How to change Siri accessibility settings on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 12:16 pm EAT by Dave Johnson

You can change how quickly or when Siri responds, have Siri listen for atypical speech patterns, have Siri audibly share notifications, and more.

You can set how long Siri waits for you to finish speaking, change how fast Siri speaks, and type instead of speaking to Siri. You can also decide when Siri responds aloud or in text, and have Siri recognize a wider range of speech.

Here’s how to change Siri accessibility settings on iPad.

Tell Siri when and how to respond to requests

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility, tap Siri, and do any of the following:
- Set how long Siri waits for you to finish speaking: Below Siri Pause Time, choose Default, Longer, or Longest.
- Change how fast Siri speaks: Adjust the slider below Speaking Rate.
- Decide when Siri responds aloud or in text: Choose an option below Spoken Responses. You can also change how Siri responds.
- Use Siri even when iPad is covered or facing down: When you set up Siri, “Hey Siri” or “Siri” activates Siri only when your iPad faces up. To change this, turn on Always Listen for “Siri.” Learn how to use Siri.
- Require “Siri” or “Hey Siri” in order to interrupt Siri: Turn on Require “Siri” for Interruptions. This can be useful if you use VoiceOver or Voice Control and don’t want VoiceOver speech or Voice Control commands to interrupt Siri.

If you’d like to change how you activate Siri, check out our guide, Turn on Siri, and our article, Customize how you activate Siri.

Type instead of speak to Siri

Depending on your iPad model, you may be able to type to Siri.

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Siri. Turn on Type to Siri.

If you have an iPad model that supports Apple Intelligence,* this option may not be shown.
To make a request, activate Siri. Then interact with Siri using the keyboard and text field.

Have Siri recognize a wider range of speech patterns

If your primary language is set to English (U.S.), Siri can listen for atypical speech. That can help if you have an acquired or progressive condition that affects speech, like cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or stroke.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri, then turn on Listen for Atypical Speech.

iPad can also learn to perform an action when you say a word or make a sound you choose. Read our guide, Use Vocal Shortcuts, to learn more.

Announce calls and notifications for specific apps

On your iPad speaker, supported headphones, and MFi hearing devices, Siri can announce notifications from apps like Messages.

Open Settings, tap Accessibility and tap Siri. Then turn on Announce Notifications on Speaker.
Tap Announce Notifications and then for each app, choose whether to announce all notifications or only time-sensitive notifications.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.