iPhone speech recognition just gets worse and worse.

Why does speech recognition get worse and worse? Forgetting to capitalize at the beginning of a sentence, capitalizing words that should never be capitalized, rarely getting my sentences correct anymore, punctuating and adding periods where they shouldn't go, the list goes on. You would really think it should be getting better, but it just gets worse. I know Apple can do better. I actually turned smart punctuation off, but it still does it.

iPhone 17, iOS 27

Posted on Oct 19, 2026 11:30 AM

Reply
10 replies

Oct 19, 2026 1:24 PM in response to Zurarczurx

Zurarczurx wrote:
lobsterghost1 wrote:
Did you train Siri on your iPhone? When we first setup Siri, we are asked to read multiple things on the screen, which trains Siri to your manner of speech.
I think so - it was a while ago. I vaguely remember having to say things to it but I don't remember it being a long list of things.

Is your iPhone Siri AI capable? If yes, retrain Siri, by turning Siri or Hey Siri off, then turn it on again and go through the process of training Siri to your speech mannerisms.

Oct 19, 2026 1:07 PM in response to Zurarczurx

Zurarczurx wrote:
If this was a significant issue, this, the worlds most visited forum for all things iPhone, would literally be blown up with people complaining, yet it's not. The tech press would be all over such an issue, but they're not. That leaves why when there are millions upon millions upon millions of other users out there who are seemingly not having issues either, why you're having an issue?
I gave up using Siri because it can't understand most of what I say. My friends who have iPhones don't use it because it doesn't work for them either. None of my iPhone-using friends have posted here about it (or, indeed, anything), they just assume it doesn't work because everyone they know says the same. Not everyone who has a problem with their phone posts here so a lack of posts certainly shouldn't be considered to be a minor problem.
The only person I know who uses Siri has a Homepod for which she has managed to learn to say half a dozen commands in way that it can understand her and when she uses it it's like she's speaking to a small foreign child.
I assume it's because we're not American; we're from the south-east of England and our accents would be regarded as pretty standard RP. I stayed with friends this summer who've got a Google equivalent of Homepod. I had no trouble using it just talking to it normally, so I don't think there's a problem with my comprehensibility.
Edit: interestingly the friends with the Google gadget use iPhones, iPads and Macs. The only non-Apple tech in the house is the Google gadget. I'll have to ask them why - but I can guess.

Did you train Siri on your iPhone? When we first setup Siri, we are asked to read multiple things on the screen, which trains Siri to your manner of speech.

Oct 19, 2026 12:04 PM in response to Jonathannookie

Jonathannookie wrote:
Why does speech recognition get worse and worse? Forgetting to capitalize at the beginning of a sentence, capitalizing words that should never be capitalized, rarely getting my sentences correct anymore, punctuating and adding periods where they shouldn't go, the list goes on. You would really think it should be getting better, but it just gets worse. I know Apple can do better. I actually turned smart punctuation off, but it still does it.

Like Mac Jim ID under iOS 27.0.1 with Siri AI, speech recognition has only gotten better and I too cannot replicate the issues you've described. If this was a significant issue, this, the worlds most visited forum for all things iPhone, would literally be blown up with people complaining, yet it's not. The tech press would be all over such an issue, but they're not. That leaves why when there are millions upon millions upon millions of other users out there who are seemingly not having issues either, why you're having an issue?


For me, Apple did do better with iOS 27 and Siri AI.


When was the last time you Force Restarted your iPhone? See how here --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support


Did you sign into Siri AI when you updated to iOS 27? See how here --> Get started with Siri AI on iPhone - Apple Support (CA)


Oct 19, 2026 1:02 PM in response to lobsterghost1

If this was a significant issue, this, the worlds most visited forum for all things iPhone, would literally be blown up with people complaining, yet it's not. The tech press would be all over such an issue, but they're not. That leaves why when there are millions upon millions upon millions of other users out there who are seemingly not having issues either, why you're having an issue?

I gave up using Siri because it can't understand most of what I say. My friends who have iPhones don't use it because it doesn't work for them either. None of my iPhone-using friends have posted here about it (or, indeed, anything), they just assume it doesn't work because everyone they know says the same. Not everyone who has a problem with their phone posts here so a lack of posts certainly shouldn't be considered to be a minor problem.


The only person I know who uses Siri has a Homepod for which she has managed to learn to say half a dozen commands in way that it can understand her and when she uses it it's like she's speaking to a small foreign child.


I assume it's because we're not American; we're from the south-east of England and our accents would be regarded as pretty standard RP. I stayed with friends this summer who've got a Google equivalent of Homepod. I had no trouble using it just talking to it normally, so I don't think there's a problem with my comprehensibility.


Edit: interestingly the friends with the Google gadget use iPhones, iPads and Macs. The only non-Apple tech in the house is the Google gadget. I'll have to ask them why - but I can guess.

Oct 20, 2026 1:03 AM in response to lobsterghost1

lobsterghost1 wrote:
Thankfully? I think AI has enhanced my iPhone user experience SIGNIFICANTLY. Each to his own, however.

I can't imagine what I'd use it for. I've turned it off in Google searches because it's not helpful. Its increasing use by people on this site verges from the annoying to the downright wrong. What sort of things do you use it for that you find helpful?

iPhone speech recognition just gets worse and worse.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.