While I continue to wait for the mythical Tesla Model 3, I've leased a new Prius C for my daily driving needs. Sadly, it doesn't support Apple's CarPlay technology: Toyota currently uses its proprietary Entune system for multimedia interaction, which has its own, limited voice-activated assistant. But if you have a 2016 Toyota, you can use Apple's previous car technology — Siri Eyes Free — via a different button on your steering wheel.
What is Siri Eyes Free?
Before Apple debuted CarPlay, it offered a simplified connection called Siri Eyes Free for car manufacturers. Essentially, it's just a quick connection to Siri: Most cars can connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth, but querying Siri requires pressing your Home button or yelling "HEY SIRI!" in your car.
If your car supports Siri Eyes Free, however, you'll have a dedicated Siri button on your steering wheel or center console to trigger the voice assistant. Once your phone is connected via Bluetooth, you can chat with Siri by pressing and holding the button.
How to trigger Siri Eyes Free on a 2016 Toyota
Unlike other cars with Eyes Free, Toyota already offers its own dedicated voice assistant — and maps the voice assistant button on your steering wheel to that program. So, you have to use a different button to trigger Siri: The Phone Off Hook button.
- Turn on your Toyota.
If you haven't yet paired your iPhone to your Toyota's Entune system, do so now.
Press and hold the Phone Off Hook button to trigger Siri.
- Say your query.
How to trigger Siri on an older Toyota
Even if you don't have a 2016 Toyota with support for Siri Eyes Free, you still have a couple of options to trigger Siri wirelessly:
- If you have an iPhone SE, 6s, or 6s Plus, you can say "Hey Siri" at any time to trigger the voice assistant. Be aware, though, that the microphone won't be as good at recognizing your words if your car windows are open or you're jamming out to music.
- If you have an older iPhone, you can plug it into your car's USB jack (or a USB charger via 12V socket) to enable "Hey Siri".
- If you want a physical button, you can pick up something like Satechi's Bluetooth Button, which provides you with a Bluetooth-connected Home button that you can stick on your dash, steering wheel, or anywhere else you find appropriate.
Any questions?
Having trouble querying Siri in the car? Let us know below.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Editor's Desk: The iPod will always have a special place in our hearts
This week saw some crazy news, but none crazier than the death of the iPod.
Nintendo recap: Pokémon HOME will finally link with BDSP and PAL
We learned several things regarding various Pokémon games on both iOS and Nintendo Switch this week. Plus, Nintendo revealed its latest financial report showing us how well the system is doing five years into its life cycle.
Here are 15 shortcuts for Apple's iWork apps on both iOS and macOS
Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are built for Shortcuts on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — the new actions make accessing documents, creating templates, and even inserting data into spreadsheets. We've covered each action, built example shortcuts, and show you how to take advantage of iWork with the Shortcuts app.
Protect your AirPods charging case... with a case!
Your AirPods case is the perfect protection for your AirPods, but who protects the protectors? We've rounded up a cool collection of cases for your precious buds, with a style and on a budget to suit everyone.