“Hey, Siri! Set an alarm on 8 PM!” – Yep, we all ask Siri for some help whenever we just don’t feel like picking our phone up, right? As Siri responds pretty well, it gets really addictive. But what if, one fine morning, Siri doesn’t respond back? You will probably try to check if it’s you who’s voice has been lowered.
Well, you are not the only one to check the voice. Many Apple users have discovered Siri becoming silent and not responding at all, no matter how loud you ask her. But the issue is, it’s only Siri that’s not speaking; all other sound systems on the device seem to be working perfectly.
So, why does Siri not speak? What to do if Siri is not responding? Well, we are going to find out in this piece! Let’s move on!
Why Does Siri Not Speak?
Well, there’s no straight answer to this question. Some users have faced the problem as soon as they have updated their version from iOS 13 to 14 or 15. The iOS version comes with a restricted setting over Siri’s operation, which is why most users need to reset the settings to make it work.
Other reasons may include voice recognition issues and internal speaker malfunction, etc. Depending on the problem’s root cause, you can easily solve it.
How to Fix It When Siri’s Not Working?
So, Siri is not speaking. How to fix it? Well, after trying to figure out the different reasons behind the issue, we have listed down a few promising ways to solve it within seconds. If one of these doesn’t work for you, you better try more than one, just in case.
Solution 1: Enable Hey Siri!
Okay, for some weird reasons, the option for Siri to listen to the phrase ‘Hey Siri’ can be disabled. This is something you can complain about all day, but it does work like that. So, what you need to do is simply turn it back on.
To do this, go to the Settings and scroll down to the Siri & Search option. Tapping on it will allow you to find a range of options. See if the first option Listen for “Hey Siri” is toggled on or off. If it’s turned off, just toggle it back on.
This will definitely relive Siri within seconds!
Solution 2: Turn on Always Listen to Hey Siri
Another way you can ensure Siri is listening to your ‘Hey Siri’ call is to turn it on from Accessibility in the settings. To do that, simply go to the Settings > Accessibility. Now scroll down to find Siri and open it.
A few steps below, you will find the Always Listen for ‘Hey Siri’ option. If it is turned off, just toggle it on, and you are done. These are mainly turned off due to the iOS version update, so there’s no need to worry about why on earth these options are deactivated.
Solution 3: Check the Siri Responses
The voice feedback from Siri may depend on the Siri Response settings that you have put up. You need to make sure that the option is always turned on so that Siri can respond every single time you ask for her support. So, this is how you can do it.
Go to the Settings and then select Siri & Search. A few steps below, you will find the Siri Response option.
Now, select the Always option if it’s not selected. As default settings, the When Silent Mode is Off may be selected. Just tick the Always option, and you are good to go. For older iOS versions, the setting can be found under Settings > Siri & Search > Voice Feedback.
Solution 4: Adjust The Volume for Siri
Sometimes, it’s the low volume that may cause miscommunication. Siri may be responding, but because of the low volume, you won’t hear it. So, what you can do, is simply higher the volume using the volume rocker.
To do this, say ‘Hey Siri’ and activate Siri. Remember, this will work if you have already set up Siri to recognize the ‘Hey Siri’ option. Now, when Siri starts, simply hold the volume up button on the side and turn the volume higher.
If the volume is lowered, it will immediately raise the volume level, and you can now listen to Siri, loud and clear.
Solution 5: Simply Ask Siri to Be Louder
Here’s a nifty solution that you may not have thought about. It actually worked for some users, as they have mentioned it in different forums. When you are having a hard time listening to Siri, you can try asking Siri directly that you can’t hear her.
For example, for my iPhone X, I asked Siri that ‘Hey Siri! I can’t hear you!’ although I can hear her clearly. So this is how she responded.
So, if it’s a sound problem that Siri can herself solve, Siri will definitely respond in a positive way, and hopefully, you can listen to her better.
Solution 7: Is Siri Language Correct?
So, you are speaking to Siri in English, but the settings may not be set to the English language at all. This is a common reason why Siri won’t respond to your commands. So, you need to make sure that the language you speak to Siri is set as the default language for her.
To do this, go to Settings > Siri & Search. Then scroll down to language. If you find the language that you speak is selected, then it’s okay. You don’t have to change anything from here.
However, say you are in the US, and if there’s another language or any other version of English (Such as UK, India, etc.) is selected, you need to change it to English (United States).
This way, the default language of Siri will be set up to American English. However, you may need to set up Siri again in this case. Siri will try to recognize your voice and accent to be more familiar with your calls. It may ask you to give it 4 to 5 commands to set it up. It won’t take more than a couple of minutes.
There you go, now you can ask Siri anything, and she will respond.
Solution 6: Check Siri Service Availability
If Siri isn’t responding to your command even after everything seems right, you need to check the Apple service availability page – System status. This page shows every single service of Apple that is currently available and not available.
The green circle by the side of the service means that the service is currently available. If you find an orange or red circle beside any service, it means it’s currently under maintenance or servicing.
So, try to find Siri here and check what’s the status right now. If it’s orange or red, then you must wait until Apple finishes the maintenance process. However, if there’s a green light beside Siri, you may need to explore other reasons for Siri’s unavailability.
Solution 8: Turn Location Service On
Siri tries to customize the answer to your commands by the location you are at. For example, if you ask Siri something that is related to your whereabouts, then it may need to access the location option to answer the query. Otherwise, it may not give you a proper answer or may not even respond at all.
