Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, is designed to be helpful, offering hands-free assistance whenever you say the wake phrase “Hey Siri” (or simply “Siri” in recent iOS updates). However, the feature relies on your iPhone’s microphone constantly listening for the trigger phrase, which raises privacy concerns for some users. Additionally, accidental activations during meetings or conversations can be highly disruptive.
If you prefer to trigger Siri manually by pressing the side button, or if you want to disable the virtual assistant entirely, you can easily turn off the voice activation feature in your iPhone’s settings.
How to Disable the Voice Trigger
Turning off the wake phrase stops your iPhone from actively listening for your voice in the background, but it still allows you to use Siri by holding down the physical button on your device.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Siri & Search.
- At the top of the menu, locate the option labelled Listen for.
- Tap on Listen for and select Off from the list of options.
Once you select “Off”, your iPhone will immediately stop listening for the wake phrase. You will no longer be able to activate the assistant using your voice, even if the phone is unlocked or charging.
How to Disable Siri Completely
If you do not use Apple’s virtual assistant at all and want to ensure it cannot be triggered accidentally even by pressing the side button, you must disable Siri entirely.
To completely deactivate the assistant, follow these steps:
- Open Settings and navigate to Siri & Search.
- First, ensure Listen for is set to Off.
- Next, toggle the switch next to Press Side Button for Siri to the off (grey) position.
- If you are using an older iPhone with a Home button, this option will be labelled Press Home for Siri.
When you toggle the final switch, a warning prompt will appear at the bottom of your screen asking if you want to turn off Siri. The prompt explains that disabling the assistant will remove your voice data from Apple’s servers. Tap Turn Off Siri to confirm your decision.
Your iPhone is now completely free of Siri functionality. Holding the side button will no longer summon the assistant, and your microphone will no longer actively scan for the wake phrase.