Although Voice Control can be very useful, a common complaint we often get involves accidental ‘pocket’ voice dialing. Some people may also find this feature annoying. Therefore, you may want to turn it off.
You can use Voice Control or Siri. Voice Control can be activated by pressing and holding the Home button, only if Siri is turned off. This means that if you are using Siri, you cannot use Voice Control.
Voice Control lets you make phone and FaceTime calls and control music playback by speaking into the phone’s built-in microphone.
Here is how to disable Voice Control on your iPhone:
Option # 1
1.The first thing you need to do is to set a passcode. You may have done this before. If you have not already, do this.
- If you are using an iPhone 5s or later, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. If you are using a device without Touch ID (e.g., iPhone 4), go to Settings > Passcode
- Tap “Turn Passcode On”
- Enter a passcode. This passcode is important. Do not forget it. You will now need this passcode when you (a) turn on your device (b) update your device (c) erase your device etc.
2.Now go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > and enter your new passcode then tap Voice Dial and disable Voice Dial.
Please note that Music Voice Control is always enabled this only turns off Voice Dialing.
Option # 2
You may also try this method. This method involves turning on Siri. Here is how:
1.Turn Siri on by going to Settings > General > Siri and toggle Siri on. Enabling Siri disables Voice Control. However Siri can also make accidental phone calls. To prevent this, you need to enable passcode (see option # 1).
2.Now go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, In the “Allow Access When Locked” section, toggle off Siri.
This means that to be able to use Siri, you have to enter your passcode thus it will prevent making accidental ‘pocket’ phone calls while your iPhone is in your pocket or handbag.
Voice Control is also available on iPod touch. You may use these methods if you want to disable Voice Control on your iPod touch also.
See also:
Annoyed says
November 11, 2016 at 6:37 amIphone is being stupid because u can disable siri, but then voice control is there. or vise versa. i want both disabled, no either or.
Sarah says
November 11, 2016 at 6:56 amOption 1 doesn’t work, my voice control still activates if I hold the home too long. When testing it, it even decided to call up some random number., the precise reason why I don’t want this on my phone, and no I don’t want Siri on either, as I don’t want any voice activation at all.
Mark Scott says
June 4, 2017 at 11:46 pmPlease help me cut off voice control.
Susan says
November 30, 2017 at 4:55 pmNeed to turn off tap to speak
Rafael says
November 15, 2016 at 3:52 amAgreed. Both are dangerous and unnecessary. Very, very obnoxious!
Pete says
November 17, 2016 at 1:01 amApple, I don’t want to use Voice Control or Siri. I want them both deactivated. I want it NOW!
Carolyn Parks says
November 18, 2016 at 11:53 amI absolutely hate this feature. I managed to turn off both Siri (ugh!) and Voice Dialing, but still occasionally accidentally activate Voice Music Control. The phone will play seemingly random music that is hard to turn off–what a PITA.
Mahfuza Hossain says
November 23, 2016 at 5:38 amPlease share the way to disable voice control.
mutasha young says
October 13, 2017 at 8:55 pmout-out of google ap
Aaron Calkins says
November 18, 2016 at 3:00 pmCan’t even watch/listen to YouTube videos without these stupid features activating
Mahfuza Hossain says
November 23, 2016 at 5:37 amApple, I don’t want to use Voice Control or Siri. I want them both deactivated. I want it NOW!
mutasha young says
October 13, 2017 at 6:34 pmOpt-out of siri voice contol camands
Marilyn Bodle says
November 26, 2016 at 4:27 amI also am not happy with these features and it happens every time I go to use my phone and only started for me with the last update.
Stan says
November 30, 2016 at 3:54 pmIt’s remarkable how obtuse Apple is about fixing things that aren’t broken. I’m experiencing the same thing since the update; that’s why I try to avoid updates whenever possible.
Try this: when you go to unlock your phone with the home button, touch it very quickly. More than a few nanoseconds makes it think you want Voice Control. Seems to work for me. Good luck.
rea hunt says
April 22, 2019 at 12:16 pmYep. I avoid updates as well but now when I hold out too long then my phone starts really really acting up. Couldn’t even send WhatsApp without my music turning on every minutes without me even launching the app. I deleted the music app even since I use Spotify but now voice memos turns itself off every min
Dean says
December 3, 2016 at 7:36 pmThe amount of times I have accidentally pocket dialed people is ridiculous! It’s really embarrassing calling someone you haven’t spoken to in years. Apple need to fix this glitch!
