Use “Hey Siri” on Your iPhone or iPad

To enable “Hey Siri” on your iOS device or iPad, tap Settings > Siri & Search and slide the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” button to on. The first time you do this, you’re asked to train Siri to recognize your voice (Figure 13). Tap Continue and follow the prompts to do so.

Figure 13: Train your mobile device to pick your voice—and only your voice—out of the crowd. — **Figure 13:** Train your mobile device to pick your voice—and only your voice—out of the crowd.

Next, tap Settings > Siri & Search and set Allow Siri When Locked to on (Figure 14).

Figure 14: Adjust a few of your mobile device’s settings to make it possible to hail Siri with your voice. (iPhone X shown here.) — **Figure 14:** Adjust a few of your mobile device’s settings to make it possible to hail Siri with your voice. (iPhone X shown here.)

You must leave the Allow Siri When Locked setting on to trigger “Hey Siri” when you’re not actively using your mobile device. (This setting is also required for a new feature that lets Siri Announce Incoming Messages on AirPods (and More).) See Should You Enable Siri from the Lock Screen? for a discussion of how to handle the security tradeoffs that come with doing this.

Once you’re set up, just say “Hey Siri” followed immediately by your question or request and your device snaps to attention. If you can’t get your mobile device to listen, make sure it’s face up, its case is open, and that it isn’t in Low Power Mode. If it’s an older device, it might need to be plugged in. See the next sidebar.

Which iPhones and iPads Recognize “Hey Siri”?

Apple introduced “Hey Siri” voice activation in 2014 with iOS 8, but it worked only when your iPhone or iPad was plugged into an external power source—a pretty big limitation. It took another year before we got devices that could use “Hey Siri” when untethered. (These devices include a low-powered chip dedicated to listening for the “Hey Siri” command.) Here are the ones that can:

iPhone 6s or later
iPad Pro (except first-generation, 2015)
iPad (6th generation or later)

Have an older iPad or iPhone? Even though you have to leave it plugged in, you still might find triggering Siri by voice useful in some circumstances. For instance, you might leave your old iPad plugged into the outlet in the kitchen so you can call out “Hey Siri” when you need help with a recipe or measurement conversion. Likewise, if you charge your iPhone in the car, “Hey Siri” may come in handy there.

Use “Hey Siri” on Your Apple Watch

If you want to be able to activate Siri by voice on your watch, go to Settings > Siri and slide the Hey Siri button to on. Note that you’ll need to wake up your watch by tapping or raising it before you make your request.

If you have an Apple Watch series 3 or later, you’ll see another setting here—“Raise to Speak” (Figure 15). This feature lets you skip the “Hey Siri” passphrase and just raise your watch and start talking.

Figure 15: The Apple Watch (series 3 or later) gives you two options for activating Siri without having to press and hold the Digital Crown. — **Figure 15:** The Apple Watch (series 3 or later) gives you two options for activating Siri without having to press and hold the Digital Crown.

I’ve found this feature to be much more finicky than the “Hey Siri” trigger phrase, however, and usually have to bring the watch right next to my mouth before it activates. If you want to be able to trigger Siri by voice with your watch, I’d recommend using “Hey Siri” instead.

Use “Hey Siri” on Your HomePod

Voice activation is on by default for your HomePod and is the primary way you’re meant to interact with the device (hence the lack of buttons). No additional set up is required. As of iOS 13.2, you can even train Siri to recognize different family members’ voices. (See Teach HomePod to Recognize Different Voices.)

Turn voice activation off by saying “Hey Siri, turn off Hey Siri.” Siri warns you that you need to activate the HomePod manually from now on. (See Trigger Siri by Touch on HomePod.) This might come in handy when you’re having a party, for instance, and want to make it a little harder for guests to hijack the playlist.

Alternatively, you can use the Home app to adjust the setting. On your iPad or iOS device, touch and hold the device name and then tap the Settings icon. Scroll down and slide the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” setting to off (Figure 16). On a Mac, Control- or right-click on the device in the Home app, select Settings, and then toggle the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” setting to off. (Turn it back on from here, too.)

Figure 16: Voice activation is on by default for the HomePod. Turn it off or make adjustments to other Siri settings in the Home app on your iPad or iOS device (shown here) or Mac. — **Figure 16:** Voice activation is on by default for the HomePod. Turn it off or make adjustments to other Siri settings in the Home app on your iPad or iOS device (shown here) or Mac.

You can also tweak how Siri on your HomePod responds to you here by sliding the “Light When Using Siri” and the “Sound When Using Siri” settings on or off, depending on what kind of feedback you want your HomePod to give you when Siri has heard the “Hey Siri” trigger. The feedback sound—off by default—can be helpful if your HomePod sits on a shelf above eye level or you often activate it from across the room.

Teach HomePod to Recognize Different Voices

As of iOS and iPadOS 13.2 and later, there’s finally an option to train your HomePod to recognize the voices of up to six members of your household so everyone gets individually tailored responses. For instance, “Hey Siri, play music that I like” will start a different playlist for you versus your teenager. (The children thank you, Apple.) This also means that you can feel a little safer turning on HomePod’s Personal Requests. Here’s how to get set up:

Make sure the device paired with your HomePod is using iOS 13.2 or iPadOS 13.2 or later. Tap Settings > General > Software Update to check and make updates if necessary.
Make sure the language on your device matches the Siri language on your HomePod. On your mobile device, tap Settings > Siri & Search and tap Language. In the Home app, touch and hold the HomePod’s name, tap the Settings icon, and tap Language.
Each person must be added as a user in the Home app on the device you used to set up your HomePods. Tap the Home icon in the upper-left corner and then tap Home Settings. Users are listed under the People header. Tap Invite People to add more members of the household.
Each person must turn on Bluetooth, Siri, Personal Requests, Location Services (see Location, Location), and “Hey Siri” (see Use “Hey Siri” on Your iPhone or iPad) on their iOS device.
At that point, you should get a notification in the Home app with onscreen instructions for finishing voice recognition set up. If you don’t, open the Home app, tap the Home icon in the upper-left corner and then tap Home Settings. Under the People header, tap yourself, and then toggle on the “Recognize My Voice” slider.

