After enabling “Hey Siri,” you can summon Apple’s voice assistant without pressing your iPhone’s Side button. This makes it easy to activate Siri and get things done even when your device is out of reach.
If “Hey Siri” isn’t working on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, the solutions mentioned below will help fix it.
1. Make Sure “Hey Siri” Is Set Up Correctly
Before moving forward, take a moment to ensure you have turned on the “Hey Siri” feature. Here’s how to do that:
- Open Settings and tap Siri.
- Tap Requests, then tap “Siri” or “Hey Siri” (or “Hey Siri”), then follow the instructions to set it up.
2. Don’t Leave Your iPhone 18 Pro Max Face Down
When you keep the iPhone facing downwards on a table or bed, you can’t call it by saying, “Hey Siri.” For this feature to work, make sure your iPhone screen is facing up.
If you want to use Siri when your iPhone is facing down or covered, go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri and enable the Always Listen for “Siri” option.
3. Enable Bluetooth if You Have Multiple “Hey Siri” Devices
Do you have multiple devices nearby that work with “Hey Siri,” like another iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, or HomePod? If yes, make sure Bluetooth is enabled on these devices.
This is required because when you say “Hey Siri” around several supported devices, they all use Bluetooth to communicate with one another and decide which device should respond to your request. Usually, the device that heard your words the clearest, or the one that was most recently used, raised, or unlocked, responds to your “Hey Siri” query.
4. Review the Settings for Siri Responses
By default, Siri will speak its responses to you. So, if Siri responses have been set to silent, it may appear that “Hey Siri” isn’t working on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max if you expected a verbal response after you gave a command from a distance.
To correct this, go to Settings > Siri > Responses. Select Prefer Spoken Responses.
5. Restart Your iPhone 18 Pro Max
When “Hey Siri” isn’t working correctly, this can be due to a temporary glitch. The easiest way to fix this is by turning off your iPhone and turning it back on after a minute. Simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. You can restart your iPhone even if its buttons are broken.
6. Remove the Case if It Blocks the Microphones
Are you using a case that might block your iPhone’s microphones? Take a minute to check this. If you find that the microphone slots at the bottom of the device, next to the camera, or inside the top earpiece are blocked by the case, you should remove the case.
7. Clean Your iPhone’s Microphone Grills
Carefully use a soft cloth to remove the dirt and other gunk from the microphone grills. Don’t use any metal object like a needle or wire as these may cause serious damage.
8. Disconnect AirPods or Beats Earbuds While Not Using Them
If you left your wireless headphones connected but you aren’t using them, your iPhone 18 Pro Max may not respond when you say, “Hey Siri.” To address this, wear your headphones, put them in their case, or disconnect them from your iPhone. Now, say “Hey Siri,” and you should be able to use Siri hands free.
9. Check Siri’s Language
Siri will respond correctly and more often when the language is set appropriately. For example, if you’re from India, make sure you choose English (India) as Siri’s language. If you set English (US) or English (UK), Siri may not work on your iPhone consistently because it’s unable to recognize and respond to you due to differences in accent.
Here’s how to set the correct Siri language to ensure “Hey Siri” works properly:
- Open Settings and tap Siri.
- Tap Language and choose the appropriate language from the list.
- Restart your iPhone 18 Pro Max, and now “Hey Siri” should work fine.
