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Trying to advise a friend with vision problems. Wants to have Siri read then delete emails. Can only get Siri to read date, from, subject - will not read content. Tried using SpeakScreen to read content - but cannot use Siri to stop SpeakScreen when desired. Also when Siri is asked to delete an email it replies that it cannot delete email. Would appreciate and suggestions on using Siri to read, manage, delete emails.
iPhone 6s
Siri can search and read Mail’s Inbox list, check for new emails, read individual email messages, as well as reply or compose new email. Siri can’t manage or delete emails.
Update the iPhone 6s, compatible with iOS 14.7.1, to the current version.
Using Siri
Get Siri’s attention by saying, "Hey Siri," then issue a command.
To have Siri start reading the Mail’s Inbox list say, "Hey Siri, check email." Besides "check," other variations you can use include "show," "read," "view" and "display". You can also have Siri check for new email with, "Hey Siri, check for new email." Siri will also read a list of emails in the Inbox from a contact, for example say, "Hey Siri, check email from Sam."
When an email list appears Siri will announce a number if fewer than 25, or say, "You have at least 25 emails" if that number is 25 or more. Siri will then start reading the day or date, sender and subject of the first email in the list. Siri will pause and ask either, "Do you want to hear the next one?" or "Want to hear one more?" You can also specify how many emails to read from the list using a cardinal number, for example say, "Read 5 emails."
In the pause after Siri asks if you want to hear another you can say, "Read that one" to have Siri read the content of the last email read from the list. You can also specify an ordinal number from the email list to have Siri read its content, for example say, "Read the 6th one" or "Read the 3rd email."
To dismiss Siri say, "Quit," or synonyms or variations such as "cancel," "bye," "see you" or "so long."
Using VoiceOver
Since Siri is unable to manage or delete emails you’ll need to use another tool such as Apple’s gesture-based screen reader VoiceOver. It’s easy to use once you understand how it functions and what gestures to use to perform actions. It is transformative technology allowing a person with visual impairment full use of their device.
A few basic gestures:
Note, once an item is selected you can perform an action gesture anywhere on the screen to activate it, not just from directly over it.
Here’s how using VoiceOver might be used to read and delete email:
Say, "Hey Siri, open Mail," then, "Hey Siri, turn on VoiceOver" and "Hey Siri, bye." If Mail opens on the Mailboxes screen, slide one finger around and when Inbox is selected lift the finger and double-tap anywhere on the screen to activate it, taking you to the Inbox screen. VoiceOver will begin speaking the capsule of the first message in the list. If not, drag a finger to select the first message.
If you know you don’t want to have the full content of the email spoken, you can perform an action on it. With the email selected, from anywhere on the screen, flick one finger quickly up or down. Continue the flick gesture in the same direction until you hear the action you want to perform. With each flick of the finger the actions will cycle: Mark as Read (or Unread depending on state) > Flag > More > Delete > Activate (default) ↩. Double-tap to perform the selected action.
Drag one finger down the message list to select another email. To go to down another page in the list use a three-finger swipe up. Use a three-finger swipe down to go back up.
To have VoiceOver speak the content of a message, select the message and double-tap anywhere on the screen to go to the message screen. To speak the entire screen from the top use a two-finger swipe up. To speak the entire screen from a selected starting item, drag a finger to where you want to start and use a two-finger swipe down. Use a two-finger tap to pause speaking. Two-finger tap again to resume speaking.
To delete an email from the message screen, drag a finger to the toolbar at the bottom and select Delete. Double-tap anywhere on the screen to delete the message.
Tested on iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14.7.1
Useful Links
Learn VoiceOver gestures on iPhone
Turn on and practice VoiceOver on iPhone
A Complete List of iOS and iPadOS Gestures Available to VoiceOver Users
Adjust voice and speed for VoiceOver and Speak Screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Siri can search and read Mail’s Inbox list, check for new emails, read individual email messages, as well as reply or compose new email. Siri can’t manage or delete emails.
Update the iPhone 6s, compatible with iOS 14.7.1, to the current version.
