‘Hey Siri, I’m being pulled over’

If you have an iphone and don’t use Siri, you’re missing out. She’ll send text messages that you dictate to her, find out the population of Hong Kong or other random facts, and can even tell a mean dad joke.

But Apple’s virtual assistant is now making headlines for another feature: recording police interactions if you’re being pulled over.

The “Hey Siri, I’m being pulled over,” feature is a custom-built shortcut that you need to download and install on your iphone, but it’s free to use once it’s there.

The shortcut has actually been around since 2018, but in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the increased awareness and conversations around police brutality, it’s being recognized as a tool that could help save lives.

Or at the very least, keep police accountable and help civilians identify cops who are acting out of line.

With installation complete, anytime you tell Siri “I’m being pulled over,” she’ll dim the brightness on your screen and stop incoming calls or pause music, if you had it playing.

Then, the camera on the front of your phone will turn on and start recording both video and audio. There’s even an option in the shortcut’s settings where users can pre-program a text message to be sent to predetermined contact, letting them know what’s happened.

To use the shortcut, you first need to download an app called ‘Shortcuts,’ which is available on the App Store.

Then you can download the shortcut by opening the link in Safari and installing.