Siri's not talking much after the iOS 18 update? Try this potential workaround

iOS 18 is here with its revamped UI and customization features, but it has also brought a few bugs and issues that have left some wanting to jump back to iOS 17.x builds. Multiple users have noticed yet another issue involving Siri after installing iOS 18.

Many users claim that Siri has stopped responding verbally when they give a command. Therefore, users have to glance at the device’s screen to know if Siri actually performed the task as instructed or ignored it completely. Luckily, in most cases it seems like Siri does indeed follow the instructions, however, there’s just no audio confirmation for the same.

Interestingly, this problem only appears to be happening when the iPhone is unlocked. Check out some user reports below for reference:

Since updating to iOS 18 (iPhone 15 Pro), Siri no longer gives an audible acknowledgement when my phone is unlocked. For example, “hey Siri, set a reminder for blah blah blah”. The reminder is set, but the feedback is just silence. Meanwhile, asking the same command while the phone is locked results in the usual, “okay, I’ll remind you blah blah blah”. (Source)

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My Siri will not engage if spoken to after installing iOS 18 on my iPhone 11. I have tried all suggestions on the web but none work. My side button is my only access. Any ideas? (Source)

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Siri isn’t speak back responses to me on ios 18, anyone else or fixes? Things like reminders or timers shell speak, but when asking say whats 2 plus 2 or who is xyz there zero speaking the answer to me. I restarted my phone as well. (Source)

I was also able to replicate the problem on my iPhone 13 running on iOS 18.1 beta 4. This makes me believe that the whole ordeal is likely an intentional change, not a bug that managed to slip through the cracks.

It seems like Apple expects you to be looking at the screen of your phone when it’s unlocked, negating the need for Siri to provide audio feedback along with the visual confirmation.

Luckily, there’s a potential workaround that has worked for some users and me. All you need to do is head to Settings > Siri > Siri Responses and select ‘Prefer Spoken Responses’. Once you do this, you should be able to hear Siri again even when your device is unlocked. This tricked worked on my device without requiring to restart it, however, I’d suggest restarting the phone too for the best results.

For some odd reason, though, this does not work for everyone. One user said “I have already checked everything that could possibly be an issue, location services are on, Siri responses are sent to prefer spoken responses, backgrounding is on, I’m connected to the Internet, I’m on Wi-Fi, I’m not an airplane mode, siri will tell me a story, siri will tell me a joke, but will not tell me the effing weather.”

So while the potential fix mentioned above isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, I’d suggest giving it a shot to see if it works for you. Let us know if it helped fix the problem or not in the comments section below.