Skip the calculator and use iOS Spotlight for all your math needs

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Put a spotlight on your math facts.
Put a spotlight on your math facts.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you’ve got a quick bit of math to figure out on the go, why bother tapping into the Calculator app, which you’ve probably got stuffed in some sort of folder on your third page or so?

Even though we’ve been using Spotlight on the Mac for years now to figure out quick mathematical facts, it’s also included in the iOS version of Spotlight, making doing quick bits of math super easy.

Here’s how to use it.

Swipe down from any Home screen page and you’ll see the familiar Spotlight screen, with a search field up top and Siri Suggestions below. Tap into the field and type in your math equation.

I did a quick multi-step math problem there and got a result much faster than I would have if I used the Calculator app, which is indeed buried a few screens and a folder deeper than my main Home Screen.

Siri does math quite well.
Siri does math quite well.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you’re feeling super lazy, er, efficient, try using Siri as your math problem-solver. Ask your iPhone or iPad the specific math question (“Siri, how much is 44 plus 33 minus 3 times 4?) and you’ll get the right result. Assuming Siri hears you correctly, that is.

Now you can avoid finding and launching the Calculator app when you need a quick bit of figuring on the go. Hoorah!

Via: Addictive Tips

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