Siri not working after iOS 16 update? 11 ways to fix it

With every iteration of iOS, Apple makes improvements to the built-in Siri voice assistant, and iOS 16 is no exception. Offline support has been expanded, ‌Siri‌ can finally hang up calls, and there’s improved guidance on when and where you can access ‌Siri‌. This guide outlines all fixes you can try if Siri is not working after iOS 16 update.

There could be many reasons for Siri not working on your iOS 16 device. Fortunately, most problems are minor and can be fixed within a few minutes without much technical knowledge. Just follow the steps below to get everything back up and running. One of them should solve the problem.

Why Siri is not working in iOS 16

There are many reasons why Siri may not work. These can range from an iPhone having no internet connection to the Siri setting being disabled on the iOS 16 device. Below are some common causes for Siri to malfunction on iPhone running iOS 16:

• Phone incompatibility.
• The phone is offline.
• The microphone is malfunctioning.

How to Fix Siri not working on iPhone in iOS 16

There are several items you can look at to try and fix Siri problems in iOS 16. If you know what to check, you should be able to get it working again on your phone quickly.

While trying to fix Siri issues in iOS 16, you need to keep several things in mind. For instance, you have to check off compatibility and ensure that your country or region supports a specific Siri feature. That’s not all, you also have to make sure your device is connected to a strong Internet connection for the virtual assistant to work.

Apart from these usual suspects, you should never rule out a random software glitch or bug that may be preventing Apple’s virtual assistant from working normally. With that said, let’s try out the possible solutions to resolve Siri not working in iOS 16.

1. Make Sure Siri Supports Certain Features in Your Country or Region

It’s worth pointing out that Siri availability, commands, and features vary by language and country/region. For instance, Siri restaurant reservations feature work only in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Besides, Siri translation and Neural text-to-speech voice features are yet to be rolled out everywhere. To find out whether or not your country/region supports a specific Siri feature, navigate to Apple’s comprehensive feature availability page.

2. Enable Siri

If your iOS 16 device is new and you’re having issues with Siri not working, chances are the service is turned off. Go ahead and check.

Open Settings -> Siri & Search. Now, enable the toggles for:

• Listen for “Hey Siri”
• Allow Siri When Locked

3. Make Sure Siri is Not Restricted on Your iPhone

If you find Siri not working in iOS 16 after trying the above fixes, make sure that Siri is not restricted on your iPhone. Screen Time lets you not only stop Siri from performing web searches but also block explicit language. To remove the restriction, go to Settings app -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions -> Content Restrictions -> Siri. Then, make sure you have allowed Siri to perform tasks without any limitations (if that’s what you are looking for).

4. Check your internet connectivity

Siri not working in iOS 16 could be due to a faulty internet connection. It is a service that relies heavily on data, after all. You can’t really perform certain tasks offline, so you need to ensure your internet is working.

An easy way to check if the internet is operational is by performing any other internet-based tasks using the same device. It could be something as simple as launching a browser and doing a Google search. Those using Wi-Fi should also try using another device and ensure the network is alive.

A good solution for a faulty Wi-Fi network is a simple router restart. There’s usually a dedicated button for rebooting the router, but simply unplugging and plugging the device back in works too.

See also: iOS 16: Wi-Fi Not Working, Slow, or Dropping Out? How to Fix

If you’re using cellular data, you might want to see if your data connection is on:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Cellular.
3. Toggle Cellular Data on.

If you’re outside your country or network coverage, also toggle Roaming on (this may incur extra charges).

See also: 10 Ways To Fix iPhone Cellular Data Not Working on iOS 16

5. Ensure That Always Listen for “Hey Siri” is Enabled

By default, Siri doesn’t respond when your iPhone is placed face down or covered. If you want the virtual assistant to always respond even when your device is covered or facing down, ensure that you have enabled Always Listen for Hey Siri.

Go to the Settings app on your iPhone and choose Accessibility. Then, scroll down to the bottom and select Siri. Finally, make sure the switch right next to Always Listen for “Hey Siri’ is turned on.

6. Force restart your iPhone

This is one of the most common troubleshooting tips in existence. I recommend it every time someone has issues with any device, and it honestly works most of the time. Force restarting your device might help when you’re having problems with Siri not working after iOS 16 update. Just give it a try and see if a force reboot fixes everything.

Press the volume up button. Then, press the volume down button. After that, you need to hold down the power/side button until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.

7. Disable Siri and Set It Up Again

At times, you can troubleshoot Siri issues on your iOS 16 device just by completely disabling the personal assistant and then setting it up again. So, give it a try as well.

Go to the Settings app and choose Siri & Search. Then, turn off the switch right next to “Listen for Hey Siri”. Also, turn off the toggle right next to the Press Side button for Siri. After that, restart your device and then turn on these toggles.

Once you have set up Siri on your iOS 16 device, invoke the personal assistant and ask it to perform certain tasks like, “Hey Siri, how is the weather like today?” If the virtual assistant starts working normally, you are good to go! If Siri says I can’t help with that, move on to the next solution.

8. Turn off Type to Siri

The ‘Type to Siri’ feature may probably be hindering the voice interaction with Siri. So it’s worth turning it off to see if it helps.

To turn off ‘Type to Siri’, go to Settings App and then Accessibility -> Siri. Now turn off the toggle next to ‘Type to Siri’.

9. Reset All Settings on Your iPhone

If you are still experiencing the problem of Siri not working after iOS 16 update, try resetting all settings on your phone, it might fix the problem.

Head over to Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset > Reset All Settings. If asked, enter your device and Screen Time passcodes. After that, set up Siri again. Then, activate Siri to check if you have finally got the better of the problem.

10. Check Siri servers

As hard as it is to believe, sometimes Apple services go down too. It’s a rare occurrence, but it can happen, so you should first check if Siri servers are having problems. To do this, visit Apple’s System Status website. Now look for a green dot next to Siri. If you see it, it means the servers are up and running, otherwise, you should wait until the problem is fixed from Apple’s end.

11. Update iOS

Running an older version of iOS is usually not that big of a problem, but you can come across some compatibility issues from time to time. You’re best off updating iOS, especially if you’re having issues with Siri not working.

Go to Settings app -> General -> Software Update. Then, download and install the latest version of iOS 16 on your device.

Siri not working in iOS 16? Problem fixed!

Well, that’s the end of this troubleshooting guide! I hope Siri has once again started to work normally on your iOS 16 device. As outlined above, sluggish Wi-Fi/cellular connection is often the main culprit behind the problem. So, you can resolve Siri issues on your iPhone running iOS 16 by fixing the weak Internet connection in most cases. If that doesn’t help, you can go for other reliable solutions like the software update and factory reset to get rid of the issue.

So, which tricks proved lucky for you? Don’t forget to let me know your feedback and the tip that did the trick for you.