Siri not working? How to fix your problems

Siri’s got game! She’s (or He’s) a fast and easy way to learn new stuff and get things done! And she’s ALWAYS on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod, ready to help throughout your day.

Plus Siri is always learning. So the more you use Siri, the more helpful she is!

Contents

0.1 Siri is Apple’s personal assistant that lets the user control their device by simply talking to it
0.2 How To Ask Siri on Macs
0.3 How To Use Siri
0.4 Siri Gets Information For You
0.5 How To Change Siri’s Voice or Language

1 Tips for troubleshooting Siri
- 1.1 Related Posts:

Siri is Apple’s personal assistant that lets the user control their device by simply talking to it

Siri is available on any iDevice beyond the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and the 5th generation of the iPod touch.

“Hey Siri” is supported on iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro (except 12.9-inch, 1st generation), and iPad (5th generation or later) without being plugged into power.

“Hey Siri” is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with iOS 8 or later while plugged in and MacBook Pro models from 2018 onwards. But not supported on first-generation iPad, iPad 2, and first-generation iPad mini and most Macs.

She works with Apple Watch. And yeah, she works with Macs too–as long as they use macOS Sierra and higher.

The assistant is already built-in to these newer iDevice models, so there is no need to download anything to begin using the service. Just talk to Siri by pressing the Home or Side button on your device, connecting to a headset or car, or using the voice command “Hey Siri.”

“Hey, Siri” features requires a one-time set-up.

How To Ask Siri on Macs

Click the Siri icon in the menu bar, Dock, or Touch Bar
- Don’t See it? Open System Preferences > Siri > Show Siri in menu bar
If Siri is already open, click the microphone icon in Siri’s window
- Or use a keyboard shortcut such as press and hold the Command (⌘) key and Space Bar until Siri responds (set your keyboard shortcut in System Preferences > Siri)
Say ”Hey Siri” on MacBook Pro models introduced in 2018 when the computer lid is open

If you’re using a Mac mini or a Mac Pro, connect a microphone for Siri to hear you. Then choose your microphone from the Mic Input menu of Siri preferences.

How To Use Siri

Users start by simply asking Siri questions with their normal speaking voice, which frees the hands from typing them out.

Ask Siri things like:

“Wake me up at 6 AM tomorrow.”
“Remind me to walk the dog at 7 PM.”
“Hey Siri, call Mom and Dad.”
“How many cups in a liter?”
“Show the PDFs in my Downloads folder.”
“How much free space do I have on my iPhone (or Mac)?”
“What’s the weather today?”
“Find tweets from Tim Cook.”
“Search the web for images of the big dogs.”
“Add Sam to my 8 AM meeting.”
“Show all my photos from yesterday.”
“What time is it in Paris, France?”
”Find coffee near me.”

You get the idea…

After asking, Siri answers you in a human-like voice, that you can customize to include an accent or a foreign language if desired.

Siri Gets Information For You

Siri can search through the web to answer vital questions in a flash, compose and send emails to contacts, read incoming text messages aloud, schedule appointments, or make a phone call without dialing a single digit.

Starting with iOS 12, Siri can even retrieve your passwords!

In addition, Siri has the ability to take dictation for taking notes in class or posting updates onto social media accounts. Siri can do many different tasks that will help users throughout their day, simply by asking politely for assistance.

How To Change Siri’s Voice or Language

To change Siri’s voice, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice
- For Macs go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Siri
To change Siri’s language, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Language.
- Then choose from the list of languages that Siri speaks and understands
To change how Siri responds, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Voice Feedback and select an option

Tips for troubleshooting Siri

Jacob on Can you use a Dark Menu Bar and Dock with macOS Catalina?: “I found that using these commands broke a certain application (Thonny) that does not support dark mode, causing it to…”
Bob on Can’t Update or Change Email Password on iPhone or iPad?: “FYI I can’t update my PW on my Windows 10 laptop as well as my iPad.”
Claudia on How to fix a Mac that won’t boot or gets stuck on the loading bar: “I did get my big desk top going again after going through some your suggests from different sources AND talking…”
Billy Rogers on How to Change the Icons for Your Favorite Apps on macOS Big Sur: “Hi! Does it work for system apps (Finder, Photos…) and Apple apps (Pages, iMovie…) too?”

Siri not working? How to fix your problems