Voice Control is a hands-free feature that listens for your voice commands
Voice Control on iPhone is an accessibility feature that lets you control your phone by speaking commands aloud — things like "call Mom" or "open Settings". It activates when you hold the side button or home button (depending on your iPhone model) and stays listening until you stop speaking or it times out.
The problem is that Voice Control can set up accidentally — in your pocket, in a noisy environment, or when someone else picks up your phone. Once it's listening, someone could theoretically use voice commands to make calls, send messages, or access your data. If you don't use this feature, turning it off removes that accidental set up risk and gives you one less thing listening for commands.
The steps to turn off Voice Control depend on which iPhone model you have, because Apple changed where this setting lives between older and newer phones. Both paths take less than a minute.
Key Takeaways
- Voice Control activates when you hold the side button (iPhone X and newer) or home button (iPhone 8 and older) and listens for spoken commands.
- On iPhone X and newer, you turn off Voice Control in Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > toggle it off.
- On iPhone 8 and older, the setting is in Settings > General > Accessibility > Voice Control > toggle it off.
- Turning off Voice Control does not affect Siri, which is a separate feature controlled in Settings > Siri & Search.
- If you accidentally set up Voice Control in the future, press the button again or say "cancel" to stop it listening.
How to turn off Voice Control on iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and newer
Open the Settings app (the gray gear icon on your home screen). Tap Accessibility — it's usually near the bottom of the list, below Display & Brightness.
Scroll down and tap Voice Control. You'll see a toggle switch at the top of the screen next to "Voice Control". Tap the toggle to turn it off. The switch will turn gray, and the feature is now disabled. You can close Settings.
The next time you hold the side button, it will open Siri instead of Voice Control. If you don't want Siri either, you can turn that off separately in Settings > Siri & Search, but Voice Control and Siri are independent features — turning off one does not affect the other.
How to turn off Voice Control on iPhone 8, 7, 6, and older models
Open the Settings app. Tap General, then scroll down and tap Accessibility.
Scroll down to find Voice Control and tap it. You'll see a toggle switch. Tap the toggle to turn it off. The switch will turn gray, and Voice Control is now disabled. Close Settings and you're done.
On these older models, holding the home button will now do nothing (or open Siri if you have it turned on). If you want to use the home button for something else, check Settings > General > Home Button to see what options are available on your specific model.
What happens after you turn off Voice Control
Once Voice Control is off, holding the side button or home button will no longer set up voice listening. On newer iPhones, holding the side button will open Siri instead (if Siri is turned on). On older iPhones, the home button will behave according to whatever you've set in Home Button settings.
You won't see any notification or confirmation that Voice Control is off — it straightforward stops responding when you hold the button. If you change your mind later, you can turn it back on by following the same steps and toggling it on again.
If you accidentally set up Voice Control before turning it off
If Voice Control starts listening before you've had a chance to disable it, press the button again to stop it. You can also say "cancel" or "stop" and Voice Control will stop listening. Neither action will trigger any commands — it just exits the listening mode.
If Voice Control keeps activating on its own without you pressing the button, this usually means the button itself is stuck or damaged. Try cleaning around the button with a dry cloth. If it continues, the button may need hardware repair.
Voice Control vs. Siri — they are separate features
Voice Control and Siri both respond to voice, but they work differently and have separate on/off switches. Siri is Apple's general voice assistant that understands natural language — you can ask it questions like "what's the weather" or "remind me to call the dentist". Voice Control is simpler and responds only to specific command phrases like "call" or "open".
Turning off Voice Control does not turn off Siri. If you want to disable Siri as well, go to Settings > Siri & Search and toggle off "Listen for 'Hey Siri'" and "Press Side Button for Siri" (or "Press Home for Siri" on older models). You can have one on and one off, or both off — they don't depend on each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off Voice Control affect Siri?
No. Voice Control and Siri are separate features with separate settings. You can turn off Voice Control and keep Siri on, or vice versa. If you want to disable both, you'll need to turn off Siri separately in Settings > Siri & Search.
What if I can't find Voice Control in Settings?
Make sure you're in Settings > Accessibility. On iPhone X and newer, Voice Control is listed directly under Accessibility. On iPhone 8 and older, it's under Settings > General > Accessibility. If you still don't see it, your iPhone model may not have Voice Control, or it may already be disabled.
Can I turn off Voice Control just for the lock screen?
No. Voice Control is either on or off for your entire phone — there's no option to disable it only on the lock screen. If you turn it off, it won't respond anywhere. If you turn it on, it will respond everywhere.
What if someone else keeps activating Voice Control on my phone?
Turn off Voice Control using the steps above. If you want to prevent anyone from accessing Settings at all, you can set up a Screen Time passcode in Settings > Screen Time > Use Screen Time Passcode, which will require a PIN to change accessibility settings.
Does turning off Voice Control use less battery?
Not noticeably. Voice Control only listens when you actively hold the button, so it doesn't drain battery in the background. Turning it off won't improve battery life, but it does remove the risk of accidental set up.