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‘Hey Siri’ Not Working On iPhone 13 Pro Max? Here’s The Fix

by GeeksModo Staff

Siri was supposed to help us all exist in a futuristic utopia where we carried our own permanently available assistants in our pockets. But this is real life, and at times the best tech just doesn’t work. In this article, we’ve explained the solutions you can try if the “Hey Siri” voice command has stopped working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max.

So there you are, with your Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max in hand, and you need to find out from Siri who did the voice of Yogi Bear. After all, you have $100 riding on the answer. As interested patrons at the bar watch intently, you call out for Siri. “Hey Siri.” Nothing. “Hey Siri.” Again, nothing. “Hey Siri, what the $%@! is wrong with you?” Once again, there is no response. And you watch as someone else has to whip out his phone to answer the question.

So what should you do if Siri doesn’t respond when you say “Hey Siri” on your iPhone 13 Pro Max? In this troubleshooting guide, we’ll explain why Hey Siri is not working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max and show you how to fix the problem for good!

Fixes for Hey Siri not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max

Sometimes you do not need to perform long-drawn, complex troubleshooting steps to fix a nagging issue. The solution could be something very basic. And that is exactly what we want to do here. Before we try out some of the more difficult steps, let us try a few basic ones to solve your ‘Hey Siri not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max’ issue.

1. Make sure Hey Siri is turned on

As elementary it may sound, you will be surprised to know how many people may have simply turned the Hey Siri feature off and then wonder why it isn’t working. In case you often hand over your phone to kids, they might, on some occasions, fiddle with the phone and turn off Siri (and, therefore, the ‘Hey Siri’ command). Before you even start doing the major troubleshooting steps, make sure Hey Siri is enabled in the first place.

You can check if Hey Siri is enabled on your iPhone by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for “Hey Siri” and ensure that the switch is turned to the on position:

2. Ensure That Allow Siri When Locked is Enabled

If you are trying to activate Siri when your device is locked and Hey Siri is not working for you, make sure the “Allow Siri When Locked” option is enabled. If it is turned off, you can’t invoke the personal assistant when your iPhone is locked.

You can check if Allow Siri When Locked is enabled on your iPhone by navigating to Settings > Siri & Search > Allow Siri When Locked and ensure that the switch is turned to the on position

3. Make sure your iPhone is connected to internet

This may be stating the obvious, but for most uses, Siri does need Wi-Fi or mobile data to operate, so make sure your iPhone 13 Pro Max is connected before you try a search.

It’s entirely possible that you’re connected to a wireless router, but you could be experiencing network problems, so verify that your internet connection works by opening Safari and trying to load a web page. If it works, then you know your connection is good. If not, try rebooting the router or using another Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

See also: iPhone Connected to Wi-Fi But No Internet? Fix it Here

4. Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off

The iPhone 13 Pro Max feature a dedicated Low Power Mode that kills background processes to make sure you manage to eke as much juice from the battery as possible. An unintended consequence of this is that your (Hey Siri command) stops working because of this. It is a good idea to check if the Low Power Mode on your iPhone 13 Pro Max is on before you blame anything else for Hey Siri not working. Go to Settings > battery and make sure the toggle next to Low Power Mode is in Off position. Alternatively, charge your iPhone up some more.

5. Reboot your iPhone

Sometimes software glitches can occur, and a reboot can often fix problems with services that get stuck and fail to work including Hey Siri.

To reboot your iPhone 13 Pro Max, just hold down the side button and Volume Up button for a few seconds and then drag the slide to power off slider to the right. Then, hold the power button until you see the Apple logo and wait until the boot up completes before trying Hey Siri again.

6. Try recalibrating Hey Siri

Sometimes, for reasons unknown, Siri doesn’t retain the commands you have given it. If Hey Siri never seems to be able to understand you, then it might be worth going through the calibration process once again. This is done by going to the Settings app and navigating to Siri & Search > Listen for “Hey Siri” and then disabling the already-enabled feature and then turning it back on again.

