How to Change the Siri Voice and Settings on iPhone

To change how Siri sounds on a current iPhone, open Settings > Siri > Voice, then choose a variation and voice. To change the language Siri understands, return to Siri > Language. The options and labels can differ by iOS version, language, and whether Siri AI is available on your device.

The voice controls affect Siri's spoken responses; they do not change the iPhone's general language or the voices used by every accessibility feature. If you are following an older tutorial that says Siri & Search or Apple Intelligence & Siri, look for the current Siri entry first. Apple notes that some software versions use Apple Intelligence & Siri.

Choose a Siri voice

1. Open Settings and tap Siri. On some iOS versions, the entry is labeled Apple Intelligence & Siri.
2. Tap Voice or Siri Voice, depending on the software shown on your phone.
3. Select a choice under Variations, then choose a voice under Voices. Listen to the preview if one is offered.
4. Return to Siri settings after the selection. Ask Siri a short question to hear the new voice.

If a voice is not immediately available, stay connected to a suitable network and allow the voice resources to finish loading. The list depends on the selected Siri language, so changing the language can change the available variations. Use Siri > Language for that separate choice. Apple says this language also affects Siri in Maps directions and Listen to Page in Safari; review the scope before changing it.

Turn On and Use Siri

On current software, open Settings > Siri > Turn On Siri if Siri is not configured, then follow the prompts. On older software, use the Siri enable or button setting in Siri & Search (or General > Siri on much older versions).

With Siri enabled, hold the Home button on an iPhone 5, iPhone 7 or another Home-button model; on a Face ID model, hold the side button. Ask a simple question when Siri opens. Alternatively, say “Hey Siri” if voice activation is enabled. See Apple’s activation guide.

Turn Off Hey Siri While Keeping Button Access

On current software, open Settings > Siri > Requests and select Off for voice activation. On an iPhone 7 running older software, open Settings > Siri & Search and switch off Listen for “Hey Siri”. If the menu is simply named Siri, find the “Hey Siri” switch there. Leave Press Home for Siri or Press Side Button for Siri enabled to retain button access.

Set Up Siri on iPhone 13 With iOS 16

On an iPhone 13 running iOS 16, open Settings > Siri & Search. Turn on Listen for “Hey Siri” and/or Press Side Button for Siri, according to how you want to activate it. Tap Enable Siri if asked, and finish the voice-training prompts when enabling Hey Siri. Ask a short question to check the response. For button access, press and hold the side button alone to activate Siri, then make your request; this is different from the side-and-volume power-off sequence. The current Siri menu can have different labels, so use the version-specific controls described above.

Type to Siri Instead of Speaking

On this iPhone 13 setup, open Settings > Accessibility > Siri and turn on Type to Siri. Hold the side button to activate Siri, enter a request in its text field and submit it, then check the response. Apple’s Siri instructions distinguish this accessibility setting from Apple Intelligence’s newer typing controls. You can return to Accessibility > Siri and turn Type to Siri off when you want ordinary spoken button requests again. Changing the Siri voice alone does not enable typing, and an iPhone 13 does not acquire Apple Intelligence through this setting.

Set Up Siri on iPhone 12 or 15 With iOS 17

On an iPhone 12 or iPhone 15 running iOS 17, open Settings > Siri & Search. Turn on Press Side Button for Siri for button access; to speak requests, open Listen for and choose Hey Siri or the offered Siri option, then complete any voice-setup prompts. Apple’s iOS 17 instructions explain that saying only “Siri” depends on supported models, languages and regions. Test by holding the side button alone or saying the selected phrase and asking a simple question. Do not hold a volume button with it for this task. Review Allow Siri When Locked separately: enabling it allows requests without first unlocking, so choose it deliberately. To undo voice activation, set Listen for to Off; button access is a separate switch. Newer iOS versions use the current Siri menus above. Ordinary Siri activation does not establish that a base iPhone 15 supports every Apple Intelligence feature.

Turn On and Use Siri on iPad

On an iPad, open Settings > Siri, or Apple Intelligence & Siri or Siri & Search on versions using those names. Turn Siri on when prompted, then open its voice-activation control, such as Talk to Siri or Talk & Type to Siri, and choose the offered Siri or Hey Siri option. Complete the spoken setup prompts. In the older Siri & Search layout, enable Listen for “Hey Siri” and the offered button-access switch. For button activation, hold the Home button on an iPad that has one, or the top button on other iPads. Apple explains Siri setup and the physical iPad buttons. Test with a simple request, such as setting a short timer, and cancel the test afterward. Review Siri Responses and Allow Siri When Locked separately if offered; their names vary by version. Internet access and language or region availability can affect Siri. Return to these controls to disable voice or button activation separately.

Choose how Siri starts and responds

In Settings > Siri > Requests, review whether the iPhone listens for “Siri,” “Hey Siri,” or neither. Availability varies by device, region, and language. If you turn listening off, you can still review Press Side Button for Siri on that screen. If you switch voice activation back on and Siri asks to learn your voice, follow the prompts.

