Siri also lets you type in questions without speaking. In this tip we explain how typing Siri questions works on the iPhone, iPad and Mac so that you can ask your questions silently.
The use of speech assistants has only increased in recent years, but at the same time we are ashamed of their use. People don't feel comfortable talking to their devices in public. It's a lot easier in the car, when no one is around. Fortunately, you can also use Siri silently, without speaking yourself and without Siri talking back. In just a few steps, Siri lets you type questions without speaking. We explain how that works. For example, you can type some questions to Siri via Spotlight, but also enable them permanently via the settings.
- iPhone and iPad
- Mac
- Change questions< /li>
Siri: Type questions without talking
If you want to use Siri without talking yourself, you have several options. One option is to silence Siri so that the assistant doesn't talk back. We have explained how this works in a separate tip. The disadvantage of this is that you still have to talk yourself and that can be unpleasant if you are on the train with other people, for example. It is then more convenient to type in Siri questions.
See also 
Silence and use Siri silently on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Want to use Siri silently without sound? We've got three ways to do that so you don't get spoken feedback back from Siri when asking questions.
Type Siri questions
There are two ways to type questions to Siri instead of speaking. If you always want to type your questions to Siri, you can enable it in the settings. But some commands, such as setting a timer, can also be done with Spotlight.
- Settings
- Spotlight
Type questions to Siri through settings
If you If you want to always type questions instead of speaking from now on, you can enable it via the Settings app. Here's how it works:
- Open Settings and go to Accessibility.
- Scroll to the General heading and tap Siri.
- Toggle the switch to Type questions to Siri.
- Now activate Siri in the usual way.
- The keyboard appears and you can type in a question. Tap Done and Siri will answer your question.
Then just type your questions as you would normally say them. For example “Send a message to Tim” or “How is the weather?” You can also keep it shorter by just using “Weather” to type. This feature is also useful if you have difficulty speaking, for example due to a medical condition, or if you don't want to use Siri out loud in front of others. The disadvantage of the above method is that you cannot easily switch to the spoken version, because you have to repeat the above steps over and over again. If you switch often, use the Spotlight way.
Type Siri questions on the Mac
You can also type questions for Siri on the Mac without speaking. This can come in handy if you are in an office environment with several people. Others do not have to be bothered by your searches.
You activate it as follows:
- Go to > System Settings > Accessibility.
- Go to Siri and check the box next to Type questions to Siri.
- Once you activate Siri you can type your question.
Editing Siri Questions
Once you've asked Siri a question, you can always edit your question without having to speak. This works for both the typed version of Siri and normal voice use. You just tap on the recognized phrase to change it. The keyboard appears and you can type your question. Any follow-up questions must be answered by voice.
This method also works well if Siri has trouble understanding difficult words, such as a complicated last name.
Type questions to Siri using Spotlight
If you occasionally want to type a question to Siri instead of speaking it, you can do that quickly via Spotlight. There used to be a Ask Siri button at the very bottom, but it is no longer available in the current iOS version. But luckily you can do a lot with Siri suggestions. For example, things you can do include setting a timer or alarm:
- Open Spotlight on your iPhone or iPad. You can do this by swiping down from the center of the screen on the home screen or tapping the Search button on your home screen (if enabled).
- Now type in your question or assignment.
- Check the Siri suggestions to see if your desired command appears. Tap it and follow any further steps.
- The Siri screen opens and the assistant answers your question.
If you use Siri by voice, you can choose to have Siri responses always displayed on screen. You can then always see on the screen what Siri understands and what the assistant says itself.
See also 
Do you want to read what Siri says and understands? This is how you set it
Siri has gradually acquired an increasingly minimalist appearance, so that the assistant no longer takes up the entire screen. By default, you will not see Siri captions or your own speech in text. This setting will turn Siri transcripts back on so you can read everything.