Did you ever trigger Siri on your iPhone and get disappointed after being told that you must connect to the Internet to perform certain tasks? Bother not. You are not the only one who felt sad for being unable to use Siri offline on your iPhone to accomplish everyday and repetitive tasks. Finally, it’s possible to use offline Siri in iOS 15 on iPhone and iPad. Here’s how.
Thanks to the on-device processing technology, several Siri requests can be seamlessly handled offline, perfect for when you have been forced to use your iPhone without an internet connection. Then, what’s the catch? As I said, Siri can perform only certain tasks, specifically those that are basic and do not require an Internet connection. So long as you keep this limitation in mind, you will have a pretty good time while using the virtual assistant. Else, the personal assistant will keep reminding you to be online.
iPhones and iPads Which Support Offline Siri in iOS 15
Remember that not all iPhones and iPads running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 support Siri without the Internet. So, make sure your iPhone or iPad model is compatible with Siri offline. Here is the list of supported devices:
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPad Pro 2017 and later
- iPad Air 3 and 4
- iPad 8
- iPad mini 5
Needless to say, the iPhone 13 Series with iOS 15 out of the box also has this handy feature. Currently, Offline Siri supports only United States English. So, make sure you have selected the right language for the virtual assistant to work offline.
Step 1: Head over to the Settings app on iPhone or iPad and choose Siri & Search.
Step 2: Now, tap the Language option and choose the English (United States).
Customize Siri Responses to Always Show Siri Captions and Speech
Also, customize Siri responses always to show Siri captions and speech. While these features seem unnecessary, the virtual assistant doesn’t work without them. I needed to keep the Siri captions and speech toggles enabled throughout the testing. So, make sure to keep them turned on for the smooth functioning of the virtual assistant.
Step 1: Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad > Siri & Search > Siri Responses.
Step 2: Now, make sure the toggles for Always Show Siri Captions and Always Show Speech are turned on.
Before using Siri without the Internet on your iPhone, it would be worth finding out what does and doesn’t work with offline Siri. Otherwise, you might be left wondering whether or not the feature works in iOS 15. Well, I say it because I also felt a bit confused while trying out this feature during the initial phases of the beta testing. Here are some tasks that you can perform using Siri without an Internet connection:
- Controlling system settings such as enabling Dark/Light Mode, Low Power Mode, Airplane Mode, activate Accessibility features, etc.
- Playing the next or previous song in the Apple Music app.
- Opening apps.
- Setting and changing timers.
- Setting and changing alarms.
Long story short, Offline Siri is designed to handle only those requests that do not require your iPhone or iPad to be connected to the Internet. When your iPhone is not connected to the Internet, and you ask a request Siri can’t help with, you should see a message at the bottom saying, “I can help with that when you’re connected to the Internet.” More precisely, any requests that require continually updated info won’t work offline. It’s as straightforward as that.
Here are some tasks that won’t work using Siri when you are offline:
- Checking weather information
- Controlling HomeKit devices
- Tracking calendar events
- Setting reminders
- Sending messages
- FaceTime calling
- Podcasts listening
- Downloading apps
There you go! Now that you know how the offline Siri works in iOS 15, get the most out of this handy feature to carry out a wide range of tasks without relying on the Internet connection. It’s worth pointing out that the process of invoking the personal assistant in the offline mode remains the same. That means you can trigger the assistant using the “Hey Siri” command and pressing the side button.
Faced with the cut-throat competition from Google Assistant, Siri has its task cut out. So, it’s good to see Apple putting the needed effort to make its virtual assistant smarter and more efficient. There are plenty of other new features in iOS 15, so make sure to read about them all. What’s your take on the Offline Siri and the improvements it has made in iOS 15? Send your feedback across.
