If you’re like most people, you probably use Siri to control your home and car. But what about when you’re out and about? You might want to consider using Siri without your iPhone’s ring switch on, in order to avoid getting in trouble with the law. There are a few ways to silence Siri without your iPhone’s ring switch:
- Use a voice command to turn off Siri. For example, say “Hey Siri, turn off.”
- Use the “Siri” button on your iPhone’s front panel to turn off Siri. This is also the button that opens the “Siri Preferences” window. In this window, select “Notifications.” Under “Notifications,” select “Siri.” Now press and hold the “Siri” button until you hear a beep sound. The button should now be unpressable.
- Use a computer or phone app that can read text messages and answer questions with voice commands instead of using the ring switch. For example, if you have an Android phone, try Google Talk or WhatsApp .
If you’ve ever triggered Siri by accident on your iPhone during a meeting or in a movie, it can be embarrassing. By default, Apple’s virtual assistant speaks aloud even if your iPhone is muted with the Ring/Silent switch. Here’s how to change that.
First, launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
In Settings, tap the “Siri & Search” option.
On the “Siri & Search” page, tap “Siri Responses.”
In “Siri Responses,” locate the “Spoken Responses” option and set it to “When Silent Mode is Off.”
Exit Settings. From now on, whenever you set the Ring/Silent switch on the side of your iPhone to “Silent,” Siri will no longer speak out loud. Instead, you’ll see Siri’s responses as captions on the screen.
There are exceptions, however. You’ll still hear vocal responses if you trigger Siri with the “Hey Siri” command, or if your iPhone is connected to CarPlay or a Bluetooth device. If you ever want to hear Siri’s responses in all situations, just flip your Ring/Silent switch to “Ring” mode again.
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