Problems with Siri when using earpods or hey siri

dpanek · Mar 19, 2015

Hi All, I posted this on the Apple support forums and they kicked it out.

Maybe I will get some answers here? I've been reading MacRunors for a long time.

I am a BIG long time apple fan. I own at least one of most apple devices. Lately though I have just been so frustrated at the lack of hands free capability, particularly using siri.

Naturally my phone has a lock code and it is set to lock after 2 mins, which means most of the time its locked. I have the settings set correctly to allow siri from the lock screen. I expect that this setting should allow me to ask siri things when I need her the most such as the following:

1 - I have my ear pods in because I am walking. I hear that I get a text message so I press the control on my pod to activate siri, I ask her to read my message and she tells me I will need to unlock my phone....major failure.

2 - Same as above but I ask her to call my wife - You'll need to unlock your phone....bigger failure

3 - Same above scenarios occur if phone is in car and plugged in (charging) and I say "hey siri" - she responds with I will need to unlock my phone...

Basically anything you really need siri to do when hands free is useless if your phone is locked. What is the purpose of allowing siri when phone is locked if all she will do is tell you to unlock your phone???

I have an iPhone 6-plus with ios 8.2, I thought maybe 8.2 would fix it but no.

What is going to happen when the watch comes? If I ask the watch something will it make me unlock my phone first??

This just seems like such a MAJOR failure and major user interface issue.

Am I the only one trying to use my phone this way? Or is my phone just broken? I am pretty sure I have tried similar things on my ipads as well all running IOS 8.2 with same results, although I don't carry them around as much so maybe I should take a walk with my mini and try it?

I'd love to hear other experiences.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

C DM · Mar 19, 2015

That's not how it works on my phone and a few others I've used in the past--I've been able to do any of those 1, 2, or 3 items without unlocking my phone. Something else must be going on there.

drlunanerd · Mar 19, 2015

Settings - Passcode - Allow Access When Locked - Siri

Make sure this is set on?

dpanek · Mar 20, 2015

Thanks for the replies. I have tried numerous times to enable/disable, reboot, the "allow access when locked". It doesn't seem to make a difference.

Maybe there is another setting somewhere that is conflicting with this setting, but I have been through all the settings many times and just cant figure it out?

Maybe I will need to start peeling back settings until I find out what might be the cause. Next step of course will be to visit the local Apple store and see if the geniuses know what the issue is.

I welcome any other thoughts.

drlunanerd · Mar 20, 2015

OK, it's definitely not working correctly then.

I would try disabling passcode altogether, reboot. Lock the phone then test Siri works from the lock screen. Then re-enable passcode, set to lock immediately, and try Siri again from the lock screen.

If it still doesn't work you can try 'Reset All Settings'. If still no joy you'll need to do a full erase and restore of the phone, but don't restore from backup. I'd be surprised if it didn't work after this.

dpanek · Mar 20, 2015

Thanks.

So far, it looks like the "Auto-Lock" may be the culprit. I set it to never, and then I lock my phone manually and try siri and it seems to be working as expected.

I will continue to do some testing.

Thanks again!

Great forum.

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Well maybe that wasn't it.

Can you tell siri to "turn on Pandora" from the lock screen?

She asks me to unlock the phone first.

I will continue to turn things off.

C DM · Mar 20, 2015

dpanek said:
Thanks.

So far, it looks like the "Auto-Lock" may be the culprit. I set it to never, and then I lock my phone manually and try siri and it seems to be working as expected.

I will continue to do some testing.

Thanks again!

Great forum.

----------

Well maybe that wasn't it.

Can you tell siri to "turn on Pandora" from the lock screen?

She asks me to unlock the phone first.

I will continue to turn things off.

Not sure why auto-lock would have an impact on this. I've always had it enabled (usually for 1 minute) and Siri would still work fine from the lock screen.

Even when it works as intended from the lock screen, Siri can't do everything without asking to unlock the phone--many things should work fine, but there are still some that will ask you to unlock the phone.

sbailey4 · Mar 20, 2015

C DM said:
Not sure why auto-lock would have an impact on this. I've always had it enabled (usually for 1 minute) and Siri would still work fine from the lock screen.

Even when it works as intended from the lock screen, Siri can't do everything without asking to unlock the phone--many things should work fine, but there are still some that will ask you to unlock the phone.

Exactly if you think about it, if Siri could do everything then there would be no reason for a password or lock at all. But same here 1,2,3 work fine for me too. iP6 8.2

dpanek · Mar 20, 2015

Thanks all.

Well I turned off passcode. Which of course deleted all my apple pay cards and keychain and all that goodness.

Naturally then siri works as expected.

Rebooted...

Turn on pass code...

Siri no longer works as expected. Goes back to asking me to unlock.

C DM · Mar 20, 2015

dpanek said:
Thanks all.

Well I turned off passcode. Which of course deleted all my apple pay cards and keychain and all that goodness.

Naturally then siri works as expected.

Rebooted...

Turn on pass code...

Siri no longer works as expected. Goes back to asking me to unlock.

