What to Know

Type to Siri is an iOS 18.1 feature that lets you ask Siri questions wordlessly.
Communicate with Siri discreetly by typing to Siri rather than speaking out loud.
If you keep accidentally activating Type to Siri, you can turn the double-tap feature off.

Learn how to Type to Siri in order to navigate your iPhone or get your questions answered without the need to speak out loud. This discreet way of communicating with Siri is perfect for public situations. However, if you keep accidentally activating the Type to Siri feature, we can also teach you how to turn it off.

How Can You Type to Siri on iPhone?

Yes. Type to Siri is an iOS 18.1 feature that lets you command or question Siri wordlessly. Before the iOS 18.1 update, you were able to type your request or command to Siri by pressing the Side button twice. In order to activate this feature by double-tapping the bottom of your iPhone, you need to update your iPhone and make sure it is running iOS 18.1 or later and has Apple Intelligence enabled. Once you update a compatible iPhone, the Type to Siri feature will work by default:

On your Lock Screen, double-tap the Home Bar (the white bar at the bottom of your display).
A keyboard will pop up, and as you type, suggestions will be made that you can quickly tap.
If none of the suggestions are appropriate, finish typing your request or question, and tap send (the arrow pointing up icon).
To activate Tap to Siri from your Home Screen pages or an app, double-tap the bottom of your screen in the same place you see the Home Bar while on your Lock Screen.
You can also tap the microphone icon to speak your request; this lets you speak while ensuring that the response or answer will be transcribed on your screen.

Now you know how to Type to Siri by double-tapping the bottom of your iPhone. Don't forget check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter!

Pro Tip

In order to use the new feature that involves double-tapping the bottom of your display to pull up the keyboard that lets you Type to Siri, you will need to have Apple Intelligence enabled. Apple Intelligence works on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model. If you have an older iPhone or do not wish to activate Apple Intelligence, you still follow the steps in the next section to access your Siri Settings to toggle on the feature.

How Do You Turn Off Type to Siri Feature

Some users don’t like to Type to Siri or they keep accidentally activating it while swiping or tapping their iPhone screen. If you belong in one of these two categories, turning off Type to Siri is easy:

Open Settings.
Tap Apple Intelligence & Siri.
Select Talk & Type to Siri.
Toggle off Type to Siri.

That’s it! Now you know how to turn off Type to Siri!

Type to Siri is one of the many exciting Apple Intelligence features that came out with iOS 18.1. Next, learn how to rewrite your text with the Apple Intelligence Writing Tools feature.

FAQ

Why is my Siri not talking to me? If you use Type to Siri to communicate with Siri, it will not respond out loud. If you used a different way to activate Siri yet it still won’t speak to you out loud even after an iPhone restart, check out our Siri troubleshooting tips.
How do I use Siri in every way? There are many ways to activate Siri. Depending on your Siri settings you can also say “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”, double-press the Side button, or use the double-tap method we described above.
How do I change the voice of Siri? Siri can sound like a woman, a man, or a gender-neutral human. You can also change the accent of your Siri voice to American, Australian, British, Indian, Irish, or South African.