Open Siri > Responses to choose whether Siri speaks answers or displays them silently, when the option is available. The wording of the response choices varies with the Siri version. This is a better control when the concern is Siri speaking unexpectedly; changing the voice alone will not quiet responses.

On supported iOS 27 devices using Siri AI, Apple lists Expressive Voices with pace and expressivity controls. Apple limits that feature to specified newer models and notes that options vary by language. Do not expect those sliders on every iPhone. The ordinary variation and voice choices remain the relevant starting point for most readers.

If the voice option is missing

Confirm that you opened Siri settings rather than Spoken Content or VoiceOver. Check the selected Siri language and software version. If your model does not support a particular Siri AI feature, use the regular Voice choices available on that phone. An organization-managed device may also restrict settings.

To reverse the change, return to Siri > Voice and select the previous voice. If you were trying to stop messages being read through headphones, see our related guide to Announce Notifications on iPhone; that is a different setting.

If the new selection appears to make no difference, test with a request that normally produces a spoken answer. Check Siri > Responses first: a silent response preference can make a successful voice change hard to hear. Then disconnect headphones or a car audio connection temporarily and listen through the iPhone speaker. Return to Voice to confirm that the intended variation and voice are selected. A language change and a voice change are separate choices, so you may need to repeat the voice selection after changing Siri's language.

Review App Microphone Access Separately From Siri

Turning off Siri’s voice activation does not revoke other apps’ microphone access. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and review the apps that have requested permission. Turn an individual app’s switch off if you do not want it to use that microphone permission; restore it when you need an authorized recording or calling feature. Older software calls the parent menu Privacy.

Apple’s hardware-access guide says an orange indicator means the microphone is in use without the camera, while green covers camera use, including camera and microphone together. Open Control Center to see the recent-use message. An indicator is not proof of an app’s purpose or a general claim that the phone is secretly recording; check the relevant permission and the feature you were using. Use the Siri activation controls above for the separate “Hey Siri” choice.

Turn Off Siri on iPhone SE With iOS 10

On an iPhone SE running the historical iOS 10.3.2 layout, open Settings > Siri, switch the main Siri control off and review the Turn Off Siri confirmation before accepting it. Hold the Home button and check that Siri no longer starts. Return to the same Siri switch to enable it again if wanted. This is the exact older interface from our original SE tutorial, rather than the newer Siri & Search or side-button controls. Turning off Siri and changing another app’s microphone permission are separate actions.

Older iPhone Voice Menus

If your iPhone 5 still runs iOS 7, the voice choice is under Settings > General > Siri > Voice Gender, with choices depending on the language. Later versions use Siri Voice with variety or numbered voice choices. Use the menu your software shows; an older iPhone cannot display all the current Siri AI settings. Apple’s iOS 7 user guide (PDF) describes that older Siri interface.

Apple's current Siri settings guide documents the voice, language, request, and response controls. Its Siri voice and language article notes the alternate settings label on some versions.

If Siri keeps appearing when you don’t want it, read why Siri keeps opening when you press the Home button to turn off the button shortcut.

Turn Siri Off Completely on iPhone

On the current iOS 27 interface, open Settings > Siri, scroll to the bottom, choose Turn Off Siri, and confirm Turn Off Siri. Apple’s iOS 27 guide documents this complete off control. Check that voice and button activation no longer start Siri. Turning off only voice activation is the separate choice described earlier and can leave button access enabled.

On iOS 26, open Settings > Siri or Apple Intelligence & Siri, set Talk to Siri or Talk & Type to Siri to Off, and turn Press Side Button for Siri off, as Apple’s version-specific guide explains. On an iPhone 7 with an older Siri & Search layout, turn off Listen for Hey Siri and Press Home for Siri, then accept a Turn Off Siri prompt if shown. Much older versions use the main Siri switch under General > Siri. Return to these settings to enable Siri again; this does not disable other apps’ microphone permissions.

Turn Off Siri or Change Its Voice on an Older iPhone 5

On the original iPhone 5 layout, open Settings > General > Siri, turn Siri off and choose Disable Siri if prompted. Hold the Home button afterward to check that Siri no longer starts. This phone has a Home button; the newer Press Side Button for Siri control above does not apply. Return to the same Siri switch to enable it again if wanted.

For the iOS 10.2 layout, open Settings > Siri > Siri Voice, select an offered accent and gender, and allow any voice download to finish. Ask a short question to check the result. On the earlier iOS 6 layout, Settings > General > Siri > Language offers language or regional choices instead of the later voice picker. Changing that selection changes the recognition language too, so choose one you speak and test it. Restore the previous choice if recognition becomes less useful. Available voice choices depend on the installed version and language.

Enable “Hey Siri” on iPhone 6 or 6 Plus With iOS 8

In the iOS 8 layout, open Settings > General > Siri, enable Siri and turn on Allow “Hey Siri”. Connect the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to power, then say “Hey Siri” followed by a simple question to check activation. These two models require a power connection for this hands-free feature, a limitation noted in Apple’s Siri compatibility footnote. Later software moves Siri settings to Siri or Siri & Search. To stop hands-free activation, turn off Allow “Hey Siri”; this does not require disabling Siri through the Home button.