If you use an iPhone®, you are no doubt familiar with Siri. She is a great little help when you need directions, movie times, trivia, and just about anything else you might want to know.

She is ready to lend a hand at any time — which means that she is always listening. After a deluge of reports in the news about the downside of personal assistants listening a little too much, you might be wondering what you can do to secure Siri. Following are some steps you can take.

The default setting is set for Siri to override your passcode. That default setting would allow a complete stranger to pick up your phone and use it by simply saying, “hey Siri!” To place restrictions on the use of your phone, set it to require your passcode to use Siri. To change this do the following:

• Tap Settings.
• Tap Face ID & Passcode. Or, tap Touch ID & Passcode on devices that do not support Face ID.
• Enter your passcode.
• Ensure that the passcode lock option is turned on.
• Set Require Passcode to immediately.

In the Allow Access When Locked section, turn off the Siri toggle switch.

Once you have completed this setup, you can still say “Hey Siri!” to get her attention. The screen will prompt you to input your passcode; then Siri will give you any info you want. This simple process can help keep Siri from granting access to your phone or iPad to complete strangers.

Siri™, iPhone® and iPad® are trademarks of Apple Inc.