Siri is one of the smartest virtual assistants available and a major reason why we love the iPhone. When activated by the ‘Hey Siri’ voice command, it listens and responds to everything you say, and can even have a sense of humor.
Unfortunately, Siri doesn’t always run problem-free. If you’re facing the issue of Siri not working on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 15, here’s how to fix it with a few different methods. Try out each one and see what works for you.
- Restart ‘Hey Siri’ on iPhone
- Restart your device
- Reset Network settings
- Update iOS
- Change Dictation settings on iPhone
- Clean the microphone
- Contact Apple Support
1. Restart ‘Hey Siri’ on iPhone
Hey Siri not working? Here’s what to do:
- Go to Settings → Siri & Search.
- Toggle off the Listen for “Hey Siri” switch and wait for about 15 seconds. Then, turn it on again and check if Hey Siri is working properly.
2. Restart your device
Sometimes, simply rebooting your phone can fix the issues.
On iPhone 8 or later, press and release the volume up button → press and release the volume down button → press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
To reboot an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, press and hold the Volume down and Power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
On iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, or earlier iPhones, press and hold the Home button and Power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
3. Reset Network settings
This step will erase your saved networks and passwords, so make sure you know your network login credentials before trying this step!
- Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Now, tap Reset → Reset Network Settings. Enter your passcode, then tap Reset Network Settings again to confirm.
- You’ll need to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and then check if Siri responds. If it still isn’t working, move on to the next methods.
4. Update iOS
It’s always best to have the latest version of iOS installed on your phone. It has a knack for fixing common problems with Siri and a number of other apps, too. Follow these steps:
- Go to Settings → General.
- Tap Software Update → Download and Install (If an update is available.)
5. Change Dictation settings on iPhone
If you already have the latest version of iOS installed, there’s a possibility that Siri might not be responding due to dictation not working on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Settings → General.
- Scroll down to Keyboard.
- Toggle off Enable Dictation.
- Now, wait for about 15 seconds, and toggle it back on again.
6. Clean the microphone
Perhaps you find Siri not responding because it can’t hear you properly! Ensure that nothing is blocking the microphone of your iPhone or iPad. Clean off any dirt using cotton swabs. If you have isopropyl alcohol, it’s safe to use a bit on the cotton swabs to loosen any debris that may be blocking the microphone.
7. Contact Apple Support
If you continue to face a problem after trying these tips, it may be a good idea to get your phone checked out by Apple Support.
Wrapping up…
We hope one of these tips helped you fix Siri not working on your iPhone or iPad. Let us know what worked for you in the comments below.
Still not working? Describe your problem to us in the comments and we’ll do our best to help you out!
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After loading the latest upgrade to my iphone 10 the Hey siri function has stopped
working. I have tried all of the fixes described in the geeksblog.
Any suggestions?
Hi there, let’s figure this out. Are you still running the latest version of iOS? If you’ve already looked through your Settings and restarted your iPhone, that’d be the first thing I’d look at (iOS update).
If, after making sure you have the latest iOS version, Hey Siri still doesn’t work, I’d test that your microphone works — give someone a call and ask if you sound muffled. If they can hear you clearly and you’re sure your microphone isn’t blocked by lint or debris, you’re probably looking at a Factory Reset (we have an article on the topic).