Paul says
December 5, 2016 at 9:03 amI don’t want or need the voice control feature to turn itself on.
I don’t want to use Siri.
It is just annoying.
There should be an option to allow me, the user, to turn off the feature if I choose.
J Ryan says
December 6, 2016 at 2:22 pmI have this same issue. I did the fix in this article and it MADE ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE. If there really is no fix then this is enough to consider switching phones
Rachel says
December 11, 2016 at 1:04 amHow do I remove Siri and voice control? I don’t want them and it keeps meaning my phone is locked and I can’t get phone calls or texts – grrr if this does not get fixed I will not buy an iphone again!
Al says
December 11, 2016 at 7:28 pmVoice Control and Siri are both a PITA.
Apple need to provide an update which enables the BOTH to be deactivated or even better removed. NOW !
Tom says
December 12, 2016 at 7:06 amUhhh, voice control is still not disabled. We need an option to “COMPLETELY” disable voice control. NOW!!!
Pipi says
December 12, 2016 at 12:09 pmi bought a 1k iphone, and i cant do what i want with it!
annoyed says
December 12, 2016 at 10:39 pmNeed to disable both! Voice control is useless for me and so is siri. this why my next phone prob wont be apple.
Humpty says
December 17, 2016 at 8:50 pmI hate just iphone Due to voice control..Its makes just clashes in my life too
***ck iphone..i try it first time and just waste my money
Samsung is Best as always
ugh disgusted says
December 18, 2016 at 5:46 pmI can’t stand the voice control option I don’t want it nor does my husband apple really needs to fix it so thAT the phones owner can disable both voice control AND SIRI
Glen says
December 25, 2016 at 4:04 amThis is a joke! Can’t believe Apple of all companies would do something this stupid. I’ve made random calls all the time because of this *BUG*
Happy with the phone but this is the first strike against buying another iPhone in future.
Jack says
January 4, 2017 at 2:15 pmI hated android. It now that I went iPhone all I can say is iMess 6 went bad with system 10, switched to 7 and the phone erased years of “progress”. I just warfed my phone into the gulf. Just fired up new android.
Maga says
January 6, 2017 at 6:25 amPlease find a way and let us REALLY desable the Voice Control. The recommended procedure is NOT working!
Paolo says
January 7, 2017 at 2:35 amSomeone tell me how to fix this annoying feature NOW or I will buy a samsung this week!!
Pietro says
January 8, 2017 at 6:12 pmbuy a SAMSUNG, it is a absolutelly nuisance. And I loose 15 min each time Voice Over switches on accidentally and does not give me access to the settings menus to switch it off again….
paul says
June 11, 2018 at 10:47 pmoption to disable siri AND vc NOW
arrogant apple
Juliane Brown-Flood says
January 17, 2017 at 5:02 pmApparently there is NO WAY to turn off voice control when music is activated!! WTF? This is such a pain. I haven’t been able to use my headphones in weeks and it’s calling random people!!
Scott Lay says
January 21, 2017 at 6:11 pmAwesome, thank you, the Siri-don’t allow access on lock screen, solves pocket dialing issue.
iPhoney says
January 31, 2017 at 6:04 amGo to Settings -> Siri. Enable Siri, change the language to either “Turkish” or “Hebrew”. Turn off Siri. No more Voice Dialing while pressing the Home button for too long.
Thank you says
February 3, 2017 at 2:41 amWow! This actually worked, and it made me laugh so much that this is the only way to turn off the voice dail feature! Thank you !
Grateful says
February 15, 2017 at 3:44 amYes, thanks! Much appreciated!
Ji says
April 26, 2017 at 4:26 amIt works!!! miracle!! you are amazing for sharing this tip!!!
ces says
October 17, 2017 at 2:08 pmYes works!
Kang says
March 21, 2018 at 4:07 amThis is amazing …worked for me … one less thing to worry in life .. it has been very annoying … got on my nerves when it accidentally called my mother in law …
Habib Nader says
June 24, 2017 at 12:07 pmi am travelling in Kenya and this machine has taken over and I am stuck. I have flights in 2 hours and meetings and the stupid machine is not allowing me to receive information or get pas the first stage of using password to get to messages from email.
I am so frustrated and regret I bought an iphone and used it for the first time on a business trip. very disappointed should I because of this miss flights and appointments will take it up with Apple
it seems many have had this experience and Apple should have sorted this by now
haseeb says
August 20, 2017 at 3:48 pmhi.
