Dictating text messages on an iPhone can be extremely convenient, but it costs you some privacy and data consumption. When you enable voice dictation via Siri, you allow Apple to store your verbal commands, messages and contacts on its servers for better speech-to-text efficiency going forward. When you’re traveling or without access to Wi-Fi, voice text messaging could incur cellular charges because your iPhone requires the Internet for dictation to work. You can temporarily restrict voice dictation for times such as these or disable it altogether if you work in a sensitive field with special privacy concerns.
Restrict Voice Dictation
Touch “Settings” on your home screen to display the Settings screen.
Tap “General,” followed by “Restrictions” and "Enable Restrictions." Next, enter a passcode twice.
Toggle the Siri switch to “Off” in the Allow section. The microphone icon automatically disappears from the virtual keyboard, along with the capability to verbally compose or reply to text messages on your iPhone.
Disable Voice Dictation
Tap “Settings” on your home screen to display the Settings screen.
Touch “General,” followed by “Siri” to display the Siri controls.
Toggle the “Siri” switch to “Off” and then tap “Disable Siri” to confirm. IPhone disables dictation mode on your iPhone and all your dictation-related data is removed from Apple’s servers.
- You cannot restrict or disable dictation granularly on your iPhone – it’s all or nothing. Turning off dictation for text messaging also prevents you from dictating new and reply emails, notes and other typed material on the iPhone.
- If you use a third-party app for voice text messaging and other dictation, stop using it or delete it entirely. The same Siri privacy and cellular data consumption issues typically apply.
- When you restrict or disable Siri, pressing and holding the “Home” button summons Voice Control rather than Siri. You can use Voice Control to make phone calls and FaceTime calls and to control music playback with verbal commands.
- To learn more about how Apple uses your data for voice dictation, tap the “About Siri and Privacy” link in the Siri settings screen.
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