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Being able to make a request using Siri while driving helps keep your eyes on the road, but simply asking Siri may not work on older cars or some other circumstances. Here's the fix.
For most people who use CarPlay, the ability to call Siri by simply saying its name — or it is preceded by “hey” — this is a great convenience. From asking for directions to checking where you need to go next, it makes driving safer.
However, sometimes you may find that Siri does not answer the call. This could have a variety of causes, but it seems to happen more often with wireless CarPlay than with an iPhone connected to a USB port.
Getting Siri's attention
One way this problem can occur even if the iPhone is connected to the car's USB ports is – this is if the phone “goes into sleep mode” and locks itself if not used for a while. You can fix this by allowing Siri to call even when your phone is locked.
To fix this – — when you're no longer driving:
- Open Settings
- Tap Siri & Search
- Turn on Allow Siri when locked
This will force the iPhone to wake up and respond.
Many cars have a button on the steering wheel with a talking figure icon. If you have an iPhone connected to a USB port in your car, pressing this button will also bring up Siri and you can speak the command without having to say the trigger phrase.
If your car doesn't have this button, there is another way to call Siri when voice command doesn't work. If you press and hold the icon in the lower left or right corner of the CarPlay display, Siri will appear on the display.
Sometimes this appears as a simple white circle with a square inside, and sometimes as a white square with lines next to it. To call Siri, you need to press and hold it until you hear Siri.
If your iPhone has a Touch ID button, you may find it easier to feel for the button and hold it down to bring up Siri. If your phone uses Face ID, you can press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the right side to have Siri respond without bringing your iPhone into view.
Of course, Siri will have limitations on what it can respond to since you're driving. Queries related to map features and driving information will be answered, but questions that may require going online will be denied while the vehicle is in motion.
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