So, make sure Siri has access to the location service; you need to go to the Settings > Privacy > Location service.
Now, scroll down to find the option – Siri & Direction. Open it up and select the option While Using the App. This way, Siri will get access to your location while you ask Siri anything that’s related to your geographic location.
Solution 9: Check the Internet Connection
Siri basically depends on Apple’s server than your local carrier. So, even if your carrier network is functional, a faulty internet connection can stop Siri from functioning properly. So, you better check for the stability of your internet connection if you don’t hear anything from Siri.
Drag down the Control Center from the top and check if the Wi-Fi or Mobile Data is active or not. If you are not sure, just turn the option off and turn it again. You can wait for 5 to 10 seconds before turning it on.
Solution 10: Turn Low Power Mode Off
To save up the battery and allow you to have a better backup, the battery option on your iPhone may turn the Low Power Mode on. In most cases, when the battery charge drops below 20% charge, the low power mode pops up for activation.
When this mode is turned on, iPhone restricts some of the regular services that may eat up the battery charge. Not surprisingly, Siri is one of those built-in services. So, if your phone is low on battery charge and you can’t get a response from Siri, you may want to look into the Low Power Mode settings.
Go to Settings > Battery. The first option here is the Low Power Mode. Simply turn it off if it is turned on. Hopefully, this will solve the issue right there.
Solution 11: Try Turning Airplane Mode On and Off
Although this solution may not look like a logical option to choose when Siri is acting silently, however, many users have suggested that turning the Airplane mode On and Off worked in resetting Siri and solving the silence issue. If you are trying everything you can do to bring Siri back to life, there’s no harm in trying out this one, as well.
Simply drag down the Control Center from the top of your phone screen and tap on the flight icon on the top left. It will activate the Airplane Mode on your phone.
Now, keep it turned off for a few seconds and turn it off. This will probably try to reset Siri, and things may get back to normal again.
Solution 12: Reset the Network Settings
If turning the flight mode on and off didn’t work, you can also reset the network setting manually. You need to go to the Settings and then General. Scroll down to the bottom, and you will find the Reset option.
Tap on it, and there are a few settings to reset. Find the Reset Network Settings option and simply tap on it. This will start resetting the settings. Once the resetting is done, check if Siri is working properly or not.
If Siri is still not responding correctly, you can try the next solution.
Solution 13: Reboot Your Phone
Yes, the easiest solution for some of the most common issues of your iPhone is to restart the device. If resetting the network settings hasn’t worked well for you, you can try rebooting the phone.
Simply go to the Settings > Genera> Shut Down. This will turn the phone down. Alternatively, you can press and hold the upper volume button and the side button to activate the shutdown option with the message ‘Slide to power off’.
All you need to do is slide it on the right, and the phone will be turned off.
Now, reboot the phone by pressing the side button again for a few seconds. Once restarted, check Siri if it’s working correctly.
Solution 14: Deliver Proper and Precise Siri Command
Sometimes, it’s the user who’s failing to establish the connection with Siri. Being a voice recognition software, Siri is highly dependent on the clarity and preciseness of your voice commands. For example, if you have set the Siri Language as English (United States), it will obviously expect an American accent.
If you fail to command Siri with clear and precise words that Siri understands, it won’t respond. Either it will say it’s taking some time to analyze your command, or it will simply refuse to answer.
So, make sure you are speaking to Siri in a clear and precise manner with the correct pronunciation. Keep the accent in mind while speaking to it, too. You don’t need to overdo it, but try to meet its expectations, at least.
Solution 15: Switch the Dictation On
If Apple’s Dictation is not turned on, Siri may face some problems in catching the voice commands. This is not something absolutely true for all cases, but it’s possible that the settings may cause hindrance in Siri’s operation. So, you better make sure that the dictation option is turned on.
Go to Settings > General. Then select Dictation Language from there.
Now, make sure that the English language is ticked here. This way, Siri will always pick up anything you tell it in the English language.
However, if the Enable Dictation option is turned off, turn it on. If it’s already turned on, you can try turning it off for a few seconds and turn it on again.
Solution 16: Update iOS Version
Are you sure it’s not a bug issue on your current iOS version? Well, for many users, this has been the sole reason for Siri not acting properly. That’s why it’s a good idea to update your iOS version to make sure Siri is responding.
Go to the Settings > General > Software Update.
Here, you will find the available versions that you can download and install on your iPhone. If you don’t have any other issues with updating the iOS version, all you need to do is simply tap on the Download and install option.
Once you tap it, the newer version will start to install on your phone. Make sure you have enough battery charge on your phone for the installation to take place. It may take a while, so you need to wait patiently.
Solution 17: Check Your Microphone
Now, if you have tried all these solutions, but nothing seems to be working, you may need to be skeptical about the microphone on your phone. Is it actually working properly?
To check if your microphone is well-functional, you can try making a call and check if the receiver can hear you loud and clearly. Then again, you can turn the voice recorder option on your phone and try to record some voice messages and see if it’s catching your voice properly.
If these tests yield a positive result, you need to check physically if there’s any dirt or dust stuck in the microphone area. You can pick a clean toothbrush and brush it over the microphone to clean the dirt away.
This way, the microphone will receive your voice even more precisely.
Takeaway
So, these were the proper solutions that you can try out yourself if Siri stopped speaking. Try one or more options before coming to the conclusion that you possibly can’t solve it. If nothing above works, you need to visit the Apple Service Center and let the experts there handle it. If there’s a hardware issue that needs to be fixed, hand it over to them.
Good luck!
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