One of the first things that I noticed when I purchased my new iPhone at the Apple Store and Down last year was Siri appearing at the most unexpected moments. I either shouted Hey or pressed the side button while making some mistake here, and Siri would appear in my life. Initially it seemed like a cool thing, but I soon realized I did not need Siri to perform most of my work. I was wondering: How can I make Siri turn off?
It was then that I began researching how to turn Siri off, and once I did, I must say it helped my experience with the iPhone run more smoothly. In this article, I will tell you just how I did it, why I streamlined Siri and what are the advantages and disadvantages of turning Siri off after doing so.
Why I Decided to Turn Siri Off
I bought my iPhone on the Siri Talk official Apple site as I have confidence in their original products and warranty. Siri was added as an in-built option. Initially, Siri asked simple questions such as, What is the weather? or Set a reminder was enjoyable. However, I quickly found that Siri was listening to me far too frequently, and it felt awkward to me.
In some instances, I even said like when talking to someone, something serious and Siri would appear. Siri also ate battery whilst running and at times slowed my phone. This is when I figured that I do not actually need Siri in my day to day life. Let me try switching it off.
Any person who believes Siri is unnecessary, distracting, or even slightly intrusive will find this guide helpful because it will teach you how to disable Siri on the iPhone altogether.
How to Switch Siri Off Completely on iPhone
Having had some trial and error myself, the following is the step-by-step procedure I used:
- Open settings – Open settings in your iPhone.
- Find Siri and Search– Scroll to the bottom of the list till you arrive at the Siri and Search option.
- Turn Off Hey Siri – Turn off the switch to prevent Siri voice activation.
- Siri: Turn Off Press Side Button – This feature will turn off the Siri activation button to avoid unintentional activation.
- Confirm Disable – iPhone will prompt you whether you are sure. Tap “Turn Off Siri.”
And that’s it. After I did this Siri had gone totally dead and was not listening any longer.
To be able to refer to it, Apple offers official information on this procedure, but the step-by-step in Digital Trends was very simple to follow.
My Study: Why do people turn off Siri?
I found out, as I was doing some research, that I was not alone. On forums and websites, such as Reddit, there are thousands of questions asked by iPhone users which include: How do I stop Siri from listening to detect? and how do I know Siri is off? The following are the best reasons why a number of iPhones users are turning Siri off:
- Privacy Concerns Siri occasionally captures voice commands to make it better, which is invasive.
- Battery Life Background listening consumes more battery.
- Accidental Triggers Siri is being disturbed needlessly by the words in the sentence such as series or serious.
- Preference Not everyone uses Siri at all and likes to have everything done manually.
Intego suggests that turning off Siri also provides a minor performance boost to a device because fewer processes are running in the background.
Pros and Cons of Switching Siri Off
Having used my iPhone with Siri off in the last 6 months, this is my candid response:
Pros
- Greater Privacy: I no longer have any concerns about Siri recording accidentally.
- Longer battery life: I find my iphone lasting significantly longer throughout the day.
- Reduced Irritation: Siri does not pop up anymore.
- Attention: My phone is less noisy and less obtrusive.
Cons
- Not a Hands-free Assistant: I cannot ask Siri to text or create reminders.
- None Smart Home Voice Control: Siri is the main controller, in case you have Apple HomeKit devices.
- Convenience Loss: Voice searches and quick established commands gone.
It is therefore based on your lifestyle. In my case, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages as I hardly used Siri anyway.
My Verdict and Recommendation
How to enable or disable Siri on an iPhone, is more a matter of taste. As someone who cares about their privacy, battery life, and concentration, I found it good to turn Siri off. However, when you do use voice assistance on a daily basis, you might consider keeping it.
I personally do not feel bad about turning Siri off. I cannot imagine my iPhone without it as it is faster and easier. And whenever I need Siri again, I can just have a few taps to be able to do so.
FAQs About Switching Siri Off
Q1: What is the best way to turn off Siri altogether?
Goto prefers Siri and Search and turns off Hey Siri and Press Side Button for Siri. Confirm to turn it off.
Q2: How can I turn Siri off?
Just switch off the SiriListenforHey Siri option in Siri settings. This makes Siri not answer to your voice.
Q3: What can I do to check whether Siri is off or not?
Try saying “Hey Siri.” When your iPhone is not responsive, Siri is actually turned off.
Conclusion
One of my best choices on my iPhone was to disable Siri. It granted me greater power, increased my battery capacity, and brought me a sense of security that my voice was not being tape recorded without my permission. In case you have been wondering how to turn Siri off, it is easy, and you can always turn Siri back on again in case you miss it.
