Harry Potter Phone Tricks – How to Turn Off Light With Siri and Google Assistant
Fans of Harry Potter can now use a few spells to perform simple tasks on their smartphones. The trick involves using Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. To make it work, you’ll need to install a free app called Shortcuts.
The wand-lighting charm Lumos works on iPhones and Android phones. The summoning charm Accio can be used to open apps on iPhones.
Lumos
One of the easiest spells in Harry Potter is Lumos, a wand-lighting charm that illuminates a wand tip. The corresponding counter-spell, Nox, darkens a lit wand. Fortunately for muggles, you can use this spell with your iPhone or Google Pixel device, which uses Siri or Android Assistant. Just wake up your AI software by saying ‘Lumos’ or ‘Nox,’ and it will turn on the phone’s flashlight. This trick works on all Android phones running Lollipop and higher. It also works with a number of smart home devices, including Philips Hue and LIFX.
You can also use the Shortcuts app to create shortcuts that perform these spells. For example, you can create a shortcut that opens an app by saying “Accio” or “Homenum Revelio.” Just remember to enable Hey Siri first to trigger these commands.
Another option is to connect your device to smart lights. You can then say “Hey Siri, Lumos Maxima” to activate the lights and “Hey Siri, Nox” to turn them off. This will make your iPhone feel like a wizard’s wand, though you’ll still be unable to fly away on a broomstick. However, you can make your iPhone levitate using a different method. Read on to learn more about this.
Nox
The counter spell to Lumos is Nox, which darkens a lit wand tip. It’s used by Harry and Hermione when they exit the Shrieking Shack at Gringotts or at other times when their wand light isn’t needed. Nox comes from the Latin for night or darkness, which makes sense as a way to shut off the light that a wand-lighting charm creates.
While these three enchantments are fun, they may feel a little limited if you’re a true Potter fan. Thankfully, the Shortcuts app allows you to turn any spell or charm into a Siri shortcut, giving you access to a wide range of your iPhone’s features.
To start, make sure that Hey Siri is turned on in your device’s settings. Then, open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut with the action “Hey Siri, perform [spell or charm]”. The shortcut can then be triggered by saying “Hey Siri” and performing the spell’s incantation. You can also add additional actions to customize the shortcut. For example, you can turn the Accio summoning charm into a command to open an app by adding ‘Set Launch App’ and setting it to your favorite app. You can even use a variation of this command, Accio Maps, to activate Apple’s Maps without pressing any buttons.
Accio
Accio is a summoning charm that pulls objects towards the spell-caster. It can be used on enemies, but players can also use it to Levitate objects and items in the game. It’s one of the more useful spells in the game, particularly outside of combat.
In Harry Potter, this spell was used to summon Newt Scamander’s Firebolt broomstick and to retrieve the Triwizard Cup. It can even be used to summon a certain piece of gear in the game, such as Hermione’s cloak or the Horcrux books.
The player must be pointing in the direction of the object when they cast Accio, and it’s important that the object is outlined in white before casting the spell. It’s also possible to name the item before using the spell, which seems to help concentration.
Interestingly enough, Accio can be used to open almost any app on an iPhone, including secret written messages. To do this, simply say “Ok Google,” followed by “Accio,” and the app you want to open will appear. This is a great way to use the spells on an iPhone without downloading a third-party app. However, it’s not working for the Sword of Gryffindor, which accio can’t seem to summon. Hopefully, this will be fixed in the future.