I’m using iphone 4 version 7.1.2
it don’t have option of siri + voice control under pass-code.
And i’m fed up with only voice control. I just want to disable it. where can i find it?
Steve says
September 5, 2017 at 7:46 pmI don’t understand how some people have found Option 1 to work, yet others (like me) found it makes no difference. Voice Control still works even with a passcode. As I don’t want to turn on Siri, Option 2 is, well, not an option.
Michael Anderson says
September 14, 2017 at 5:48 pmThis voice control is fkin miserable… Siri sucks. Voice control is worse.
I want a phone that leaves me the fck alone and stays a phone.
All the bullsht I dont need.
fck
off w your fancy bs that gets in
my way.
Its the same for the laptops and trackpads leaping all over the place so fkin agrivating. I want a computer not a futurostic piece of sht that doesnt function proper.
My next iphone will be a 4 or 5 pre voice control pre siri.
And an ipod w no voice control.
And a apple laptop 17″ off ebay.
Its not the money,
its the foolish progression of pointless endless features.
I’d install a fkin chip in my arm if I wanted all this bs and i could be a robot.
But I’m Human and prefer it that way.
Figure it out.
Jjm says
October 26, 2017 at 5:26 pmI don’t want my son using voice recognition wheb typing as it does not improve his spelling.
Steven says
October 30, 2017 at 11:11 pmChanging the Language to turkisk trick works!!!
Go to Settings -> Siri. Enable Siri, change the language to either “Turkish” or “Hebrew”. Turn off Siri. No more Voice Dialing while pressing the Home button for too long.
Jee says
December 6, 2017 at 7:43 pmThanks for sharing, you are amazing.
Drew says
January 11, 2018 at 6:06 amI just tried the Turkish language fix. I’ll update on whether it works. But if this works, Apple should be ashamed that a feature as annoying as Voice Control can only be disabled through a hack. When they removed the headphone jack I started considering leaving for a different phone, and not this Voice Control nonsense is just reinforcing that.
Andres says
September 30, 2018 at 7:40 pmVery useful!!! Thank you!
Michael says
November 30, 2018 at 1:30 pmI’m so fed up with apple that I’m buying a Samsung to get free from voice control and Siri it seems like every 1 second while listening to music it stops or it goes back.
UK says
January 18, 2019 at 2:18 amWow!!
People asking Apple for turning off both Siri and Voice Control. Looks like nobody cares. As a customer I refusing to buy next Apple product.
brizone says
February 26, 2019 at 8:57 pmYeah, this is it for Apple. I’ll never buy one of their phones again: they just don’t function correctly anymore. 🙁
Martin says
April 6, 2019 at 12:23 amThis problem has been persisiting on my wife’s iPhone irrespective of however many settings changes I seem to make. Go to apple.com, click the support tab, in the search box type ‘diable voice control’, this is the results page at time of writing:
https://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=search&q=disable%20voice%20control&product=&doctype=¤tPage=1&includeArchived=false&locale=en_US&src=support_searchbox_main&type=organic
And this is the first result which offers a pathway to a fix:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207301
“Turn off Voice Control on your iPhone
Learn how to adjust the Side or Home button settings for Voice Control and Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
On an iPhone X or later, you can prevent Voice Control or Siri from responding when you press and hold the Side button on your device. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, you can prevent Voice Control or Siri from responding when you press and hold the Home button on your device.
Follow these steps:
On an iPhone X or later, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Side Button. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button.
Under Press and Hold to Speak, select one of these options:
Siri: Siri will respond when you press and hold the Home button.
Voice Control: Classic Voice Control will respond when you press and hold the Home button. This will also turn off Siri.
Off: There will be no response when you press and hold the Home button.
The press and hold setting applies only to the Side or Home button. If you’re using a headset, and it unexpectedly activates Siri or Voice Control, make sure that your headset is fully inserted into the device.
If you have a loose or poor headset connection, frayed cables, or moisture on the connector or remote, it might unexpectedly activate Siri or Voice Control. If the issue persists, try using a different headset.
Learn more about Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Published Date: September 26, 2018”
As I have tried all these settings changes, it seems that the issue arises due a loose/broken/moist headphone jack, so it looks like that’s next on my list. Good luck people, this is a frustrating and unnecessary issue, Apple really should have implemented a proper fix for this some time ago.