Tap on the button to continue and you’ll be taken through the calibration steps where you’ll have to say something. Your device will then re-learn your voice.

This tip may come in handy for those with heavy accents, or for those that normally mumble when they use Siri, but need to talk louder to get the feature to work.

7. Is your iPhone’s microphone working?

Another thing to look into if Hey Siri is not working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max is to check that your microphone is working. As a voice-based system, Siri relies on uninterrupted access to your iPhone’s microphone. Water damage or debris inside the microphone can wreak havoc on microphone performance, or keep it from working altogether.

To check if your microphone is working, enter an app where you can pull up the keyboard and attempt to use the Siri Dictation feature. If you don’t see any movement in the voice waveform, then you probably have a bad or muffled microphone.

Try removing any cases that may be covering the microphone, such as thicker and bulkier Otterbox or Lifeproof cases. You can also try to blow at the microphone to remove dust particles that might be obstructing the sound.

8. Make Sure Siri is Not Restricted on Your iPhone

Another important thing to keep in mind is to ensure that Siri is not restricted on your iPhone 13 Pro Max. Screen Time lets you not only stop Siri from performing web searches but also block explicit language. To remove the restriction, go to Settings app > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions -> Siri. Then, make sure you have allowed Siri to perform tasks without any limitations (if that’s what you are looking for).

9. Check for IOS Update

One possible fix to your iPhone 13 Pro Max Hey Siri not working problem is to ensure that your phone is running the latest version of iOS. You can check for iOS update by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, tap download and install.

10. Check your date and time settings

It may seem like a cliché fix, but incorrect date and time settings could be the reason why Hey Siri won’t work on your iPhone 13 Pro Max. This could be due to Apple’s servers having trouble syncing with your date and time settings. . The easiest way to solve this is to make your iPhone automatically set its date and time so that it’s always correct. Go to Settings > General > Date & time. Toggle the Set automatically toggle to get your time from the internet.

11. Disable VPN

Plenty of users have reported that ‘Hey Siri’ won’t work on their iPhone 13 Pro Max when a VPN is enabled. Have you tried deactivating these (if you are using them)? If you’re using a VPN app, you can go into the app and turn off your secure connection. If you added the VPN manually, you can go into the Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and turn it off.

12. Reset all settings

Bugs sometimes stem from low-level settings. You can’t always see or fix these settings individually, but iOS gives you a way to reset all settings. Doing this won’t erase your data, but it can solve the problem of Hey Siri not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.

13. Contact Apple Support

If everything listed above fails, you may want to contact Apple. A malfunctioning device may be covered under your limited or extended warranty, and Apple seems to be very happy to resolve problems for any covered device free of cost.

If you’re out of warranty on the other hand, you may be looking at more expensive alternatives to a free replacement.

Hey Siri not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max: fixed!

Despite how useful Hey Siri can be, it can be quite finicky at times. Hopefully after following the steps above, especially after recalibration, you’ve been able to get your Hey Siri working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max as you’ve been expecting it to.

Now that you have reached the end of this article do let us know if these steps helped you fix Hey Siri not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max issue. Additionally, do let us know if we have missed any useful fixes.

Tag: Siri
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Tip: This way you prevent Airpods from announcing incoming messages

by GeeksModo Staff

As a regular AirPods user you have probably already experienced it: an incoming message that interrupts your music. It can be very useful to have Siri read messages to you, but we have a tip for those who no longer want this.

For example, you can turn off Announce Messages with Siri

When wearing AirPods, Announce Messages with Siri can be very useful. Especially if you are expecting a message that you really don’t want to miss. But it can also be very annoying. Just in the middle of an intriguing podcast episode, Siri starts reading an incoming message. If the latter sounds familiar to you, it is definitely worth reading on.

Turn off Announce Messages with Siri

  1. Open the settings app on your iPhone and choose Notifications;
  2. Select Announce Messages with Siri;
  3. You can now turn off the feature for all apps by turning off the toggle at the top next to Announce messages with Siri .
  4. You can also choose to turn notifications on or off from a specific app. You can also choose between different senders: Favorites, Recent, Contacts and Everyone. For example, you can choose to receive a notification from your employer while listening to a podcast and to let other messages pass you by.

