Siri is Apple’s very own speech-recognition personal assistant that allows iOS device users to speak to their device or input voice commands to operate and utilize apps and system functions. In early iPhones, Siri is activated by pressing and holding down the Home button and once you hear two quick vibrations or beeps, it means that Siri is now up and waiting for your voice instructions. With Siri, you can input some questions or ask Siri to perform a task like texting or sending email. Siri is built into all Apple iPhones from iPhone 4s and later models. In iOS 12, Siri has received tons of new skills including new voices and areas of knowledge. Among the new and enhanced Siri features are Siri Shortcuts, flashlight controls, Find My iPhone intents, show passwords, and enhanced Spotlight suggestions to name some.
In addition, “Hey Siri” also now works when the iPhone battery is low. All these and the rest of the new features of Siri can be applied and tested on your iPhone that runs on the iOS 12 platform and that includes the latest iPhone XR model. But that is if and only if Siri is working on your iPhone. Regardless of how advanced Siri is now schemed, the fact that it’s an application makes it not totally free from flaws. Nonetheless, the following solutions may be able to help you out. Read on and learn what to do in case Siri is not working on your iPhone XR.
If however, you are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting guide for we have already addressed the most common issues with this phone. Find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire.
First solution: Refresh Siri then restart your iPhone XR.
If this is the first time you’re trying to use Siri and it doesn’t respond, make sure you say the phrase “Hey Siri” several times to set it up for first launch. Otherwise, refresh Siri and restart your iPhone. Doing so will clear any minor software-related errors that might have prevented Siri from working. Here’s how it works.
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select General.
- Tap Siri.
- Then toggle the turn off and then on again
Also make sure that Hey Siri option is enabled on your device.
- To check on it, go to Settings-> General-> Siri menu and then tap turn on the option to Allow Hey Siri.
After performing the above workarounds, restart your iPhone XR or perform a soft reset with these steps:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.
A soft reset helps clear junk files that are stored as cache in the phone memory. Any of these files might have been corrupted and in some ways affected other phone functions or apps including Siri. That being said, restarting the phone will also clear out such culprits.
Second solution: Enable Dictation feature.
As the name implies, Dictation is an iOS feature that allows you to command your device by dictating. If you see the small microphone icon next to the spacebar on your iPhone keyboard, then that’s an indication that dictation is available and so you can just tap on the microphone icon to start dictating instead of typing text. Some iPhone owners who have had troubled using Siri were able to find remedy by turning this feature off and on, so you may as well consider resorting to this trick and see how it works. So here’s what you should do then:
- From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Keyboards
- Scroll down to Dictation and then toggle the switch to turn the feature from off and to on. If it’s already turned ON, toggle the switch to turn Dictation off and then back on again.
Then try launching Siri and input a voice command. Be sure to speak clearly so you Siri can easily comprehend and execute response.
Third solution: Verify and ensure that Restrictions aren’t enabled for Siri.
It’s also possible that Siri app is restricted from running on your device. This is likely the case if Restriction is enabled for Siri on your iPhone XR. To check and manage this option, simply follow these steps:
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Tap on Allowed Apps.
Navigate through the list of apps and then make sure that restriction isn’t turned on for Siri.
Fourth solution: Update phone software to the latest iOS version available.
Installing new updates can also be considered among the possible solutions to deal with software issues inflicted by malwares, bugs and system errors. New updates usually embed some fix patches that are coded to fix bug-inflicted errors on the receiving device. If your phone is connected to Wi-Fi and the Internet connection is stable, then you can check for, download and install new iOS update via over-the-air or wirelessly.
- To check for new update, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update menu.
Before updating, it is recommended to create backups of your important files for safekeeping. You can back them up to cloud or on your computer drive using iTunes. Among other update requisites would include at least 50 percent battery life and ample of memory space on your iOS device.
Then follow the onscreen instructions to start downloading and installing new update as soon as you’re ready. After successfully installing new update, restart your iPhone to apply the recent system changes and to prevent apps from going rogue. Then retry launching Siri and see if it is already responding to voice inputs accordingly.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone.
If none of the previous methods is able to solve the problem, then you may have to consider opting for system resets. There may some errors on your iPhone settings that somehow affected Siri operations. If the problem started after installing new updates or making some changes to your iPhone settings, then resetting all settings on your iPhone XR will likely fix it. Here’s how it works:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Then tap on General.
- Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- Enter your passcode when asked to proceed.
- Finally, tap the option to confirm all settings reset.
After the reset, your iPhone should restart automatically and then loads the original options and settings values. All your customized settings are erased but your apps and personal data won’t be affected. Just wait until your phone completes the start-up process and as soon as it boots up, you can re-enable individual features that you want to use on your iPhone again, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi features.
Other options
- Clean the microphone. Check and ensure that nothing is stuck on the microphone. Siri may not be able to grasp your voice inputs because something is barring the microphone. This something could be some dirt or grime that’s stuck on the microphone segment and that therefore needs to be cleared out.
- Service/iPhone repair. To ensure that the problem isn’t attributed to a damaged hardware component, take your phone to the nearest Apple-authorized service center and have it examined carefully by an iPhone technician. If something is damaged, then your iPhone needs service.
RELEVANT POSTS:
- How to fix iTunes error 53 on Apple iPhone XR, device fails security check when updating [Troubleshooting Guide]
- How to fix an Apple iPhone XR that won’t pair or connect to a Bluetooth device [Troubleshooting Guide]
- How to fix an Apple iPhone XR that’s stuck on Apple logo, boot-up error [Troubleshooting Guide]
- How to fix Apple iPhone XR Keyboard app that keeps lagging and crashing unexpectedly [Troubleshooting Guide]
Connect with us
If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone XR smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone XR. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.