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LETTER OF THE MONTH!
A SIRI-OUS PROBLEM?
Ever since I upgraded my iPhone to iOS 17, I’ve had an ongoing problem with Siri – it triggers at random moments throughout the day, often when I’m watching TV, listening to the radio, or chatting with friends. What’s going on and what can I do to stop it? by GEORGE WATSON
One of the changes Apple made to iOS 17 (and elsewhere) was changing the trigger phrase you use to invoke Siri. Instead of you having to say “Hey Siri”, it now also responds to you only saying “Siri” instead. This means it will trigger more frequently – often when you don’t want it to! We’ve experienced the problem ourselves in virtual FaceTime meetings. Luckily, however, there are ways around it.
The first is to open the Settings app on your iPhone and head to Siri & Search > ‘Listen for’. Here you’ll find three options – “Siri” or “Hey Siri”, “Hey Siri”, or Off. The first option means that Siri will respond when it hears either “Siri” or “Hey Siri”; the second means Siri only responds to “Hey Siri”; and the third switches off ‘Listen for’ completely.
If you prefer, you can set your iPhone so it only invokes Siri when you press the side button. To do that in Settings, go to Siri & Search and switch the ‘Press Side Button for Siri’ toggle to On. Another way, you can stop Siri responding is to make sure the Allow Siri When Locked option is Off. That way, Siri will only trigger when your iPhone has been unlocked using Face ID, Touch or ID, or by entering your passcode.
If you happen to have other devices at home, Siri may also still be triggered on these – the instructions for iPad are identical to those outlined above for iPhone.
For Siri on the HomePod you’ll need to open the Home app, tap the HomePod entry, then tap the Settings button (bottom-right corner) on the Playback screen that appears. Alternatively, you can tap and hold its entry in the Home app’s homepage to bring up the Accessory Settings menu. From there, scroll to the Siri section and choose the option under ‘Listen for “Siri” or “Hey Siri”’ that you want to use.
On Mac, go to System Settings > Siri & Spotlight and switch ‘Listen for “Hey Siri”’ off, if that’s what y
