Siri Not Working? How To Troubleshoot Problems

Some iOS users are facing problems that Siri is not functioning as expected. This article is designed to help you identify and fix various problems with Siri.

Siri, Speech Interpretation & Recognition Interface, is an intelligent – voice-activated personal assistant. Apple released Siri as part of iOS 5. Siri is designed to streamline tasks (sending text messages, making calls, etc). It is common that several users may experience issues with Siri after updating the iOS software. Sometimes you may experience that Siri may not work handsfree. Likewise, another common issue is that Siri does not work with headphones and Bluetooth headsets.

This article provides solutions when Siri is not working on your iPhone or iPad. If Siri does not work properly, if Siri does not respond, here are solutions to some common problems.

See this article to learn more about how you can use Siri. If Siri is not working on your Mac, see this article.

Siri troubleshooting tips

Please try the tips below. Further, make sure that you check your device after each step to see if Siri starts working.

Is Siri turned on?

Make sure that Siri is on. Here is how you can check:

• On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > Siri & Search. And make sure that the following settings are toggled on:
  • Listen for “Hey Siri”.
  • Press Home for Siri or Press Side Button for Siri.
  • And also, if you want Siri to work when your device is locked, also turn on Allow Siri When Locked.

It is possible that you do not see the Siri options in Settings. There are two possible reasons for this:

• Siri may not be available where you live. Siri is not available in all countries.
• Siri may be disabled in Restrictions. You can check this by going to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. Make sure that Siri & Dictation is allowed.

Restart your iPhone or iPad

Simply restart your iPhone or iPad, it is simple but doing so may fix your Siri problem. Here is how you can restart your device:

• If this is an iPhone X, 11 or later or an iPad with Face ID: Press and hold the side (or top) and the volume up (or down) buttons together until you see the power off slider. Drag the slider. Wait for about a minute until your device is completely turned off then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
• If this is an iPhone 5, 6, 7, or 8 or an iPad with a Home button: Press and hold the side (or top) button until you see the red slider and slide the slider. Wait until your device powers off and then press and hold the side button (or top) until the Apple logo appears.

Does your device have an active internet connection?

Siri requires an Internet connection to work (Wi-Fi or cellular). If you are having network connection problems, you may want to read this article. You may try the following tips:

• Restart your iPhone and iPad (see the above section regarding how you can restart your device).
• Enable Airplane Mode and wait for about one minute and then disable it by going to Settings > Airplane Mode.
• Reset your network settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that when you reset network settings, your current settings will be erased like your Wi-Fi passwords, etc.
• Restart your modem/router.

Please also note that Siri may not work if your Internet connection is very slow.

Update iOS

Make sure that your device is running the latest version iOS. You can check this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If there is an update available, update your device. You can update your device wirelessly:

• Tap Settings > General > Software Update then Download and Install.

Is your microphone working?

Siri may not be able to hear your voice because of possible microphone problems.  Test your microphone. Simply record a video, and then watch your video. If you can detect your voice clearly, then Siri can hear you too. If not, it is possible that your microphone may not be working properly:

• If you have a protective case, try removing it then test again.
• Clean your microphone because your microphone holes may be blocked with debris and dust. You may use a soft toothbrush. You may also use a can of compressed air to clean.

Disable Siri and restart your device

Go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn off Siri. Then restart your device. After you restart your device, again go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn on Siri. See the restart section above regarding how you can restart your device.

Language

Ensure that your Siri language is correct. Tap Settings > Siri & Search > Language then pick your language from the list.

Devices

Siri is available on:

• iPhone 4s or later,
• All iPad Pro, iPad Air  models,
• iPad (3rd generation)
• All iPad mini models, and
• iPod touch (5th and later)

This means that you will not have Siri, for instance, if you own an iPhone 4.

Force Restart

Another tip you may try is to perform a force restart. Note that this will NOT erase anything. Here is how:

• If this is an iPhone 8 or later or an iPad with Face ID: Press and release the volume up button and then press and release the volume down button and then press and hold the side or power button until you see the Apple logo.
• If this is an iPhone 7: Press and hold the volume down and the top (or side) buttons together until the Apple logo appears.
• Other iPhones and iPads with a Home button: Press and hold the side (or top) and the home buttons together until you see the Apple logo.

If Siri won’t open apps, see this article.

Siri does not give you local results

If this is the problem, please make sure that Location Services are enabled on your device. Furthermore, also make sure that Siri in Location Services is on.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Siri & Dictation is enabled. Set this: While Using the App.

If Siri still does not work, you may want to contact Apple Support.

Siri is also available on Mac.

See also: Hey Siri issues?