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Hey Siri Not Working On Your iPhone? Here’s How To Fix It





Siri is a powerful virtual assistant that lets you interact with your iPhone using your voice. Despite its capabilities, there are times when Siri can disappoint you. One such instance is when your iPhone won’t respond to the “Hey Siri” command, affecting your ability to perform tasks using voice commands.

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While Siri is widely available, it’s not available in every country or region, as noted on Apple’s official support page . So, if you’re using Siri for the first time, it’s a good idea to first confirm whether Siri is available in your region. If you’re in a supported area and Siri still won’t activate, there could be a few things that could be causing the issue. Common ones include Siri not being activated properly on your iPhone, microphone issues, software glitches, or interference from nearby Apple devices. If you’re not sure what’s causing the problem, check out the tips below to get your iPhone responding to “Hey Siri” again.

Check if Siri is turned on and configured correctly

If the “Hey Siri” command isn’t working on your phone, the first thing you should check is if you’ve set it up correctly. Here’s how to check:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down to tap Siri & Search.
  2. Make sure Allow Siri When Locked is turned on.
  3. Turn on Listen for “Hey Siri”. If it is already on, try turning it off and on again.
  4. Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions to teach Siri to recognize your voice.
  5. Once setup is complete, click Done.
  6. Scroll down, tap Language, and make sure the correct language is set.

Your iPhone should now respond when you say “Hey Siri” near your phone. It’s important to note, however, that the face-down detection feature may prevent Siri from responding to your “Hey Siri” command when your iPhone is face down on a table. If you don’t want this, go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri and turn on “Always Listen for Hey Siri.” After that, your iPhone will listen for your “Hey Siri” command even when it’s face down.

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Restart your iPhone and clean the microphone

Restarting your iPhone is a simple but effective way to fix temporary issues with your iPhone. This will help to fix any temporary glitches that may be interfering with Siri. To restart your iPhone, press and hold either volume button along with the side button until the power off slider appears. Then drag the slider to the right and wait a few seconds. Then press and hold the power button again until the Apple logo appears to turn your iPhone back on.

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iPhone microphone issues can prevent you from hearing the “Hey Siri” command, even if everything else is set up correctly. This can happen if the microphone is clogged with dirt, dust, or debris. To fix this, gently clean the microphone holes with a soft, dry cloth. The main microphone is located on the bottom, next to the charging port. Avoid using sharp objects that could potentially damage the microphone when cleaning it.

Once you have cleaned your primary microphone, you can use the built-in Voice Memo app to test it. Simply open the app, record a short message, and play it back to see if the sound is clear. If your iPhone doesn’t record anything or the sound is muffled, follow the necessary steps to troubleshoot your iPhone microphone and try using “Hey Siri” again.

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Unplug your headphones or speakers

Is your iPhone connected to a Bluetooth audio device, such as headphones, speakers, or your car’s infotainment system? If so, your iPhone might be using the microphone in that Bluetooth device instead of the built-in one. To fix this problem, disconnect all Bluetooth audio devices from your iPhone. Here’s how:

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  1. Open the Settings app and select Bluetooth.
  2. Click the information button next to your Bluetooth device.
  3. Select Disconnect from this menu. You can also select Forget This Device to prevent reconnection.

Repeat this process for all nearby paired Bluetooth devices. If you have multiple Apple devices around you and the wrong device is often responding to your “Hey Siri” command, make sure Bluetooth is turned on on all of them. This will allow the devices to communicate with each other via Bluetooth and determine which device should respond when you say “Hey Siri.”

Update or reset your iPhone

iOS bugs can sometimes prevent features like Siri from working properly. If this is the case, installing the latest software update will likely fix the problem. To check for updates, go to the Settings app on your iPhone, tap General, then select Software Update. Download and install any pending updates, then check to see if “Hey Siri” works.

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If the issue persists, you may want to consider resetting your iPhone. This will restore your device to its default configuration, which will resolve any Siri issues. To reset all settings on your iPhone:

  1. Open the Settings app and go to the General tab.
  2. Scroll down to select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  3. Click Reset and select Reset All Settings from the menu that appears.

Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset. Once the device is reset, your iPhone should respond to “Hey Siri” as expected.