Siri draws on the voice training each person did when they set up “Hey Siri.” Ask your HomePod “Hey Siri, who am I?” to see if it’s got it right. If Siri calls you the wrong name, say “No, this is your name.” You can also start a request by saying “Hey Siri, this is your name.” Siri may have more trouble with children’s voices. If Siri continues to have trouble recognizing someone, go back into the Home app on their iOS device and toggle the Recognize My Voice slider off and then back on. You can also try restarting the HomePod and iOS device.

When the Wrong Device Answers “Hey Siri”

When you say “Hey Siri,” nearby devices communicate over Bluetooth to decide which one should answer your call—usually the one that was just raised, heard you best, or was used most recently. You might even see two devices flicker in response before one takes over. Here’s what to do if that’s the wrong one:

The HomePod trumps most other devices and will usually answer if it’s nearby. If you actually want to talk with another device, Activate Siri By Touch on that device instead or say “Hey Siri, turn off Hey Siri” to turn off voice activation on the HomePod temporarily. (Turn it back on later by touching and holding the top of the HomePod and saying “Turn ‘Hey Siri’ on.”)
If you’re trying to use Siri with your HomePod and your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad keeps responding instead, turn the troublesome device face down.
If you’re trying to use Siri with your Apple Watch and your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad responds, lift your wrist before saying “Hey Siri.” If that fails, bring the Apple Watch closer to your mouth or turn the iOS or iPadOS device face down.
If you’re trying to use Siri with an iPhone or iPad and another device is responding, lift the device you want—or at least make sure it is face up. Note that “Hey Siri” doesn’t work if an iPad or iOS device is in Low Power Mode.
If you’re trying to use “Hey Siri” with a (supported) MacBook, make sure its lid is open.

If the device you want still won’t answer your call, “Hey Siri” may not be set up in the right way. Double-check your settings, as discussed in this chapter.

Use “Hey Siri” On Your Mac

It’s obvious why it’s convenient to hail Siri with your voice when your iPhone is on the passenger’s seat or your HomePod is across the room. In those situations, you can’t easily touch the device. It’s different with our Macs. Most of us work on them for hours—fingers on the keyboard—with many ways to trigger Siri right at hand. (See Trigger Siri Manually on a Mac.)

Still, new Macs now typically support “Hey Siri” too, including MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs introduced in 2018 or later, iMac Pros, and the iMac introduced in 2020.

On supported Macs, go to System Preferences > Siri and select the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’” option (Figure 17) to activate this feature.

Figure 17: If you have a Mac that supports Siri voice activation (MacBook Air shown here), an option to enable “Hey Siri” appears in System Preferences (boxed). — **Figure 17:** If you have a Mac that supports Siri voice activation (MacBook Air shown here), an option to enable “Hey Siri” appears in System Preferences (boxed).

You can also select the “Allow Siri when locked” option if you want to be able to trigger Siri when your Mac is locked or asleep. This might be useful for iMac Pro users who don’t carry their computer around and may use their Mac to play music when they’re not working at it. MacBook users will probably find it less convenient to walk over to their computer, open its cover, and say “Hey Siri” than to use Siri with a nearby iPhone or iPad. Using the hands-free command may still be useful when your Mac is unlocked, though, for multi-tasking.

Use “Hey Siri” with AirPods

If you use AirPods with your Mac and other Apple devices, you can trigger “Hey Siri” through them. This is particularly convenient if your Mac itself doesn’t support “Hey Siri.”

On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Siri and select the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’ on AirPods” checkbox (Figure 18). This option appears only if you’ve paired AirPods with your Mac.

Figure 18: If you use AirPods with your Mac, access “Hey Siri” through them—even if the Mac itself doesn’t support the feature. — **Figure 18:** If you use AirPods with your Mac, access “Hey Siri” through them—even if the Mac itself doesn’t support the feature.

As soon as you select this option, the “Allow Siri when locked” option appears. Select this if you want to be able to activate “Hey Siri” when you’re not actively using your Mac. (If the Mac is a laptop, its lid must be open, too.)

Now, with your AirPods in your ears, say “Hey Siri” and speak your command.

Roll Your Own “Hey Siri” Workaround for Older Macs

If you don’t have a Mac that supports “Hey Siri” or a pair of AirPods, you’re not completely out of luck. You can still trigger Siri by voice using an accessibility feature. Here’s how:

Go to System Preferences > Accessibility. Select Voice Control in the left-hand column.
Select Enable Voice Control and then click the Commands button.
By default, Voice Control includes an ”Open Siri” command. Make sure its checkbox is selected (Figure 19). If that’s the only Voice Control command you want to use, consider deselecting the other commands (with the exception of “Close Siri”). That will keep you from triggering other commands by accident.

Figure 19: Make sure the “Open Siri” command is selected.

Try it out by saying “Open Siri” and your Mac should respond. (“Show Siri,” ”Launch Siri,” and “Switch to Siri” work, too.) To turn this off, go back to System Preferences > Accessibility and deselect the “Enable Voice Control” option. Note this method of voice activation works only when your Mac is unlocked and awake.