Siri and Alcove: every phrase that works
Say "Hey Siri, add a task to Alcove" to add a task, "Hey Siri, what's on today in Alcove" to hear your day, and "Hey Siri, take a note in Alcove" for a note. Every phrase must include "Alcove", or Siri sends it to Apple's Reminders instead. Each phrase is also an action in the Shortcuts app.
Siri is the fastest way to catch a task when your hands are busy. The one rule to remember is that every phrase needs the app's name in it.
Why every phrase needs "Alcove"
Siri sends to-do requests to Apple's Reminders unless you name another app. "Hey Siri, add a task" goes to Reminders. "Hey Siri, add a task to Alcove" comes to Alcove. That's how Siri works for every app, so the phrases below all include Alcove.
Add a task
- "Hey Siri, add a task to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, add task to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, add a to-do to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, add a reminder to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, add something to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, add to my Alcove list"
- "Hey Siri, new task in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, create a task in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, remember this in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, Alcove new task"
Say several tasks at once
- "Hey Siri, speak tasks in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, speak tasks to Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, brain dump in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, tell Alcove my tasks"
Alcove opens listening. Say everything on your mind, and it becomes separate tasks you check before adding. See speaking your to-do list.
Hear your day
- "Hey Siri, what are my tasks today in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, what's pending today in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, what's on today in Alcove"
- "Hey Siri, what's on my Alcove list today"
- "Hey Siri, read my Alcove tasks"
- "Hey Siri, Alcove today"
Check your lists
| To | Say |
|---|---|
| Hear what's in a list | "Hey Siri, what's in my Alcove list" or "what's due in Alcove" |
| Hear today's count | "Hey Siri, how many tasks do I have in Alcove" or "Alcove count", which reads today's summary, starting with the count |
Tick off, move and remind
| To | Say |
|---|---|
| Finish a task | "Hey Siri, mark a task done in Alcove", "complete a task in Alcove", "tick something off in Alcove" or "finish a task in Alcove" |
| Move a task to another day | "Hey Siri, move a task in Alcove" or "reschedule a task in Alcove" |
| Set a reminder | "Hey Siri, remind me about a task in Alcove" or "set a reminder in Alcove" |
Notes
| To | Say |
|---|---|
| Take a note | "Hey Siri, take a note in Alcove", "new note in Alcove", "note this in Alcove" or "write this down in Alcove" |
| Add to a note | "Hey Siri, add to my Alcove note" or "append to a note in Alcove" |
| Hear a note | "Hey Siri, read my Alcove note" |
Use them in Shortcuts
Every command above is also an action in the Shortcuts app, under Alcove. That means you can build your own:
- A morning shortcut that reads your day, then starts your music.
- A shortcut that adds whatever text you've selected as a new task.
- A Home Screen button that takes a note in one tap.
For ready-made recipes, see Shortcuts automations for your to-do list. For one-tap capture without Siri, Alcove also has Control Center controls and widgets. See the widgets guide.
Siri in iOS 27: what changed
iOS 27 brought Siri AI, a rebuilt Siri that understands looser wording, remembers the conversation and can act inside apps. It's in beta, needs an iPhone 15 Pro or later (or another device that supports Apple Intelligence) set to a supported language, starts in English, and isn't available in the EU at first on iPhone and iPad.
Apps join in through App Intents, the same system behind Alcove's phrases, and the deeper features come from App Schemas, which tell Siri what kind of thing an app's tasks or events are. By early October 2026, several task and calendar apps had added it. Things 3.24 lets you add a to-do in your own words, then keep talking to add a note, schedule it or move it to a project. OmniFocus 4.9 lets Siri create and edit actions, with dates, flags and repeats. Todoist lets you set a task's details in one sentence, then fine-tune it with follow-ups. Fantastical 4.2 can move an event through a follow-up request.
Where Alcove stands. Alcove has App Intents and App Shortcuts, but not App Schemas yet. So on iOS 27:
- Every phrase on this page works as before. Each names Alcove and maps to one of its App Shortcuts. Todoist's own help notes the same split: a sentence in the older form is handled by classic Siri, even on a device with Siri AI.
- Shortcuts actions work as before, in the Shortcuts app, on the Action button and in automations.
- Conversational follow-ups don't. After "add a task to Alcove", you can't say "actually, make that Friday" and have Siri change the task. Open the task, or add it with quick add, where "Call Sam friday 4pm /Work" sets the day, time and list in one line.
If you rely on talking to Siri in looser sentences, Things, OmniFocus and Todoist support that today, and Alcove doesn't yet.
Sources
Checked in October 2026:
- Apps Adding Siri AI Support for iOS 27, MacSparky, 2 October 2026
- Things for Mac release notes (3.24, 14 September 2026: full integration with Siri AI), Cultured Code
- Use Siri with Todoist, Todoist
- Apple Intelligence (Siri AI requirements and availability), Apple
- Build intelligent Siri experiences with App Schemas, WWDC26, Apple
Questions people ask
Why does Siri add my task to Reminders instead of Alcove?
Siri sends task requests to Apple's Reminders unless the phrase names another app. Say "add a task to Alcove", not just "add a task".
Do I need to open Alcove first?
No. Siri works with Alcove while the app is closed.
Can I use these in the Shortcuts app?
Yes. Each of these commands is also an action in the Shortcuts app, under Alcove, so you can build your own shortcuts, such as adding the selected text as a task.
Which devices does Siri work with Alcove on?
iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Does Alcove work with the new Siri in iOS 27?
Partly. Every phrase on this page still works, because each one names Alcove and is one of Alcove's App Shortcuts, and every action is still in the Shortcuts app. What Alcove doesn't support yet is Siri AI's conversational side, such as asking a follow-up to change the task you just added, because that comes from Apple's App Schemas, which Alcove hasn't adopted yet.