Use Voice Control on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

With the "voice control" function, you can click, swipe, type and other operations with voice to browse and interact with the device.

You need to run iOS 13 or higher or iPadOS to use Voice Control. To use Voice Control, you need to download a file. Once the download is complete, you can use Voice Control without establishing a Wi Fi connection. Before you turn on Voice Control for the first time, it is recommended that you connect to Wi Fi.

Voice Control is not available in all countries or regions. Siri speech recognition engine used by Voice Control is only available in American English.

How to open Voice Control

Go to Settings and select Accessibility.
Select Voice Control, and then select Set Voice Control. The download will start in the background.

After the download is completed, a Microphone , indicating that Voice Control is listening or not listening.

How to use Voice Control

After turning on "Voice Control", you can say commands, just as you can complete the operation through touch. For example, to access Focus Search on the home screen, say Swipe Down. Or, to access the long press menu of some apps, say "Long press [App Name]". Voice Control will not change the way your device responds to touch.

To see a list of available commands for different situations, say "Show me what to say.".

To view a complete list of available commands, follow these steps:

Go to Settings and select Accessibility.
Select Voice Control, and then select Custom Commands.

Learn more about how Customize Voice Control commands 。

Several other operations that can be done using Voice Control

To turn Voice Control on or off after initial settings, you can use "Hey Siri", the accessibility shortcut key, or go to "Settings", select "Accessibility", and then select "Voice Control".
To lock your device, say "Lock the screen".
To wake up your device, say "Hey Siri, turn on Voice Control".
To activate the listening function, you can say "go to sleep" or "wake up". The listening function will not turn off, but put the microphone into sleep until you use a command to wake the device.

How to interact with the screen

To interact with an item on the screen, say an action, such as "tap", and then say the name of the item. For example, you can say, "Tap 'Accessibility'.".

Display Name

If you are not sure what the project name is, you can say "display name" to display a stack containing the project name.

Show Numbers

If an item does not have a name, or you want to use numbers instead, you can say "Show numbers" to display the number tags of each item on the screen.

show grid

If interaction requires higher precision or spatial reference, you can say "Show Grid" to display a numbered grid stack. Say a number on the grid to enlarge the corresponding area on the grid and display a set of new numbers, so that you can select an item easily. The grid can also be used to identify where to place items when dragging items on the screen, or when using gestures or bare handed operations.

When you say the next command, the grid disappears. To keep the grid on the screen while executing multiple commands, say "Keep grid on.".

Other operations that can be completed when interacting with the screen

To hide a stack, say "Hide [Name, Number, Grid]".
To repeat operations, such as tapping and swiping, say "Repeat this operation". You can also specify the number of times to repeat an operation. For example, you can say "Swipe right. Repeat this operation three times".
To return to the previous screen or menu, say "Back".

How to customize Voice Control settings

You can customize multiple settings under Voice Control. Here are some settings you can adjust:

Language: Voice Control uses the main language you set on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Custom Commands: Displays a complete list of available commands, allowing you to close commands or create custom commands.
Vocabulary: Allows you to help voice control learn new words.
Display confirmation: After the command is recognized, a visible confirmation is displayed at the top of the screen.
Play sound: play the sound effect after the command is recognized.
Display prompt: display relevant dynamic suggestions for what you can say. These prompts will be automatically displayed when similar commands are given, but they do not match the system commands very well.
Stacking: Allows you to set up a continuous screen stack containing numbers, names, or grids.
Gaze awareness: On devices equipped with facial ID, this setting allows you to turn on or off the listening function according to whether you are viewing the screen. This setting is helpful when using multiple devices that support Voice Control.

Learn more about Voice Control

Learn more about using "Classic voice control" 。

Date of issue: February 8, 2024