How to change Siri accessibility settings on iPhone

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 give yourself more time to finish speaking by setting a longer Siri Pause Time, change how fast Siri speaks, and choose whether Siri responds aloud or in text. Depending on your iPhone model, you may also be able to type to Siri instead of speaking.

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

Tell Siri when and how to respond to requests

1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. 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.
   • Use Siri even when iPhone is covered or facing down: When you set up Siri, Hey Siri or Siri activates Siri only when your iPhone faces up. To change this, turn on Always Listen for 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.

Type instead of speak to Siri

Typing to Siri may be an option, depending on your iPhone model.

1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Accessibility and tap Siri. Turn on Type to Siri.

If you have an iPhone model that supports Apple Intelligence,* this option may not be shown.

3. 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 may help with an acquired or progressive condition that affects speech, like stroke, cerebral palsy, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

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

If you speak a word or make a sound of your choosing, iPhone can perform an action you teach it.

Announce calls and notifications for specific apps

Siri can announce notifications and calls from apps like Messages through your iPhone speaker, on supported headphones and MFi hearing devices, and when you’re using CarPlay.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility and tap Siri. Then turn on Announce Notifications on Speaker.
2. 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.