Add Announce messages with Siri to Control Center

Do you want to be able to adjust your settings regularly? Then put ‘Announce messages with Siri’ in your Control Center. This is done as follows:

  1. Go to Settings and select Control Center;
  2. Under More controls, tap the plus sign and choose Announce messages with Siri;
  3. You can now tap the icon when you want to turn the function on or off.

Looking for more tips to make the most out of your AirPods? Then GeeksModo is the right place. For example, we wrote 20 Best Tips And Tricks For Getting The Most Out Of Your Apple AirPods

Tags: AirPods, Siri
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Siri Not Working On Your Mac? Fix it Here!

by GeeksModo Staff

Several users have reported that Siri is not working on Mac. Other reports indicates that only the “Hey Siri” command is not working, but other aspects of Siri are working and the digital assistant can still recognize commands. If Siri is not registering your Hey Siri command or is not working on your MacBook, the troubleshooting steps given in this article will help you fix the problem for good!

Siri, Apple’s own digital assistant, is quite helpful in performing various tasks, answering questions, giving recommendations, and searching the internet. This digital virtual assistant was first introduced in 2011 and is now a integral part of every Apple device.

But what if Siri is not working and are unable to use Siri on your Mac?

This problem has been reported to occur mostly on macOS devices, and some affected users noted that Siri had stopped working on Mac after upgrading to macOS Big Sur.

Why Is Siri Not Working on Mac?

This error has been reported just recently, and although there have been several reports of the issue, Apple has yet to comment on it or release an update to fix it.

If the error happened after upgrading to Big Sur, it is possible that Siri has some compatibility issues with the new macOS. If this is the case, all you have to do is wait for the update from Apple that includes the fix for this problem. As to when this will be released, only Apple knows.

There is also a possibility that you are having corrupted preferences, or incorrect Siri settings etc. If Siri stopped working due to these reasons, the following solutions can help you fix the issue.

Fix Siri not working on Mac issue

If Siri is not working on MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, here are the steps you can take to quickly get Siri working on your Mac so you can continue with your work.

Fix 1: Make sure that Siri is enabled on your Mac

On your Mac, click Apple menu > System Preferences, click Siri and make sure that the “Enable Ask Siri” box is checked.

Fix 2: Make sure the Internet is working

The second thing you should do is to make sure that your network is working properly. Ensure that your Mac is connected to the Internet. Check to see if websites load in Safari or other web browsers. If Siri has stopped working for you, you would, at your earliest, suspect your internet connection as the culprit. As such, the first fix you can try is to check to see if your internet connection is working. Here is how:

Click on the Apple logo in the toolbar at the top. Click on System Preferences in the contextual menu. Click on Network. Check to see if there is a green icon next to the network you are connected to. If the green icon is present, your internet connection is not to blame. However, if there is a red icon next to the network you are connected to, your internet connection is down and that is most probably why Siri is not working on your Mac. If that’s the case, here are troubleshooting tips you can try:

  • Turn off and on Wi-Fi. (Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar).
  • Contact your Internet service provider to find out if there are any outages.

Fix 3: Restart your Mac and router

Restarting your Mac is simple but effective. Here is how:

  • Click the Apple menu.
  • Choose restart option.

To restart your router/modem: Unplug your Mac from the power outlet, wait a few seconds and then plug it back in.

Fix 4: Update your Mac

Make sure that your Mac is running the latest version of the macOS software. You can easily update your Mac. Here is how:

please note that Siri on Mac requires macOS Sierra or higher: To check for updates, click the Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update. This will check for updates. And if there is an update available, follow the onscreen prompts to update your device.

Fix 5: Check Siri servers

Make sure that Apple Siri servers are up and running. Head over to Apple’s System Status website and check. If you see a green dot next to Siri, everything is working. If not, just wait, Apple will fix the issue as soon as possible.

