Has “Siri” or “Hey Siri” stopped working on your iPhone 15 Pro Max? Here are all the troubleshooting steps you need to fix it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- If “Siri or “Hey Siri” command isn’t working on your iPhone 15 Pro Max, there are a number of ways to troubleshoot the problem.
- First make sure Siri is enabled in Settings.
- Check that your iPhone’s microphone is working properly.
- Disconnect any bluetooth accessories that are connected to your iPhone, even if you’re not wearing them.
- Restart your iPhone to get rid of minor software bugs.
After enabling “listen for “Siri” or "Hey Siri"” feature on your iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can summon Apple’s virtual assistant without pressing your phone’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 15 Pro Max, the solutions discussed below will help fix the problem.
Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
How to fix Hey Siri not working on iPhone 15 Pro Max issue
Make sure Hey Siri is enabled on your iPhone 15 Pro Max
If you’ve been saying "Hey, Siri!" to your iPhone 15 Pro Max only for Siri to ignore you completely (rude), chances are she hasn’t been enabled yet.
In order for Siri to work, you’ll need to enable Siri on your iPhone before you can have Siri performs tasks like texting your friends or searching the internet hands-free. The process is a simple one and should only take you a minute or two. Here’s what you need to do to enable Siri on your iPhone 15 Pro Max:
Step 1: Go to your iPhone settings on your home screen
Step 2: Scroll down and tap "Siri & Search". It is possible that you do not see the Siri options in Settings. There are two possible reasons for this:
- Siri may not be available where you live. Siri is not available in all countries.
- Siri may be disabled in Restrictions. You can check this by going to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. Make sure that Siri & Dictation is allowed. button.
Step 3: Make sure, at a minimum, “Listen for, “Siri” or "Hey Siri"” and Allow Siri When Locked are both turned on, with the buttons swiped to the right. If desired, you can also turn on Press Side Button for Siri.
Please Note: Starting with iOS 17, you can just say "Siri" to activate Siri, dropping the "Hey" that’s been used as a wake word for years. Siri will activate when you say the Siri word, so you can speak more naturally.
Ensure that your Siri language is correct
One fix that worked when ‘Hey Siri stopped working on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, was setting correct language settings for Siri. What if it turns out that the reason Siri isn’t responding to you is simply because you’re speaking the wrong language to it?
Note that US English will be the default language for many users, but it’s still worth checking in the **Settings **menu and making the necessary changes as required. To do this, perform the following steps:
Step 1: Tap Settings.
Step 2: Tap “Siri & Search”.
Step 3: Tap “Language”.
Step 4: Pick your language from the list.
Ensure That Always Listen for “Hey Siri” is Enabled
By default, Siri doesn’t respond when your iPhone is placed face down or covered. If you want the virtual assistant to always respond even when your iPhone 15 Pro Max is covered or facing down, ensure that you have enabled Always Listen for Hey Siri.
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Tap Accessibility.
Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom and select Siri.
Step 4: Make sure the switch next to Always Listen for “Hey Siri’ is turned on.
Configure Siri to work even if your iPhone is face down
If the screen is covered, such as when the phone is facedown on a tabletop or is inside your pocket or a bag, it won’t respond to "Hey Siri." If you prefer, you can set Siri to always respond, even when the screen is covered. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Tap Accessibility.
Step 3: Tap Siri.
Step 4: Turn on Always Listen for "Hey Siri" by swiping the button to the right.
Disconnect your Bluetooth headphones or speakers
People often have their iPhones set to automatically connect to one or more Bluetooth audio devices when one of them switches on. If a device has a microphone — like headphones, certain speakers, or even your car — Siri may start listening to it for input, which is obviously a problem when you’re trying to talk directly to your phone.
To rule out this issue, make sure any mic-equipped Bluetooth devices are powered off or disconnected if you’re not using them.
To forcibly disconnect Bluetooth devices from your iPhone:
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Select “Bluetooth”.
Step 3: Tap the "i" (info) button next to a device you want to disconnect.
Step 4: Choose “Disconnect” for a temporary release, or “Forget This Device” if you want to prevent it from reconnecting. You’ll have to re-pair if you choose to forget.
Restart your iPhone!
This is one of the most common troubleshooting tips in existence. I recommend it whenever someone has issues with any device, and it works most of the time. Restarting your iPhone 15 Pro Max might help when you’re having problems with “Hey Siri” not working. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Press and hold the side and the volume up (or down) buttons together until you see the power off slider.
