Siri Adds Voice Recognition to Calendar - Amazon Security, Too
Siri Is Super-Helpful With Your Calendar Now
You’ve updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 27—now what?
In this video, I’ll show you one of the simplest and most useful ways the new Siri can make everyday life a little easier: adding appointments to your Calendar just by talking.
No tiny keyboard. No tapping through several screens. No trying to remember which box you’re supposed to fill in next. Simply activate Siri and tell it what you want to schedule.
During the demonstration, I ask Siri to create a calendar event for lunch with my friend Mary. Siri walks me through the process, asking for the day and time before adding the appointment to my Calendar. I then show you how to add the restaurant’s location—even after the appointment has already been created.
Once the location is included, the Calendar event also provides a map and directions. That makes it easy to navigate to your destination using your iPhone or Apple CarPlay.
You can use this same method to schedule:
• Doctor and dentist appointments
• Lunches and dinners
• Haircuts
• Pickleball games
• Movie nights
• Family events
• Meetings and reminders
To activate Siri, press and hold the upper side button on your iPhone. When the new Siri animation appears, say something like, “Create a calendar appointment for me.” Siri will ask for the information it needs and take care of the rest.
This is especially helpful if typing on the iPhone’s small keyboard is difficult or frustrating. Instead of wrestling with those little keys, you can simply tell Siri where you’re going, when you need to be there, and what the appointment is for.
At Tech Made Friendly, our goal is to help older adults get more benefits from their Apple devices without confusing instructions or unnecessary tech-speak.
Technology doesn’t have to be intimidating. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask Siri!
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Amazon Help With Scam-Spotting!
Scam emails, suspicious phone calls, and fake delivery messages are everywhere. Unfortunately, scammers also love pretending to represent companies we know and trust—especially Amazon.
In this video, I’ll show you two simple ways to check whether a message or call claiming to be from Amazon may be legitimate.
First, we’ll examine the sender information in an email on the iPhone. The name displayed at the top might say “Amazon,” but that alone doesn’t prove anything. Scammers can make almost any name appear there.
To uncover the actual email address, tap the sender’s name at the top of the message. When it turns blue, tap it again to open the contact information. You’ll then be able to see the complete address the message came from.
A message from a strange Gmail, Yahoo, or unrelated address should immediately raise a red flag. A large company such as Amazon normally communicates through its official company domain. Checking the address isn’t an absolute guarantee, but it’s an excellent first step before clicking any links or providing information.
Next, I’ll demonstrate an Amazon safety feature I didn’t even know existed: the Alexa shopping assistant inside the Amazon app.
Tap the blue Alexa symbol near the bottom of the Amazon app and ask:
• “Did Amazon email me?”
• “Did Amazon try to call me?”
The assistant will request details such as the sender’s email address, the caller’s phone number, when the communication arrived, and what it was about. Amazon can then use that information to help determine whether the contact was genuine.
Remember: Never click a suspicious link simply because a message looks official. Open the company’s trusted app or type its website address yourself instead.
At Tech Made Friendly, helping you stay safer online is one of our most important jobs. We share simple lessons about scams, security, and getting more from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac—without confusing tech-speak.
Stay curious, stay cautious, and always check before you click!
Bill Sklodowski
I've been helping people with technology - computers, phones, tablets and more - for about three decades! I've worked for companies like Apple and Sony in training and support positions, and I've taught Adult Ed classes for local school and University-based programs.
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