Fix 6: Make sure the microphone is working on your Mac

Siri may not be able to detect your voice if your microphone is not working properly. You can configure the microphone settings on your Mac by going to Apple menu > System Preferences > Sound > Input and select a mic (built-in internal one usually) and check the input levels. Does the input level moves when you speak? If yes, that means that your microphone is working.

Fix 7: Turn off your VPN

Siri needs to connect to its Apple server to process any information, this connection may be obstructed if a VPN is enabled, since it initiates internet connections from different spots worldwide. If you are using a VPN service on your Mac, try to turn it off and then try again.

Fix 8: Make sure Siri is not disabled in Parental Controls

Ensure Siri is restriction-free by checking Screen Time for restricted apps. Here is how:

  1. Go to System Preferences > Screen Time.
  2. Go to Content & Privacy.
  3. Here, you can turn off restrictions completely or uncheck any mentions of Siri within the Content and Apps tabs.

Fix 9: Delete Your Siri Preferences.

One of the reasons why Siri doesn’t work on Mac is a corrupted .plist file. The .plist file contains all the settings and preferences associated with the Siri app. To reset Siri’s preferences, follow the steps below:

  1. Start by quitting the Siri app.
  2. Next, disable Siri from System Preferences by unchecking Enable Talk to Siri.
  3. Next on, open Finder, then navigate to the Preferences folder by holding Option, then clicking Go > Library.
  4. In the Preferences folder, delete all .plist files with Siri in their filename.
  5. Finally, re-enable Siri under System Preferences to generate a new .plist file.

If Siri is not working on your MacBook, simply follow the troubleshooting tips above to fix the issue. If you have any other question, let us know in the comments section below.

Tag: Siri
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How to Delete Your Siri Audio History and Opt Out of Siri Analytics

by Tyler Stephen

Earlier this year, Apple came under some criticism following a report by The Guardian that detailed how Apple hired third-party contractors to listen to a select number of Siri recordings. Although the recordings were technically anonymized, contractors picked up on voice recordings that captured data such as private medical information, drug deals, and couples in the bedroom. This was particularly noticed when Siri was inadvertently triggered by something in the environment that sounded enough like the Siri wake word for the microphone to start listening.

 

In response to this revelation, Apple suspended the program and promised that it would introduce options in a forthcoming update that would allow users to opt out of sharing their audio recordings and Protect their privacyWith the release of iOS and iPadOS 13.2 and macOS 10.15.1, it is now possible to delete your Siri audio history from Apple’s servers, as well as opt out of future analytics of your Siri interactions.

 

When you installed the updates, you should’ve been presented with a prompt that gave you the choice of whether or not you would like to help improve Siri and Dictation by sharing your interactions with the assistant. If you chose to allow this, you can opt out later using the following steps.

iOS and iPadOS

Note: if you’re usingVoiceOver,whenever this guide says to, “Tap,” perform a one-finger double tap instead.

 

To delete your Siri audio history from an iOS or iPadOS device, go to Settings > Siri & Search and tap Siri & Dictation history. Tap delete Siri & Dictation history and tap once again in the confirmation screen. As your device states, a request will then be sent to Apple to remove existing audio recordings from their servers.

 

To opt out of analytics of future Siri interactions, go to Settings > Privacy > Analytics and improvements, and, if it is on, toggle, “Improve Siri & Dictation,” off.

macOS

Note: if you’re using VoiceOver, whenever this guide says to, “Click,” press VO Space instead.

 

To delete your Siri audio history on a Mac, go to System Preferences > Siri, and click delete Siri & Dictation history. Click delete in the confirmation dialog, and a request will be sent to Apple’s servers.

 

To opt out of future analytics of Siri interactions, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, and click the privacy tab. Select analytics and improvements in the table, and if it is checked, uncheck the, “Improve Siri & Dictation,” checkbox.

 

Note: if you’re using VoiceOver, you may need to interact with the table cell using VO Shift Down Arrow to focus on and deselect the checkbox.

 

If you have any questions or suggestions for future tips, sound off in the comments.

Tags: iPhone Tips, Siri
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