title: Siri and voice commands description: Twelve Siri commands on iPhone, four from the wrist — no in-app mic needed.
Siri and voice commands Siri
You can control most of RhythmFit without touching your phone. Voice control goes through Siri — it works with the app in the background, the phone locked, or from AirPods. There is no in-app microphone to set up and no permission to grant: Siri uses the system recognizer.
The full phrase list also lives in the app under Settings → Siri Commands.
What you can say
Say "Hey Siri," then:
| Intent | Phrases that work | Works on | | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | Start a workout | "Start Tabata in RhythmFit" | iPhone | | Pause | "Pause RhythmFit", "RhythmFit pause" | iPhone + Watch | | Resume | "Resume RhythmFit", "Continue RhythmFit workout" | iPhone + Watch | | Skip phase | "Next phase in RhythmFit", "RhythmFit skip" | iPhone + Watch | | End workout | "End RhythmFit workout", "RhythmFit stop" | iPhone + Watch | | Faster beat | "Faster in RhythmFit", "RhythmFit faster" | iPhone | | Slower beat | "Slower in RhythmFit", "RhythmFit slower" | iPhone | | Status report | "RhythmFit status", "What's my pace in RhythmFit", "Which round in RhythmFit", "What's this exercise in RhythmFit" | iPhone | | Go back a block | "Go back in RhythmFit", "Previous block in RhythmFit" | iPhone | | Extend phase | "Add time in RhythmFit", "Extend phase in RhythmFit" | iPhone | | Restart block | "Restart block in RhythmFit", "RhythmFit redo" | iPhone | | I'm ready | "I'm ready in RhythmFit", "Let's go in RhythmFit" | iPhone | | Repeat instructions | "Repeat instructions in RhythmFit", "Say that again in RhythmFit" | iPhone |
"I'm ready" and "Repeat instructions" apply to the "Ready to start?" screen — when a block waits for your tap after reading its instructions, you can confirm or replay them by voice instead.
The status report starts with what you're doing right now — the current block, plus step and round position in guided workouts — then adapts to the workout: runners hear distance and pace, HIIT sessions hear the current round, everything else hears percent done and time remaining — plus heart rate when a Watch is connected.
Getting the phrasing right
Lead with the app name or end with it
Siri responds best to "Pause RhythmFit", "Resume RhythmFit", "Next phase in RhythmFit". The app name is what routes the command. Avoid a bare "Skip ..." — Siri routes that verb to music/podcast controls and replies "Sorry, I couldn't skip this"; lead with the app name ("RhythmFit skip") or say "next phase" instead. Same for ending: say "End RhythmFit workout" — a bare "End RhythmFit" makes Siri explain how to close the app.
Add Shortcuts (recommended)
Open the iOS Shortcuts app → RhythmFit. Tap Add to Siri on the verbs you use most (Pause, Resume, Skip). Now plain "Pause" — without the app name — does the right thing while RhythmFit is the active audio.
Trigger Siri however is fastest
"Hey Siri", side-button hold, or — best for workouts — AirPods.
From your Apple Watch
Raise your wrist and talk to Siri there — pause, resume, skip, and end work from the Watch even when your iPhone is across the room. The command relays to the phone automatically. Starting a workout, tempo changes, and status reports still need iPhone Siri.
What if Siri opens the wrong app?
Two common cases:
- Music plays via Apple Music, not RhythmFit's BGM. When Apple Music has the audio session, Siri's "pause" may pause Music, not RhythmFit. Workaround: say "pause RhythmFit" explicitly.
- Multiple Shortcuts with similar names. If you've set up a Shortcut called "Pause" that targets a different app, Siri may prefer it. Rename one for disambiguation.
New workouts and Siri's vocabulary
Siri learns your workout names (for "Start ... in RhythmFit") when the app launches. A workout created moments ago becomes startable by voice after the next app launch.