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is there a fix for siri?

CrAkD

CrAkD

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 15, 2010
3,180
255
Boston, MA
I know there is a thread for siri and dictation not being able to hear you on iOS 8 on the apple support forums but haven't seen one here. am i missing it? Siri/dictation can not hear me on the built in mic on my 6+. everything else works. it seems to be a software issue but 8.1.1 didn't fix it....anyone find a fix?
 
CrAkD said:
I know there is a thread for siri and dictation not being able to hear you on iOS 8 on the apple support forums but haven't seen one here. am i missing it? Siri/dictation can not hear me on the built in mic on my 6+. everything else works. it seems to be a software issue but 8.1.1 didn't fix it....anyone find a fix?
Click to expand...

It's working for me on my 6+.

Have you tried restarting your phone?

Have you tried turning Siri off and testing the voice control by itself?

how about voice memos? Does it record your voice?
 
Armen said:
It's working for me on my 6+.

Have you tried restarting your phone?

Have you tried turning Siri off and testing the voice control by itself?

how about voice memos? Does it record your voice?
Click to expand...

Yes Voice control works with siri off.

Yes voice memos records my voice fine.

Yes I have restarted my phone numerous times. its effecting a bunch of people on ios 8. not just iphone 6/6+.
 
CrAkD said:
Yes Voice control works with siri off.

Yes voice memos records my voice fine.

Yes I have restarted my phone numerous times. its effecting a bunch of people on ios 8. not just iphone 6/6+.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I wonder. Do you have a bluetooth headset? can you try invoking Siri with it to see if it works?
 
Armen said:
try with a bluetooth headset for me real quick?
Click to expand...

i don't have a bluetooth headset nearby but i just tried it with the wired headset and it worked. so for some reason its just not working on the built in mic. but voice control calls and voice memos work fine on it....
 
CrAkD said:
i don't have a bluetooth headset nearby but i just tried it with the wired headset and it worked. so for some reason its just not working on the built in mic. but voice control calls and voice memos work fine on it....
Click to expand...

iOS is confused about the input device. I.e. when you disconnect the wired mic its supposed to switch back to the internal mic. Try unplugging/plugging the wired headset a few times to see if you can clear it.

Can also try leaving the wired headset plugged in and then restart your phone and then unplug it.
 
Armen said:
iOS is confused about the input device. I.e. when you disconnect the wire interally its supposed to switch back to the internal mic. Try unplugging/plugging the wired headset a few times to see if you can clear it.

Can also try leaving the wired headset plugged in and then restart your phone and then unplug it.
Click to expand...
Although, why would it be confused for some things (like Siri/dictation) but not for other things (like voice control or voice memos)?
 
Armen said:
iOS is confused about the input device. I.e. when you disconnect the wire interally its supposed to switch back to the internal mic. Try unplugging/plugging the wired headset a few times to see if you can clear it.

Can also try leaving the wired headset plugged in and then restart your phone and then unplug it.
Click to expand...

no dice but if i scream into the mic on the bottom of the phone siri can tell im talking to it but can't understand me. if i talk to it normal it hears absolutely nothing. is there a mic volume setting?
 
CrAkD said:
no dice but if i scream into the mic on the bottom of the phone siri can tell im talking to it but can't understand me. if i talk to it normal it hears absolutely nothing. is there a mic volume setting?
Click to expand...


This sounds like a fault with the front microphone to me - sorry. This is the mic that's actually hidden next to the earpiece - it failed on my iPhone 5 and I had exactly this issue. Voice control and voice memos both worked fine because they use a different mic, but siri is reliant on that front mic, which on my phone became very intermittent and wouldn't pick anything up at least half the time.

The solution in my case was a replacement part which I fitted myself (was out of warranty) - not the easiest fix I've ever done but it works absolutely fine now.
 
Dented said:
This sounds like a fault with the front microphone to me - sorry. This is the mic that's actually hidden next to the earpiece - it failed on my iPhone 5 and I had exactly this issue. Voice control and voice memos both worked fine because they use a different mic, but siri is reliant on that front mic, which on my phone became very intermittent and wouldn't pick anything up at least half the time.

