As well as its search functions, from iOS 9 onwards Spotlight also proactively provides suggestions for things like apps and contacts.
To access the more detailed version of Spotlight, swipe right from the first page of your Home screen. This will bring up the familiar search screen with some added “Siri Suggestions.”
Spotlight, now powered by the technology behind virtual assistant Siri, is more powerful than ever before and will intuitively suggest apps and contacts that you may be looking for based on context and usage patterns.
You’ll see a combination of app and contact suggestions. Tap an app to immediately launch it, or tap a contact to see various icons to let you quickly phone, message or FaceTime them.
Siri will suggest apps that you use frequently or have recently installed, and in some cases will vary the suggestions based on your location or the time of day – for example, if you always open News at breakfast you may see it suggested in the mornings.
Beneath this are further suggestions for nearby places of interest and trending news stories.
Turn it off
If you don’t like Siri’s proactive suggestions, you can turn them off by opening the Settings app and tapping General followed by Spotlight Search. Swipe the toggle to switch off Siri Suggestions for good.