Siri, Shortcuts, Control Center & App Shortcuts

Open Seayora screens and send a message with Siri, Spotlight, the Shortcuts app, the Action button and Control Center on iPhone, and from the app icon on Android — what each one does, and what none of them will ever do.

Both Seayora phone apps can be reached without opening them first. On iPhone that is Siri, Spotlight, the Shortcuts app, the Action button and Control Center; on Android it is the shortcuts you get by long-pressing the Seayora icon. Every one of them opens the app on the right screen, behind your app lock. Sending a message by voice on iPhone is the only thing that happens without the app on screen, and it is the same as replying from a notification.

iPhone: Siri, Spotlight and the Shortcuts app

These work with no setup on iOS 17 and later — they appear in the Shortcuts app under Seayora and in Spotlight as soon as the app is installed. Say or type:

"Send a message on Seayora" — Siri asks which conversation and what to say.
"Open my Seayora messages" — your conversations with tenants, landlords, contractors and support.
"Search Seayora" — search your properties, leases, people, work orders and messages.
"Scan a tag in Seayora" — the scanner for a QR label or an NFC tag on a unit or a piece of equipment.
"Report a repair in Seayora" — report a problem in your home, or see the repairs you manage or were sent.
"Open my Seayora time clock" — for field staff. It opens the clock; the punch is made on the screen, because clocking in records where you are at that moment.

Sending a message with Siri

Your iPhone must be unlocked. Siri asks which conversation and what to say, and reads back where it is going.
Siri says "Sent" only once Seayora has the message. With no signal it tells you the message will send when you are back online — it waits in the same outbox the app uses, and goes on its own.
If Seayora refuses the message, Siri says it could not be sent and asks you to open the conversation to see why. It never reports a message as sent when nobody received it.
It goes through exactly the same service as the Send button in the app, so everything that applies there — who you may message, blocking, the conversation's rules — applies here too.

Control Center, the Lock Screen and the Action button

On iOS 18 and later there are four Seayora controls: Scan a tag, Time clock, Report a repair and Seayora messages. Open Control Center, tap + (Add a Control), and search for Seayora; the same controls can go on the Lock Screen (Customize → the buttons at the bottom) or on the Action button (Settings → Action Button → Controls). Each one opens the app on that screen — and the app lock still asks for your PIN, pattern, Face ID or Touch ID first.

Message notifications on iPhone

When message previews are on, a Seayora message arrives as a message from the person who sent it — their name at the top, the way Messages shows it — and you can let particular people through a Focus. With previews off it stays a plain "New message" banner that says nothing about who wrote.

Android: shortcuts on the app icon

Long-press the Seayora icon to see shortcuts for Messages, Report a repair and Search — and, for accounts whose tools include them, Time clock and Scan a tag. Drag one onto your home screen to keep it there. The list follows your account, and it is removed when you sign out so the next person to use the phone is not offered yours.

What none of these will ever do

Pay anything, sign anything, approve anything or change somebody else's record. Those are never offered by voice, by a control or from an icon.
Skip your app lock. Everything except sending a message opens the app, and the app lock is in front of whatever comes next.
Work signed out. Signed out, Seayora offers Siri no conversations at all, and the Android shortcuts are gone.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Siri say my message will send later?

Your phone could not reach Seayora at that moment. The message is in the app's outbox and sends on its own as soon as the connection is back — you do not need to do anything.

Does this work on iPad?

Yes. Siri and the Shortcuts app work on iPad with iPadOS 17 or later, and Control Center controls need iPadOS 18.

Can Siri read my Seayora messages to me?

Yes, on iPhone, if you allowed Siri to use Seayora. That is the same permission CarPlay uses; you can turn it off in Settings → Seayora → Siri.

Related guides

Related features and guides

Home Screen Widgets (iOS & Android) — Documentation. Put rent, repairs, jobs, money and messages on your phone's home screen or Lock Screen, refreshed automatically — which widgets each account type gets, how to add them, and what they show when you are signed out.
Seayora Platform Overview — Documentation. What Seayora is, who it is for, and how the listings, leasing, payments, accounting, and service-pro tools fit together in one platform.
Seayora on CarPlay and Android Auto — Documentation. Hear and answer your conversations by voice or with Siri, play and send voice notes, call whoever you are driving to see, and get one-tap directions to the day’s stops — plus a plain explanation of why paying and signing deliberately stay out of the car.
Voice Notes in Messaging — Feature. Record and send voice notes in any Seayora conversation. Transcoded server-side so they play on iPhone, Android, and desktop alike, stored with the thread, and searchable as part of the property record.
Team Roles & Permissions (RBAC) — Feature. Role-based access control with employee accounts, so leasing agents, maintenance staff, and bookkeepers each see only their scope. Every action is audit-logged.