Why is my Siri not working? That’s what I asked myself one morning when I kept repeating “Hey Siri” and got nothing—just silence. Not even a snarky “I’m here.” And look, I’m not a tech geek. I just want the thing to work. If that’s you too, this post is gonna help.
So, let’s walk through the common stuff that breaks Siri—and more importantly, what you can actually do about it without pulling your hair out.
1. The Obvious One: It Might Be Turned Off
Yeah, yeah, it sounds silly. But trust me, this happens a lot. If Siri isn’t responding at all, first go into your Settings. Tap Siri & Search (or Apple Intelligence & Siri, if you’re on iOS 18 or later). You should see a couple of options like:
“Listen for ‘Hey Siri’”
“Press Side Button for Siri”
Make sure those are ON. If they’re not, there’s your answer. That’s probably why your Siri is not working. Switch them on, and maybe even retrain the voice command.
2. Check Your Internet (Seriously)
Siri’s smart—but she’s not that smart without a connection. Most things she does—like checking the weather, sending a message, or looking stuff up—need Wi-Fi or mobile data.
So, if Siri’s ignoring you, try this:
Switch to another Wi-Fi network.
Or turn off Wi-Fi and try mobile data.
If it’s still acting weird, go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings.
I know, it’s annoying. But it resets all your network-related stuff without deleting your photos or apps.
3. Microphone Might Be Muffled or Busted
Another sneaky reason why Siri’s not working could be that she just can’t hear you. Literally. It might be a dusty mic. Or a phone case that’s covering it. Try taking the case off and gently cleaning the mic area with a soft cloth.
Still no luck? Open the Voice Memos app, record a quick “Testing 1‑2‑3,” and play it back. If your voice sounds muffled or missing, there’s a good chance your mic’s the issue—not Siri. Could be time to visit Apple Support if it’s a hardware problem.
4. Is Siri Being Silenced?
Okay, picture this. Siri’s technically working, but you can’t hear her. No replies, no beeps, nothing. That could be because:
Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode is on.
Your phone is on silent or volume is low.
Siri’s trying to talk through a Bluetooth speaker or AirPods that aren’t even nearby.
Happened to me once—I was yelling at my iPhone while Siri was happily chatting through a speaker in another room. Facepalm moment.
So yeah, check if those modes are active. That might answer why is my Siri not working when everything else seems fine.
5. Try Updating (or Rebooting) Your Phone
This is the “turn it off and on again” trick, but it works. If you’re running an old iOS version, Siri might just be bugging out. Go to Settings → General → Software Update and install any pending updates.
If your Siri troubles started after an update (especially on iOS 18), it might need a reset:
Restart the phone
Or go to Reset All Settings (not erase—just resets stuff like Wi-Fi, layout, permissions).
That solved the issue for me recently. And if you’re still wondering why is my Siri not working, it’s time to try the final trick…
Bonus: Retrain Siri’s Voice Recognition
Sometimes, for no reason at all, Siri forgets what your voice sounds like. Super annoying. To fix it:
Go into Siri settings.
Turn off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’.”
Wait 10 seconds.
Turn it back on and follow the prompts.
Boom—fresh voice training. Many iPhone users swear by this step. Especially after big iOS changes.
Q&A: Quick Siri Troubleshooting
Q: Why is my Siri not working even after turning everything on?
A: Try retraining Siri’s voice, clean your mic, or reset your network settings. Also, check that Siri’s responses aren’t set to silent.
Q: Can Siri work offline?
A: Some things—like setting timers or opening apps—can work offline on newer iPhones with iOS 18. But most tasks still need a connection.
Q: Why did Siri stop working after an iOS update?
A: Could be a bug. Try updating again, restarting your phone, or resetting Siri settings. A few people also had to do a full reset.
Final Thoughts
So if you’re still scratching your head asking “why is my Siri not working?”, don’t worry. You’re definitely not the only one. With Apple rolling out new features under Apple Intelligence, there are bound to be hiccups. But 9 times out of 10, it’s something you can fix in 10 minutes or less.
Hope this guide helped. And if you figure out some weird trick I didn’t mention—share it in the comments. We’re all just trying to make our phones behave 😅