How to turn off the voice control feature on any iPhone model, or switch it out for Siri
Voice control technology has helped to make life â especially when it involves our phones â a lot easier.
From helping you compose emails and texts hands-free, to calling people on your contact list, or even asking Siri for directions while out and about, the feature can make getting things done on-the-go simpler, and much more convenient.
However, not everyone is fond of voice control or finds it useful. Should you be in the latter group, disabling voice control on your iPhone is a simple process that can be completed in just a few clicks.
The process differs slightly depending on if you have an iPhone X and later model, or an iPhone 8 and earlier, but both methods are easy to accomplish. Here's how to do both. Â
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
iPhone 8 (From $449.99 at Best Buy)
iPhone X (From $899.99 at Best Buy)
How to turn off voice control on an iPhone 8 or earlier model
On the iPhone 8 or earlier, you can disable the Classic Voice Control or Siri feature that activates when you press and hold the Home button.
1. Locate the "Settings" app icon on your iPhone's home screen and tap it.
2. Once on the Settings screen, tap "Accessibility."
3. Then, tap "Home button."
4. Under "Press and Hold to Speak," select either "Siri," "Classic Voice Control," or "Off."
5. If you wish to keep Siri active but disable Voice Control, click "Siri" so that a check mark appears beside that option. If you wish to disable both Voice Control and Siri, click "Off" and a check mark should appear beside it.
You've now disabled Voice Control on your iPhone 8 or earlier.
How to turn off voice control on an iPhone X or later
The iPhone X Voice Control feature is activated via the side button rather than the Home button.
1. To access the relevant menu, locate the "Settings" app icon on your iPhone's home screen and press it.
2. Next, scroll down and tap "Accessibility."
3. On the "Accessibility" screen, scroll down to look for the "Side Button" option and tap it.
4. On the "Side Button" screen, under "Press and hold to speak," you have the option to select whether pressing and holding the home button activates Siri or Voice Control or whether it does nothing at all.
5. If you want to keep Siri active but disable Voice Control, click "Siri" so that a check mark appears beside that option. If you want to disable both Voice Control and Siri, click "Off" and a check mark should appear beside it.Â
If you later decide that either Siri or Voice Control features would be useful to you, you can easily enable them again by accessing the same menu and clicking so that the check button appears next to the feature you wish to use.
