Turn off notification announcements in Settings

AirPods read notifications aloud through a feature called Announce Notifications, which you control in your iPhone or iPad settings. Open Settings, go to Notifications, scroll down, and tap Announce Notifications. You'll see a toggle at the top — turn it off to stop all spoken notifications immediately.

If you want to keep the feature but limit which apps can announce, you can turn off individual apps within that same menu. Scroll through the list and toggle off any app you don't want to hear from — Mail, Messages, Calendar, and others appear here separately. This approach lets you silence announcements from work email while still hearing text messages read aloud.

Key Takeaways

  • Announce Notifications is a single toggle in Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications that controls whether AirPods read messages and alerts aloud.
  • You can turn off the feature entirely or disable it for specific apps like Mail, Messages, or Calendar while keeping it for others.
  • The setting applies to all your AirPods — if you turn it off, no AirPods connected to that device will announce notifications.
  • Turning off Announce Notifications does not affect visual notifications on your lock screen or in the Notification Center.
  • Focus modes let you schedule when announcements are active, so you can silence them during work or sleep without permanently disabling the feature.

Control which apps can announce to your AirPods

Not every notification needs to interrupt you. In the Announce Notifications menu, each app has its own toggle. Turn off Messages if you want to see texts silently, but keep Calendar on so meeting reminders still speak to you. This gives you fine control without turning off the entire feature.

Some apps may not appear in this list if they don't support announcement. Only apps that have built this feature into their notifications will show up here, so you won't see every app on your phone. Third-party apps like Slack or Teams may or may not offer announcement support depending on how the developer built their notification system.

Use Focus modes to silence announcements at certain times

If you want AirPods to announce notifications sometimes but not others, Focus modes let you create schedules. Go to Settings > Focus, create or edit a Focus (like Work or Sleep), and under Notifications, choose which apps can send alerts. When that Focus is active, only those apps will announce to your AirPods.

You can set a Focus to turn on automatically at specific times or locations. For example, a Sleep Focus can turn on at 10 p.m. and silence all announcements, then turn off when you wake up. This is more flexible than turning off Announce Notifications permanently if you only want to avoid them during certain hours. You can also manually activate a Focus whenever you need it without waiting for the scheduled time.

Check if a specific app is set to announce

If only one app is announcing notifications and you want to stop it, go to Settings > Notifications, find that app, and look for an Announce Notifications toggle within its own settings. Some apps have their own announcement option separate from the global setting. This is especially common with communication apps like Messages or Mail.

You can also turn off all notifications from that app entirely by toggling off Allow Notifications at the top of the app's notification settings. This stops both visual and spoken alerts. If you only want to silence the app temporarily, using a Focus mode is often better than disabling notifications completely, since you may still want to see alerts on your screen.

Make sure your AirPods are set to read notifications

Announce Notifications works only when your AirPods are in your ears and connected. If you're not hearing announcements even though the setting is on, check that your AirPods are actually paired and active. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and confirm your AirPods show as Connected.

If your AirPods are connected but still not announcing, restart them by placing them in the case for a few seconds, then removing them. Then restart your iPhone by turning it off and back on. This usually fixes connection issues that prevent announcements from working. If announcements still don't play after a restart, check that the volume on your AirPods isn't muted or turned down too low.

Disable Announce Notifications on Mac or Apple Watch

If you use AirPods with a Mac, the same Announce Notifications setting exists in System Settings > Notifications. Scroll down to find it and toggle it off. On Apple Watch, go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and turn it off there.

These settings are separate from your iPhone — turning off announcements on your phone does not automatically turn them off on your Mac or Watch. You need to change each device individually if you want consistent behavior across all your Apple devices. This separation means you could have announcements on your iPhone but disabled on your Mac if you prefer different behavior for each device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Announce Notifications affect my visual notifications?

No. Turning off Announce Notifications only stops the spoken alerts through your AirPods. You'll still see notifications on your lock screen, in the Notification Center, and in the app itself — they just won't be read aloud.

Can I turn off announcements for just one app?

Yes. In Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications, find the app and toggle it off. That app will no longer announce to your AirPods, but other apps will continue to if the main feature is on.

Why aren't my AirPods announcing notifications even though the setting is on?

Your AirPods need to be in your ears and actively connected. If they're in the case or disconnected, announcements won't play. Check Bluetooth settings to confirm they're connected, then restart both the AirPods and your phone if announcements still don't work.

Does this setting work the same way on iPad?

Yes. iPad has the same Announce Notifications setting in Settings > Notifications. The steps are identical, and the setting controls whether your AirPods announce notifications when connected to your iPad.

Can I have announcements on for some Focus modes but not others?

Yes. Each Focus mode has its own notification settings. You can create a Work Focus that silences all announcements, a Personal Focus that allows them, and a Sleep Focus that turns them off completely. Switch between Focus modes to change announcement behavior without manually toggling the setting each time.