The solution in my case was a replacement part which I fitted myself (was out of warranty) - not the easiest fix I've ever done but it works absolutely fine now.
Click to expand...

this might make sense....I had an earpiece issue when i first got the phone i could barely hear the person but it seemed to resolve itself. looks like im going to have to hit the genius bar. ugh.
 
Dented said:
This sounds like a fault with the front microphone to me - sorry. This is the mic that's actually hidden next to the earpiece - it failed on my iPhone 5 and I had exactly this issue. Voice control and voice memos both worked fine because they use a different mic, but siri is reliant on that front mic, which on my phone became very intermittent and wouldn't pick anything up at least half the time.

The solution in my case was a replacement part which I fitted myself (was out of warranty) - not the easiest fix I've ever done but it works absolutely fine now.
Click to expand...

but he said voice memos works fine. Does that app use a different mic?
 
Armen said:
but he said voice memos works fine. Does that app use a different mic?
Click to expand...

it does. because if i put the earpiece right to my mouth and talk loudly into it the screen will turn black because it thinks its up to my ear but itll hear me. so for some reason the volume of the mic next to the earpiece is too low. so thats why the other things work they use different mics weird.
 
CrAkD said:
it does. because if i put the earpiece right to my mouth and talk loudly into it the screen will turn black because it thinks its up to my ear but itll hear me. so for some reason the volume of the mic next to the earpiece is too low. so thats why the other things work they use different mics weird.
Click to expand...

well, he's on to something. Take it to the Apple Store and see what they say.
 
Armen said:
but he said voice memos works fine. Does that app use a different mic?
Click to expand...


Yes, seems to. I'm guessing that just uses the regular phone mic, while Siri uses all the mics (there are three in total, one of the back by the camera too) for noise cancellation. When one doesn't work it all falls down.

OP, bad luck - at least it's still under AppleCare - I'd have thought a genius would accept that something's awry if they can't speak to Siri either.
 
its definitely and intermittent earpiece because sometimes she hears me when i talk to it othertimes it only gets 1 or 2 words of my question so it seems like that mic in the earpiece is cutting in and out.

----------

thanks everyone. Im going to back it up and schedule a genius bar appointment.....i really didnt want a refurb but its still so new hopefully i just get a new phone.
 
CrAkD said:
its definitely and intermittent earpiece because sometimes she hears me when i talk to it othertimes it only gets 1 or 2 words of my question so it seems like that mic in the earpiece is cutting in and out.

----------

thanks everyone. Im going to back it up and schedule a genius bar appointment.....i really didnt want a refurb but its still so new hopefully i just get a new phone.
Click to expand...

anytime. props to Dented for the additional insight. I was aware of the 3 microphones but didn't know Siri really listened more on 1.
 
I'm having the same issue as well, with iOS 8.1.1 on my 4S. On 7.1.2, Siri was working fine with and without my bluetooth earpiece. Now if I ask Siri to call any number, she tries, then crashes.

"Hey, Siri" crashes as well. Tried both without my earpiece, same result. I don't know if the signing window is still open on 8.1, so I don't know if I can go back to that and try it. But all of the other solutions in the Apple thread didn't work for me.

BL.
 
CrAkD said:
I know there is a thread for siri and dictation not being able to hear you on iOS 8 on the apple support forums but haven't seen one here. am i missing it? Siri/dictation can not hear me on the built in mic on my 6+. everything else works. it seems to be a software issue but 8.1.1 didn't fix it....anyone find a fix?
Click to expand...
Hey, i am having the exact same issue... Did you ever find a fix?
 
Ok this is SOLVED!!! Yeaaaa!! :)
After I updated, Siri and Dictation quit working and only worked on Bluetooth!
I tried everything and spent days researching it on the web and no one knew anything!
I checked all the settings, I tested the memo mic and the main camera mic and all worked good. I even reset my phone as a new phone without using the backup! No use! I was positive it was a software issue and it was... More or less.
Turns out that the selfee mic IS the problem, it's the mic on the screen side of the phone near the camera. And it's not the same one used for memo recording that's on the bottom!
Maybe my phone used more than one mic or a different mic for Siri and Dictation before the update, and then after the update used only the Selfee mic... I don't know, but I bought a camera and mic combo part and a pentalobe screwdriver to get the screws out and changed it my self.
And BINGO! no more Siri and dictation problems. WHEW!!!
 
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