Why is Siri not working after iOS 18.4.1 update on iPhone 16e?

I’m having the same problem. I’m constantly having to reset Siri to get it to work after the latest update (18.4.1). It seems to happen every few days. I say “hey siri” and get no response. I switch off Apple Intelligence and turn off talk and type to Siri, then toggle it all back on which gives me the set up talk to Siri steps, which I can’t do because apparently Siri can’t hear me, so I have to restart my phone, then reset Siri and it’s fine for a few days before I get the same problem. I have had the iPhone 16 Pro Max since March.

Oddly it happened again today on me. Again shut off & back on fixed (for now). iOS 18.0 to current has been an issue. Multitude of issues. Of course it’s all user error too. Makes it tough to try to justify Apple over Android with this stuff & we all love to dump all over them haha but yeah, 18.0+ has been a bit of a nightmare…

VPN might actually be the issue. Guess I unknowingly had a VPN on through the speed test app. Just went ahead & deleted the app. So far over the last few days Siri has been working as should so yeah, maybe VPN is it? More time will tell I suppose.

Send a text to Apple then & have someone call you back. If you have no VPN then who knows what the issue is, seems it was for at least 2 of us but as far as guessing, we aren’t developers so guessing is all we can do. Good luck…

If you really have tried "everything", then I suppose it will never be fixed. Also you aren't addressing Apple here, we are Apple Volunteers on this technical support community. If this was an issue with millions of iPhones, this community would be flooded with angry users.

Below are the most common solutions for issues when Siri isn't working.

If Siri isn't responding to you, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siri > Talk and Type to Siri > Turn it Off then back on to either "Siri" or "Hey Siri" and "Siri". You will be asked to read a set of verbal prompts which will help Siri better recognize and understand your voice to respond.

If Siri isn't speaking aloud, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siri > Siri Responses > Prefer Spoken Responses.

Otherwise, please specify.

I’m also having issues with Siri on my iPad Pro 11in 4th gen running iPadOs 18.4, Siri often says that something went wrong even having a solid WiFi connection, the voice gets cut off in the middle of a responce , it continues listening while responding, and sometimes I activate it and it immediately stops listening making the “waiting for connection” chime. I assume all these issues have the same root cause, the continuous listening error. How do I suppose to fix that? I don’t wanna waste my time wiping the iPad to no avail, it’s a pretty tedious process. This needs to be fixed asap

Manullascard488 wrote:

I’m also having issues with Siri on my iPad Pro 11in 4th gen running iPadOs 18.4, Siri often says that something went wrong even having a solid WiFi connection, the voice gets cut off in the middle of a responce , it continues listening while responding, and sometimes I activate it and it immediately stops listening making the “waiting for connection” chime. I assume all these issues have the same root cause, the continuous listening error. How do I suppose to fix that? I don’t wanna waste my time wiping the iPad to no avail, it’s a pretty tedious process. This needs to be fixed asap

VPN, speed tester, Adblocker??

I’ve never used a BPN, and no matter how many times I restart my iPad, I keep having the same issue. Please stop guessing, it’s not gonna be a BPN issue since almost nobody use that thing, please.

Oh! And no help at all from Apple Support This is so insane

Same issue on the latest iphone pro max. Dictation is also constantly failing since this update. seems like an automated test was missed because these are pretty basic functions for a Apple Intelligence!

TacoSauce2001 wrote:

To all of you offering help thank you so much. I found something on YouTube, which was delete the VPN on my phone. I did that and it worked so for now I’m good to go. Thanks y’all.

Very good work! VPN's are the cause of many issues on iPhone and they do not provide the additional security as they advertise, but rather less as your data does not have a secure connection between the server. VPN's are only needed if your school or work requires it, and that would be a secure and private connection between them. You are very welcome and glad you got it all resolved.

Siri is unresponsive to voice commands (locked or unlocked) on iPhone 16Pro following the recent 18.4.1 update. Switching off/on Talk & Type to Siri prompts the commands for relearning my voice, but it initially doesn't detect any voices through the microphone. After a few attempts it moves through the voice coaching prompts, with very clunky animation (indicating something is not working smoothly in the background). Once finished setting up, Siri voice commands aren't registered.

I have the same problem, I have the 16 pro max with 512 ram when i updated to 18.4.1. Siri quit working even with the side button, it showed the screen highlight but no response to my voice or anything. I have tried all the suggestions and nothing works. Works great on my iPad.

My iPhone 16 also has the same problem after iOS 18.4.1

I can’t call Siri with the “hey siri” command, and even when I press the power button; the animation comes up but Siri remains unresponsive

The author if the thread removed VPN to fix this, did you try?

Security software in iOS not only is useless but harmful too.