Step 2: Drag the slider. Wait for about a minute until your device is completely turned off.
Step 3: Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Check your internet connection
Hey Siri not working on iPhone 15 Pro Max could be due to a faulty internet connection. Though you can use Siri without Internet connection. You can’t really perform all tasks offline. Siri may say “I am having trouble with the connection. Please try again in a moment.” Or “Siri not available. You are not connected to the Internet”.
What works with offline Siri on iPhone 15 Pro Max?
So far, we’ve found that you can achieve the following tasks with Siri offline:
- Opening apps
- Creating new alarms
- Creating timers (but, weirdly, not using the stopwatch)
- Controlling some system features (such as turning on/off Low Power Mode, Torch, adjusting display brightness)
- Playing tracks in the last music/podcast app that was used, and skipping to the previous or next track
- Adjusting volume levels
- Making phone calls
- Creating and sending Messages
What doesn’t works with offline Siri on iPhone 15 Pro Max?
When you’re offline and ask a request Siri can’t help with, you’ll see “I can help with that when you’re connected to the Internet” at the bottom of your screen. Those include:
with offline Siri:
- Any requests that call on continually updated info like weather, HomeKit, Reminders, Calendar, etc. or yeah – anything that needs an active internet connection.
- Most specific actions in apps
- Playing music and podcasts, even when they’re downloaded
- Announcing or reading messages and notifications after losing a connection
As you can see from the list above, Siri can do a few things offline, but its capabilities are quite limited. While you can open apps, you can’t really do anything within them purely through voice controls, so you must ensure your internet is working.
An easy way to check if the internet is operational is by performing any other internet-based tasks using the same device. It could be something as simple as launching a browser and opening a website like apple.com or geeksmodo.com. Those using Wi-Fi should also try using another device and ensure the network is alive.
- If you are using Wi-Fi, turn it off and back on on your iPhone.
- Restart your Wi-Fi router. There’s usually a dedicated button for rebooting the router, but simply unplugging and plugging the device back in works too.
- If you are using a VPN, disable it. Does that make any difference? If it makes no difference, you can enable it.
- Turn on Airplane Mode and then turn it off again.
If you’re using cellular data, you might want to see if your data connection is on:
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Go into “Cellular”.
Step 3: Toggle “Cellular Data” on.
Update your iPhone 15 Pro Max to fix Hey Siri not working issue
If Hey Siri is still not working, make sure that your iPhone 15 Pro Max is up to date. New software updates may include Siri improvements. Perhaps, the new updates may include a fix for a bug involving this problem. Here is how you can update your iPhone 15 Pro Max:
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Select “General”.
Step 3: Tap “Software Updates”.
Step 4: If there is an update available, tap “Download and Install”.
If you can’t hear Siri
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Tap “Siri & Search”.
Step 3: Tap “Siri Responses”.
Step 4: Tap “Prefer Spoken Responses” to hear Siri speak responses, even when Silent mode is turned on.
If Siri can’t hear you
Siri hears you through your microphone and speaks to you through speakers. Hey Siri command may not work on your iPhone 15 Pro Max because Siri can’t hear your sound clearly. Ensure that your iPhone’s microphone and speakers are working properly. Here is what you can do:
- If you have any case or screen protectors, remove them. They may be interfering.
- Clear any debris from the openings of your iPhone. Microphone or speaker openings may be blocked. You may use a soft and clean toothbrush to clean. Now try the Hey Siri command again. Any better?
If Siri’s still not picking up your words, there may be something more serious wrong with the microphone. To isolate this, you need to see if Siri works with a different microphone — you could plug in a pair of headphones with an integrated mic, for instance, or plug your iDevice into a CarPlay-equipped vehicle. Any better? If so, Siri is fine but the microphone isn’t. You’ll need to take your iPhone 15 Pro Max into an Apple Store and get the microphone looked at.
Train Siri to hear you better
If "Hey Siri" is enabled on your iPhone 15 Pro Max and Siri frequently fails to spring to life when you utter the magic words, then it’s time to start over and retrain Siri. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Select Siri & Search.
Step 3: Toggle the switch off and back on again for Listen for “ Siri” or "Hey Siri."
Step 4: Go through the setup process again of training Siri to recognize your voice.