If Siri sometimes doesn’t listen properly or at all to what you’re saying, try these tips to fix these Siri issues. In the meantime, you ensure that the assistant listens to your voice better from now on.
Siri problems: this is how you solve them yourself
Siri, the digital assistant of your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch can be a useful tool. You can call it up without touching your iDevice by saying ‘Hey Siri’, but this doesn’t always work. Even if Siri does listen, it sometimes happens that your questions are misunderstood and you get the wrong outcome. With these tips you can solve these Siri problems.
1. Make sure Siri is on
It sounds very logical, but before you start with the steps below, it is smart to check whether Siri works. For example, you need an active internet connection and Siri must also be turned on in the settings. You do this via ‘Settings> Siri’. Make sure the green switch behind Siri is set to green and immediately check whether the other settings on this page match the screenshot below.
2. Turn on the app settings for Siri
Since iOS 10, Siri can also be used to control third-party apps. To do this, you must give the assistant permission for each app separately. You do this via the Siri menu via Settings> Siri> App support. Here you can indicate per app which permission is given to use Siri. Some examples of this are WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram.
3. Use “you said maybe” to improve questions
If you ask Siri a question, she may misunderstand you. This of course also provides a different answer, which is often not what you are looking for. Apple has built in a handy tool with the ‘said you maybe’ feature. This will prevent you from having to say the entire question again.
As soon as a blue line appears under a word, Siri doubts she heard you correctly. By tapping on this, your iPhone will suggest a phrase that is more likely to match your question. Select this and Siri will answer this custom question without you having to speak out loud yourself. This feature also makes it possible to type in questions to Siri, instead of speaking them out. You can read how this works in the tip article below.
Also read: Typing in questions to Siri instead of speaking
4. Hey Siri not working? Set the function again
If you find that Siri rarely responds when you call Hey Siri, we recommend that you reset the function. This way, your iPhone listens carefully to the characteristics of your voice, so that Siri knows better which sound to pick up. In the tip article below, you can read more solutions for improving Hey Siri problems.
Also read: Hey Siri not working? 4 causes and solutions in a row
5. Check that you are not having any microphone problems
If you have checked all software causes, Siri may not or barely hear you because your microphone is no longer working properly. This can have various causes and does not always mean that you have to return your device to Apple Support immediately. For example, there are iPhone cases that cover the microphone, which makes it more difficult for Siri to hear you from a distance.
A microphone with a lot of dirt in it has the same effect. Grab a cotton swab or soft toothbrush to gently clean your microphone. If you have an iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus or newer, it is waterproof and you can also rinse the device with water. Read more? Also check out our overview with funny Siri answers.
Read the latest news about Siri
- ‘Siri may whisper and scream in the future’ (1-4)
- Shared Siri Shortcuts not working: solution unknown (24-3)
- ‘Spotify as default Siri music service can be set from iOS 14.5’ – Update (5-3)
- Apple trains Siri to better understand people with speech impediments (26-2)
- Using the intercom: This is how you talk to roommates via Apple devices (4-11-2020)