Using Siri
Get Siri’s attention by saying, "Hey Siri," then issue a command.
To have Siri start reading the Mail’s Inbox list say, "Hey Siri, check email." Besides "check," other variations you can use include "show," "read," "view" and "display". You can also have Siri check for new email with, "Hey Siri, check for new email." Siri will also read a list of emails in the Inbox from a contact, for example say, "Hey Siri, check email from Sam."
When an email list appears Siri will announce a number if fewer than 25, or say, "You have at least 25 emails" if that number is 25 or more. Siri will then start reading the day or date, sender and subject of the first email in the list. Siri will pause and ask either, "Do you want to hear the next one?" or "Want to hear one more?" You can also specify how many emails to read from the list using a cardinal number, for example say, "Read 5 emails."
In the pause after Siri asks if you want to hear another you can say, "Read that one" to have Siri read the content of the last email read from the list. You can also specify an ordinal number from the email list to have Siri read its content, for example say, "Read the 6th one" or "Read the 3rd email."
To dismiss Siri say, "Quit," or synonyms or variations such as "cancel," "bye," "see you" or "so long."
Using VoiceOver
Since Siri is unable to manage or delete emails you’ll need to use another tool such as Apple’s gesture-based screen reader VoiceOver. It’s easy to use once you understand how it functions and what gestures to use to perform actions. It is transformative technology allowing a person with visual impairment full use of their device.
A few basic gestures:
Note, once an item is selected you can perform an action gesture anywhere on the screen to activate it, not just from directly over it.
Here’s how using VoiceOver might be used to read and delete email:
Say, "Hey Siri, open Mail," then, "Hey Siri, turn on VoiceOver" and "Hey Siri, bye." If Mail opens on the Mailboxes screen, slide one finger around and when Inbox is selected lift the finger and double-tap anywhere on the screen to activate it, taking you to the Inbox screen. VoiceOver will begin speaking the capsule of the first message in the list. If not, drag a finger to select the first message.
If you know you don’t want to have the full content of the email spoken, you can perform an action on it. With the email selected, from anywhere on the screen, flick one finger quickly up or down. Continue the flick gesture in the same direction until you hear the action you want to perform. With each flick of the finger the actions will cycle: Mark as Read (or Unread depending on state) > Flag > More > Delete > Activate (default) ↩. Double-tap to perform the selected action.
Drag one finger down the message list to select another email. To go to down another page in the list use a three-finger swipe up. Use a three-finger swipe down to go back up.
To have VoiceOver speak the content of a message, select the message and double-tap anywhere on the screen to go to the message screen. To speak the entire screen from the top use a two-finger swipe up. To speak the entire screen from a selected starting item, drag a finger to where you want to start and use a two-finger swipe down. Use a two-finger tap to pause speaking. Two-finger tap again to resume speaking.
To delete an email from the message screen, drag a finger to the toolbar at the bottom and select Delete. Double-tap anywhere on the screen to delete the message.
Tested on iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14.7.1
Useful Links
Learn VoiceOver gestures on iPhone
Turn on and practice VoiceOver on iPhone
A Complete List of iOS and iPadOS Gestures Available to VoiceOver Users
Adjust voice and speed for VoiceOver and Speak Screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Hi Galloglach, you're welcome. There's no extensive repository of Siri commands that I'm aware of. What exists is a patchwork of information across various Apple support documents, media outlets, Internet forums, blogs, etc. An Internet search will help with this. Otherwise, try asking Siri to perform a specific task; either it will work or you may get confirmation from Siri that it isn't possible:
Hey Galloglach,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!
We see that you're trying to get Siri to read emails in your Mail app. We can help.
Try using these steps and let us know if this helps:
Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech> turn on Speak Selection & turn on Speak Screen
Cheers!
Thanks VERY Much - answered all my questions. Would be nice if Siri would have more mail options (delete, file into folders, etc) but this is a good start. Is there a general reference to ALL Siri commands somewhere - much of this is sorta "hidden"
Using Siri to manage emails for visually impaired person.
