Siri is no longer the slacker it was a few years ago thanks to significant advancements in most important areas, such as natural language processing and translation. Apple’s virtual assistant still has a long way to go before it can match Google Assistant’s dependability and versatility. Aside from her intelligence, Siri has also been discovered listening in on private talks. You can either fully disable Siri on your iPhone or iPad, or you can choose to use it very occasionally, depending on whether you are worried about the privacy of your private chats (in which case you should opt out of Siri recordings), or you think the virtual assistant is subpar. Allow me to lead the way.
How to Disable Siri on iPhone and iPad
You have better control over Siri in the most recent iOS versions, including iOS 15. For instance, you can stop Siri in iCloud, wipe what it has learnt, and delete Siri and dictation from Apple servers. Additionally, you can choose to conceal the potentially harmful sharing recommendations from the share sheet as well as stop the suggested shortcuts from displaying on your iPhone’s lock screen. Now that you know everything this comprehensive guide has to offer, let’s get started.
Turn off Siri for Individual Apps on iOS and iPadOS
You may disable/enable Siri for particular apps on both iPadOS and iOS. As a result, you have the freedom to manage how the virtual assistant is used based on your needs.
1. Select Siri & Search from the Settings menu on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll a little farther down to see a list of apps that support Siri. Select the individual app for which you want to turn off Siri next.
3. Disable every toggle on this screen to prevent Siri from providing suggestions on the home screen, showing the app in search, learning from the app, and offering related content. Additionally, you have the option to turn off Siri’s ability to use voice commands to carry out specific tasks (check out the Use with Ask Siri toggle)
Hide Photos from Spotlight Search on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
Apple has integrated the Photos app with Spotlight in iOS 15 and iPad OS 15. As a result, Spotlight now allows you to search for photographs by describing sceneries, characters, animals, objects, and even geographic places. Despite the fact that this is a really handy tool, you might want to prevent your images from appearing in the Spotlight out of respect for your privacy. Fortunately, it is possible to turn off Spotlight for the Photos app.
1. Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Photos on your iPhone.
2. To stop Spotlight from displaying photos, turn off the toggles for Show App in Search and Show Content in Search.
You can also turn off the switches for Learn from this App, Show on Home Screen, Suggest App, and Suggestion Notifications if you want greater privacy.
Completely Disable Siri on iPhone and iPad
You may easily disable Siri on your iOS/iPadOS smartphone if you no longer wish to utilise it for whatever reason.
1. Go to Siri & Search in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Toggles for “Listen for Hey Siri” and “Press Side/Home Button for Siri” will be visible. To disable Siri on your iPhone or iPad, just tap.
Hide Siri Suggested Content in Look Up and Spotlight on iPhone and iPad
Another choice is to disable Siri’s ability to display suggested information in spotlight and look up.
1. Go to Siri & Search in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. At this point, disable the Show in Look Up and Show in Spotlight toggles.
Disallow Notifications from Siri on iOS and iPadOS
Siri offers fully customised notifications that are intended to enhance your experience. But you can easily forbid them if you think they are not required.
1. Open the Siri & Search section of the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. At this point, disable the Allow Notifications setting.
Turn off Siri Suggestions in App Library and Spotlight on iOS and iPadOS
Although the Siri suggestions in the App Library are well-designed and give you rapid access to your favourite apps, you have the option of excluding them from the App Library.
1. Go to Siri & Search in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. At this point, disable the Show in App Library & Spotlight switch.
Hide Siri Suggestions from Share Sheet on iOS and iPadOS
Siri offers sharing recommendations in the share sheet to make the process of sharing content quicker and more convenient. For instance, Siri will display the chat head in the share sheet if you recently chatted with a friend via WhatsApp or iMessage, making it simple for you to share the relevant content.
Despite the fact that I believe it to be a really useful function, I would like not have the sharing suggestions appear on the share sheet due to privacy issues. If you’re anything like me, you might also want to delete Siri suggestions from your iPhone or iPad’s share sheet.
1. Go to the Siri & Search section of the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. At this point, deactivate the Show When Sharing setting.
Hide Siri Suggestions When Listening on iPhone and iPad
Siri aims to improve your listening experience overall by making useful suggestions. However, if you think their recommendations are pointless, you can ignore them.
1. Go to Settings > Siri & Search in the mobile device.
2. Next, turn off the Show When Listening setting.
Stop Siri from Suggesting Shorcuts on iPhone and iPad Lock Screen
From the standpoint of the user experience, Siri’s lock screen recommendations are commendable because they significantly improve your personalised experience. But if you value your privacy, you might want to keep the suggested shortcuts off the lock screen.
1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Siri Suggestions on your device.
2. At this point, you have the option of fully disabling Siri Suggestions on the lock screen or limiting the apps that can send shortcuts to the lock screen.
Turn off Siri in iCloud and Delete What It Has Learned
For a more individualised experience across all of your synced iDevices, Siri maintains track of your device usage and preferences. Undoubtedly, this is a really useful function, however the smooth syncing exposes your privacy. Therefore, you should disable Siri in iCloud and erase everything it has learned if you wish to limit Siri’s learning to certain devices.
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and select iCloud under Your Profile.
2. Next, choose Siri from the Manage Storage option (you will need to scroll down to the bottom to find it).
3. After that, tap Disable & Delete to finish the process.
Delete Siri and Dictation History on iPhone and iPad
You should periodically remove Siri and the accompanying dictation history from your iOS/iPadOS device to increase privacy.
1. Go to Siri & Search in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Choose Siri & Dictation now.
3. After that, select Delete Siri & Dictation History and then press OK.
Disable Siri on iOS and iPadOS With Ease
You now have it. This concludes our in-depth explanation on how to disable or limit Siri on iOS and iPadOS. Apple now provides the required control over the virtual assistant, unlike in the past. Therefore, you can turn on or off a feature based on your needs and decide not to use it at any time. Apple has been very cautious since since the shocking report about the hidden audio recording became public. Having said that, what do you think of Siri’s most recent updates? Please let us know what you think.