playback controls work here.

There is no dedicated Siri command to show the Lists page or read out the names of all your lists. Show above opens one named list. There are no registered Speak List commands for creating a new list, scheduling an alert, checking an item off, resuming, or skipping. The absence of a dedicated skip shortcut does not prevent the playback Next command described above. For reliable resume, use Play in the app or the Lock Screen's Speak List player; use the app for the other actions. For one-tap entry instead, see Widgets in §3.

If Siri does not use Speak List

Check the app's Siri switch. In Apple’s Shortcuts app, return to Library → Apps → Speak List → ⓘ, then turn Siri on if it is off. This path was checked on iOS 27.0; names and placement may differ on other versions. It is troubleshooting, not a required change for every user.
Choose Speak List if Siri offers another app. An empty-list answer from Notes or Reminders does not mean your Speak List data is missing.
Check the exact list name and open Speak List once so it can refresh the list names available to Siri. Try the matching action by tapping it in Shortcuts. If tapping works but speaking does not, check Siri's language and request transcription; do not assume the list is empty or delete it.
If Siri previously created a list named Speak List in Apple Reminders, it belongs to Reminders, not this app. As an optional experiment only if Siri still chooses Reminders, you can rename that Reminders list to something distinct while keeping its items. A same-name list was associated with wrong-app routing in one earlier test; renaming is an unverified experiment, not a guaranteed fix. Do not delete lists to troubleshoot Siri.

Always Show Request, under iPhone Settings → Siri → Siri Responses on the tested phone, displays what Siri heard. A message that Siri cannot find an app does not identify one definite cause; check the settings, recognized words and app choice above. Siri success depends on the device's settings and recognition.