How to Fix Siri Not Working on iPhone in iOS 18

Is Siri not working on your iPhone after the recent iOS 18 update? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix the problem.

Siri is an easy way to make calls, send texts, use apps, and get things done with just your voice. In iOS 18, Siri’s voice does sound less robotic and more natural than before. Another plus is that the Siri design is better. I also like that I can interrupt Siri if I said something wrong or fumbled with my words initially and still get a correct answer. Siri can also understand and act on some contextual follow-up questions. However, I had trouble getting Siri to work after iOS 18 update. Here’s how I fixed the problem.

How to fix Siri problems after iOS 18 update

If Siri does not work properly, if Siri does not talk to you, please try the solutions below. Further, make sure that you check your iPhone after each troubleshooting step to see if Siri starts working.

Turn on ‘Always Listen’ in Accessibility

If you want Siri to respond to you whenever your phone is nearby, there is a setting in Accessibility that you need to enable. If you don’t enable this setting, Siri won’t respond to your commands unless your iPhone is face-up and uncovered. If you prefer, you can keep this setting disabled if you like the option of turning off “Hey Siri” just by turning your iPhone face-down.

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Scroll down and tap Siri.
4. Toggle the switch next to “Always Listen for ‘Siri’.”

Is Siri turned on?

If Siri isn’t responding to you, ensure that the voice assistant is enabled on your iPhone. If it is already on, turn it off and on again:

1. On your iPhone, head to Settings.
2. Tap Siri.
3. Tap Talk to Siri.
4. Under Talk to Siri, ensure that “Siri” or Hey Siri” or “Hey Siri” is selected.

Also make sure that the following settings are toggled on:

• Press Home for Siri or Press Side Button for Siri.
• Allow Siri When Locked.

Make sure Siri Language is correct

If Siri can’t understand you, ensure that your Siri language is correct. Here’s how to check:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap Siri.
3. Tap Language.
4. Choose your language from the list.

If you can’t hear Siri

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap Siri.
3. Tap Siri Responses.
4. Choose Prefer Spoken Responses so that Siri can respond even when Silent Mode is on.

If Siri can’t Hear You

If Siri isn’t responding to your voice commands, your iPhone’s microphone may be having some issues. For example, i had no problems with Siri responding to any of my commands before iOS 18. After iOS 18 I have to repeat all my commands 2 or 3 or 4 times. My iPhone’s microphone was having some issues. Make sure that your microphone is not covered. For instance, your phone case may prevent Siri from detecting your voice. You may want to test your microphone. To test your microphone’, record a video, and then watch your video. If you can detect your voice clearly, then Siri can hear you too. If your video recording sounds weak, Siri may not be able to hear you. Here’s what you can do:

• If you have a phone case, take it off then test again.
• Clean your iPhone’s microphone because your microphone openings may be blocked with dust and debris. You may clean the microphone using a soft toothbrush. You may also use a can of compressed air to clean it.

Ensure that you have the latest version of iOS 18

Apple continuously releases iOS updates to fix bugs.  Please check if you have the latest version of iOS 18. Here’s how:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If an update is available, tap update now.

Does your iOS device have an Internet connection?

For Siri to work properly, you need an active internet connection. Siri depends on this connection to function. So, ensure that the iPhone has a working Internet connection, either over cellular or Wi-Fi. Here are some steps to troubleshoot your internet connection:

• If you are using Siri over Wi-Fi connection:
  • Ensure that you are close to the router.
  • Reboot your router and try again.
• If you’re using Siri over cellular data
  • Ensure that mobile data is enabled on your iPhone (Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data).
  • Ensure you’re in an area with good cellular coverage.
• Turn on Airplane Mode, wait a few seconds, and turn it off (Settings > Airplane Mode).
• If you are using a VPN, that may interfere with your Internet access and cause Siri issues. Further, some VPN profiles might not allow use of Siri. Simply turn off your VPN and try again (Settings > VPN).
• Reset Network Settings. This will erase all of your network-related settings, such as your Wi-Fi passwords. To do this, head to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone> Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Restart your iPhone

Simply restarting your iPhone my fix your iOS 18 Siri issues. Here’s how:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap on General.
3. Scroll down and tap Shutdown.
4. To turn on your phone, press the side button until you see the Apple logo on the screen.

Is Siri down?

Siri may not be working on iOS 18 because Apple Servers are down. Make sure that Siri services are up are running. You can go to the Apple System Status page to check if this is the case. Find Siri in the list. If it is down, there will be a notification indicating what the problem is and when it will be fixed. If you see that Siri is down, the only thing you can do is to wait. Apple will fix it.

Retrain “Siri” or “Hey Siri”

If Siri isn’t responding when you say "Hey Siri", you may want to retrain “Siri” or “Hey Siri” voice recognition. This step will also fix the problem if Siri activates when you press the side or Home button, but doesn’t activate when you say "Hey Siri." Here’s how:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap Siri.
3. Tap Talk to Siri, “Siri” or “Hey Siri”
4. Under Talk to Siri, select Off and then choose “Siri” or “Hey Siri”
5. You will see the “Hey Siri” setup screen. Tap on Continue.
6. Using a normal speaking voice, say aloud each of the commands displayed on the screen.
7. Tap Done when you see “‘Hey Siri’ Is Ready” screen.

Wait for a new iOS 18 Update

Sometimes, all you can do is wait. If you’ve tried all these steps and can’t get Siri to work, there’s a good chance Apple is already working on a fix. You can submit a report detailing your experience on the Apple Feedback website while you wait, and keep an eye on Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone for new iOS 18 versions.

Hopefully, one of the steps above has fixed the Siri issue you have been experiencing after iOS 18 update.