Hey Siri not working: Apple’s checks, and what silences it

Apple’s checks, in order

Apple’s page for a Siri that is not working, published on 14 September 2026, starts with the connection: “When your device is offline, Siri will usually respond and say “I’m having trouble with the connection.”” Then it asks you to make sure Siri is enabled: open Settings and tap Siri, then Turn On Siri, noting that on some versions of iOS the preferences sit under Apple Intelligence & Siri.

If Siri is on and the device is online but Siri does not respond, the page gives two steps. First, under Requests (or Talk & Type to Siri), “Make sure “Siri” or “Hey Siri” is turned on. If it’s already on, turn it off and back on again.” Second, to set Siri up to recognise your voice, turn the setting off, turn it back on, tap Continue when the setup screen appears and say each command shown. If you cannot hear Siri, check Prefer Spoken Responses and, if you like, its speaking volume and speed.

The last step is software. “Siri requires iOS 7 or later,” and Siri availability varies by language and region. Another cause is listed: “If Siri doesn’t appear in Settings after your device restarts, check your VPN settings. Some VPN profiles might not allow use of Siri.” The page ends with a fallback: if Siri still does not respond to your spoken requests, try typing to Siri or pressing a button to get its attention.

What silences Hey Siri on purpose

Some of what looks like a fault is a setting. Apple’s accessibility settings page for Siri says: “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.”” The page calls that option the way to use Siri even when the iPhone is covered or facing down. Apple’s general Siri settings page turns the same fact into a tip: “To prevent iPhone from responding to “Siri” or “Hey Siri” when you don’t want it to, place your iPhone face down.” A phone on a desk, a pocket or a bag can therefore be silent by design.

The battery page names another: “Low Power Mode reduces the amount of power that your device uses by reducing or disabling certain settings and features, like Mail fetch, Hey Siri, Background App Refresh, and some visual effects.” If “Hey Siri” stopped answering when the battery got low, that is a place to look. Setapp’s guide mentions Low Power Mode too, among ten solutions.

When more than one device is listening

Apple has a page for the other side of the problem. When you say “Siri” or “Hey Siri” near several devices, they use Bluetooth to decide which one answers, and Apple says the one that responds is “the one that heard you best or was recently raised or used.” If the wrong device responds, make sure each device has Bluetooth turned on and the latest Apple software, and place your iPhone or iPad face down so that Siri will not respond from that device. So a phone that stays quiet while your watch or iPad answers is behaving as Apple describes.

Reaching Siri without saying anything

The Siri settings page lists the other ways, under Settings, Siri, Requests: you can say “Siri” or “Hey Siri,” click the side button, or type to Siri. Turn on Press Side Button for Siri to activate it with the side button, and Type to Siri on Apple Intelligence supported devices. The page adds a note: the option to say just “Siri” is available on supported iPhone models in some languages and regions, and Apple points to its iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website to check your device and language. To retrain your voice, turn the setting off and on again. If a button works and your voice does not, that points to the setting and the microphone, not the connection. For a restart, see the page on force restarting an iPhone.

What three third-party guides say

Setapp’s guide lists ten solutions, among them the VPN, a Focus mode, AirPods and Bluetooth, Low Power Mode and cleaning the microphone, and recommends programs from its own catalogue; WhistleOut, a phone-plan comparison site, and Navi, a phone-deals site, list settings, microphones and cases. In the texts we read, none of the three mentions that “Hey Siri” works only when the phone faces up by default, or Always Listen. Apple’s pages do not mention Focus mode; we cannot say whether it matters.