Do you have any work email accounts or perhaps some other profiles installed?

dpanek · Mar 20, 2015

No, none of those.

So strange considering everyone out on the web extolls all the ways siri can bypass the passcode and here I cant get it to work LOL.

RandomIan · Apr 28, 2015

Having a similar issue with my iPhone 5. I can send a text through the headphones and siri when the phone is locked. Once I get a reply, and ask siri to read it to me, that's when I have to enter the passcode.

This is infuriating as it pulls away from "handsfree". That being said, security should trump it all, but I can SEND texts via Siri. What is more of a security issue, listening to, or sending a text message.

I really hope that I'm missing a setting here, but I have poured over the settings and I dont see anything for this.

dpanek · Apr 28, 2015

I still have not found a way to make it work. It's funny you post this today because I just came back from a walk and I always listen to music while walling with earpods in, sure enough I got a new text, asked siri to read it...she told me I have a new message from so and so, but I will need to unlock my iPhone to read it. SO frustrating. I'm waiting for a watch and I wonder if the watch will also make us unlock the iPhone first LOL.

I have poured over all the settings repeatedly, unset, reset, rebooted all with the same results. I don't want to NOT use a passcode because that defeats the purpose of locking my phone. I use apple pay and so naturally you need the passcode or apple pay doesn't work.

Sure would be nice to have an answer/solution from some apple user smarter than me.

----------

To your point, I also think security should "trump" but I thought that was the whole point of the setting "Allow Siri" when locked? Doesn't that imply that I am actively bypassing the security for that instance???

And yes this also happens to me when driving which is a major "hands free" failure. I cant even place an outgoing phone call using siri and the earpods when the phone is locked.

Can't believe I am the only one, unless I just expect something to work that is not supposed to.

RandomIan · Apr 28, 2015

I am also waiting for my watch.....very impatiently I might add.

I hope that they can implement something with the NFC or bluetooth with the Watch. If the watch is in range of the phone, disable the passcode. If someone runs off with my phone, BOOM passcode locking is enabled.

Much like Apple Pay with the watch. Once enabled, it will stay on while the watch is being worn. Makes sense to do the same with the phone.

dpanek · Apr 28, 2015

Yeah, from what I have been reading about the watch, once you place it on your wrist and unlock it, then it remains unlocked until you take it off your wrist and put it back on.

Impatiently waiting as well!

But I'll wait and see... LOL.

RandomIan · Apr 28, 2015

With every update I have my fingers crossed that :apple:

fixes this. Im surprised that we are seemingly the only ones that have encountered this issue.

swordfish5736 · Apr 28, 2015

Have you updated to iOS 8.3?

If that doesn't do anything I'd try a clean setup.
Make sure you've got an iCloud backup, restore the phone in iTunes and setup as new. Configure your settings the way you'd like and see if the problem is still there.

ohio.emt · Apr 28, 2015

I didn't see it mentioned just siri, but under Touch ID & Passcode do you have reply with message & voice dial enabled.

Seems to be working fine for me, with passcode and autolock. I am on 8.4 though.

RandomIan · Apr 29, 2015

ohio.emt said:
I didn't see it mentioned just siri, but under Touch ID & Passcode do you have reply with message & voice dial enabled.

Seems to be working fine for me, with passcode and autolock. I am on 8.4 though.

The issue is not replying to a message, the issue is with Siri reading the message back while in handsfree. In order to have the message read back, the passcode has to be entered, thus negating the "handsfree" aspect.

C DM · Apr 29, 2015

RandomIan said:
The issue is not replying to a message, the issue is with Siri reading the message back while in handsfree. In order to have the message read back, the passcode has to be entered, thus negating the "handsfree" aspect.

Curious, do you have lock screen notifications enabled for messages? What about preview, is that enabled for messages?

RandomIan · Apr 29, 2015

C DM said:
Curious, do you have lock screen notifications enabled for messages? What about preview, is that enabled for messages?

Preview is turned off for security as well. Could be a factor. I will try that one right now.

................testing..................please hold...................

C DM · Apr 30, 2015

RandomIan said:
Preview is turned off for security as well. Could be a factor. I will try that one right now.

................testing..................please hold...................

Any luck?

dpanek · Apr 30, 2015

I have all of my "Allow Access When Locked" settings turned on/enabled

Still same issue with Siri

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm regretting possibly having to wipe my phone and start fresh, but if that will ultimately fix it, then it may be worth it.

C DM · Apr 30, 2015

dpanek said:
I have all of my "Allow Access When Locked" settings turned on/enabled

Still same issue with Siri

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm regretting possibly having to wipe my phone and start fresh, but if that will ultimately fix it, then it may be worth it.

Do you have message notifications enabled on lock screen and have message previews enabled?

dpanek · May 1, 2015

Messages enabled on lock screen = yes

Previews = no

Do you think these have something to do with it?

Thanks

Don

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Holy cow you may be my savior!

I have not done extensive testing but it looks like setting preview = on may have resolved the issue!

I will report back once I get out with my buds on.

Thanks SO much!

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