How to turn off or disable SIRI on the Airpods

By: Emmanuel

Turn off Siri on First Generation Airpods

The Airpods first generation activates Siri using a double tap gesture on the stem. To disable the Siri feature:

Connect your Airpods to your Apple device.
Tap on the Settings button on your Apple device.
Select Bluetooth.
Tap the info (i) button next to your connected Airpods.
Under the “Double tap on Airpods” tab, you’ll see that Siri is activated on either the Left or Right Airpod when double-tapped.
Tap on the Left/Right that Siri is activated on.
From the menu that pops up, select any other option other than Siri for that Airpod.
This action will prevent the Airpods from being able to activate Siri with the default double-tap gestures.

Turn off Siri on Second Generation Airpods and later models (Third generation and Airpods Pro)

To disable Siri on these Airpods models using your iPhone, follow these steps:

Ensure that your iPhone is connected to your Airpods.
Click Settings, then select Siri and Search.
Turn off the toggle buttons for the first three options, which are:

1. Listen for Hey Siri.

2. Press Home for Siri.

3. Allow Siri when locked.

4. Press side button for Siri.

Your Airpods’ Siri for these models has now been turned off. Please be aware that Airpods function like a basic audio and listening device (especially when using the Live Listen feature)

. They cannot connect to the internet on their own to handle your Siri requests.

The main function of Airpods for Siri is to remotely activate it on the linked iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. By performing the actions mentioned above, you can stop Airpods from activating Siri on a linked or connected device.

Turn off Siri on Airpods from a Mac

To disable Siri on Airpods that are connected to a Mac computer, do the following:

Connect your Airpods to your Mac.
Open up System Preferences from the Search tab.
Click on Bluetooth.
Click on the “Options” button next to your Airpods.
On the box that appears, you will see actions that Airpods perform for Left/Right double taps.
Click on the dropdown arrow menus for both Left/Right and select any option other than Siri.
This action will deactivate the default double tap features that activate SIRI for that Airpod.

As a bonus, we also decided to show you how to disable SIRI entirely on your Mac computer, both from the microphone and the touch bar. Read it below.

Turn off or Disable Siri on Mac

Here’s how to turn off Siri on a Mac:

Open up System Preferences from the LaunchPad or Search tab at the top right screen.
Click on Siri.
Toggle off the “Enable Ask Siri” combo box.

Siri will then be disabled from your Mac’s microphone. To disable Siri from your Mac’s touch bar:

Go to System Preferences on your Mac as your earlier did.
Click on the Keyboard icon.
Go to the bottom and click on “Customise Control Strip.”
The default settings icons are Brightness, Sound, Mute, and Siri.
Move your cursor down to the bottom of the screen until it disappears.
From its disappearing position, move it to the Siri button on the DOCK, drag it up into the box being worked on, and let go.
Click on Done.

Now, you are rid of Siri from your Touch bar. If you mistakenly press or tap on the Siri button on your touch bar, it will not respond.

Why does Siri keep turning on even when I’m using Airpods?

Suppose you’re having problems with Siri turning on while wearing your Airpods. In that case, it’s possible that you mistakenly double-tapped the Airpods to turn it on or that Siri is listening for the wake phrases and hears similar words. By preventing Siri from hearing and responding to “Hey Siri” commands, you can also prevent this from occurring.

Switching on Siri on Airpods

You already know how to disable/turn off Siri on your Airpods. Follow the same instructions and set either the left or right Airpod to activate Siri if you ever want to undo this adjustment.

There are multiple resources and documentation about the amazing capabilities of Siri from Apple. You can check it out to get a deeper insight into this incredible technology.

Frequently Asked Questions about Siri on Airpods

Q. Can Siri read text messages on Airpods?

A. Yes, Siri can read text messages received on your iPhone while using your Airpods. This feature is available for those using iOS 14.3 and later. To activate the feature, go to Settings, tap on Notifications, and toggle on “Announce messages with Siri.”

Q. Whose voice was used for Siri?

A. Susan Bennett’s voice was used for Siri. She has also used her voice to work as a backup singer for musicians like Roy Orbison. She was also hired to voice the Emma character in the Persona 5 strikers video game.

Q. Can you change Siri’s voice?

A. Yes, you can change Siri’s voice if you dislike its default (but not the name)

. You do this by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri voice on your iOS device and select another voice from the list of alternatives.

Q. What does the acronym “SIRI” mean?

A. Some people think Siri stands for “Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface.” Though, Apple has not confirmed this. It just sounds very convenient for tech enthusiasts.

Q. Is Siri always listening or eavesdropping?

A. Apple claims that this is not the case. They also claim that the software running the Artificial Intelligence (AI) can only listen out for the voice commands that activate it. Then, it will further listen and hold audio after it is activated for processing to carry out the commands.

Q. How far does “Hey Siri” work?

A. There are no distance specifications as to how far Siri can work. It depends on how sensitive your iPhone’s microphone can pick up your voice.

If you are using Airpods, they will quickly pick up your voice. The Airpods will then send your voice commands via Bluetooth remotely to your iPhone for processing. Hence, the distance “Hey Siri” will cover depends on your iPhone’s Bluetooth connection.

Wrap Up

This article has outlined how to disable Siri for all models of Airpods and the Mac computer. Such details are helpful for those who find SIRI a nuisance or those who dislike using AI tools.

If you have any questions about how to disable SIRI on Airpods, Please leave them in the comments below. Thanks for reading.

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