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How to capture ideas by voice with Siri

Updated 20 October 2026

Say “Siri, capture an idea in Prod,” then say the idea. Prod saves it in the background, without opening the app, and it waits for your next review.

That’s the fastest way to keep a thought when your hands are busy. Here’s how it works, what else you can say, and how voice capture works inside the app.

How do you capture an idea with Siri?

1. Say “Siri, capture an idea in Prod.”
2. Siri asks: “What’s your idea?”
3. Say it in one sentence. You can add detail later.
4. Siri confirms. The idea is in Prod, waiting to be sorted.

“New idea in Prod” and “Save a thought in Prod” do the same thing. It works on iPhone and iPad, and you don’t need to set anything up first: the phrases are there once Prod is installed.

What else can you ask Siri?

All of these also appear as actions in the Shortcuts app, so you can build them into your own shortcuts and automations.

How does voice capture work inside the app?

Open Prod and tap the microphone in the capture bar. Speak, and your words appear as you go. Tap again to stop, then save.

• On the device. Prod asks for on-device transcription whenever your iPhone or iPad supports it.
• Your words, as you said them. Prod doesn’t rewrite, summarise or “improve” what you said. The idea is yours.
• Text, not audio. Prod keeps the words, so you can search for the idea later.

The first time, iOS asks for permission to use speech recognition and the microphone.

What are the other quick ways in?

• Control Center. Add Prod’s Capture control to open Prod in one tap. On iPhones with an Action button, you can set the button to this control.
• Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets. Tap to open Prod and start an idea.
• Apple Watch. Tap Prod’s complication, tap Capture idea and dictate. There’s no Siri command on the Watch yet. See Prod on Apple Watch.

What happens to the idea next?

Every idea you capture, by voice or by typing, waits for your next review. There you swipe to make it Active, Pause it, Send it on or Archive it. Prod can nudge you about an idea after a few days, so it doesn’t go quiet.

When is voice capture not the right tool?

If you want to keep your tone of voice, or talk an idea through for a few minutes, a recording suits you better. Voice Memos keeps the audio; Prod keeps the words. And in a loud room, typing one line is often quicker than repeating yourself to Siri.

Questions