How to turn on and activate Siri on iPad

Siri is an intelligent assistant that’s built into your iPad to help you get answers, find what you need, and get things done.

Before you can use Siri, you need to turn it on. To ask a question or make a request, you then activate it with your voice or the buttons on iPad, and Siri needs an internet connection. There’s also Siri AI (Beta), the new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, to try.

Note: Siri is designed to protect your information and to let you choose what you share.

Turn on Siri

Siri needs to be turned on before you can use it. If you didn’t set up Siri when you first set up your iPad, do the following:

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Siri.
Tap Turn On Siri and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Tip: Tap Try Siri AI (Beta)* to get Siri AI, the new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 or later. See Get started with Siri AI.

Activate Siri and make requests

After you turn on Siri, activate it before you ask a question or make a request.

Note: You must be connected to the internet to use Siri.

Activate Siri by doing one of the following:
- Use your voice: Say “Siri” or “Hey Siri.” This option is only available if “Siri” or “Hey Siri” is turned on. See Customize how you activate Siri.
- Use the buttons on iPad: Press and hold the top button on an iPad with Touch ID, or press and hold the Home button on an iPad with a Home button.
  
  When you activate Siri with a button and iPad is muted, Siri responds silently. When you activate Siri with your voice, Siri responds out loud. To change this behavior, see Change how Siri responds.
- Use headphones connected to your iPad: Press and hold the center or call button on your EarPods.
If you have Siri AI, you can also activate Siri by doing one of the following:
- Use the Dynamic Island on iPad: Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Use the shortcut menus on iPad: Touch and hold something on your iPad screen—a file or a photo, for example—then choose Ask Siri or the Ask Siri button from the pop-up menu.
- Take a screenshot on iPad: Quickly press and release the side button and the volume up button at the same time to take a screenshot. Tap the Ask button to ask a question, the Search button to search, or an action that appears in the middle. See Siri AI: Learn about what’s on your iPad screen.
Ask Siri a question or make a request.

See Get started with Siri AI and Use Siri to find information and get things done for ideas on how you can use Siri.

Turn off Siri

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Siri.
Tap Turn Off Siri at the bottom and then tap Turn Off Siri.
If you have Siri AI, but want to use the previous version of Siri, tap Turn On Siri. Then select Use Siri Classic.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.