Turn off Announce Notifications on your AirPods

AirPods read your notifications aloud through a feature called Announce Notifications. This happens when messages arrive while you're wearing them, and Siri reads the sender's name and the message text out loud. You can turn this off entirely, or limit it to certain apps and contacts.

The setting lives in your iPhone's Bluetooth settings, not in the AirPods app itself. This confuses most people — they look in the wrong place and think the feature can't be disabled.

Key Takeaways

  • Announce Notifications is a Bluetooth setting on your iPhone, found under Settings > Bluetooth > your AirPods > Announce Notifications.
  • You can turn announcements off completely, or keep them on but exclude specific apps like Messages or Mail.
  • If you want announcements only from certain people, turn the feature on but set it to "Contacts Only" so Siri reads messages from your contacts but not from unknown numbers.
  • The setting applies to all your AirPods — if you own multiple pairs, changing it once affects every pair you own.

How to disable announcements completely

Open Settings on your iPhone and tap Bluetooth. Find your AirPods in the list of connected devices — they'll show a blue dot next to the name if they're currently connected. Tap the information icon (the small circle with an "i" inside) next to your AirPods name.

Scroll down until you see "Announce Notifications" and tap it. You'll see three options: Off, Headphones Only, and Always. Select Off. From now on, Siri will not read any notifications aloud through your AirPods, though you'll still get visual notifications on your iPhone screen.

If you want to keep announcements but limit them to times when you're actively wearing your AirPods and not looking at your phone, choose Headphones Only instead. This prevents Siri from reading notifications when your iPhone is in your hand or when you're looking at the screen.

Allow announcements only from your contacts

If you want to hear about messages but only from people in your Contacts app, go back to the Announce Notifications screen and select Headphones Only or Always. Then scroll down to find "Announce From" and tap it.

You'll see two choices: Everyone and Contacts Only. Select Contacts Only. Now Siri will read messages from people saved in your Contacts, but will stay silent for messages from unknown numbers or people you haven't saved.

Turn off announcements for specific apps

You might want to hear about phone calls and text messages but not emails or social media notifications. Go back to the Announce Notifications screen and look for "Announce From Apps." Tap it to see a list of every app that can send notifications.

Each app has a toggle switch next to it. Turn off the toggle for any app you don't want announced. Messages, Mail, Reminders, Calendar, and other Apple apps appear here, along with any third-party apps that send notifications. When you turn off an app's toggle, Siri will not read notifications from that app, even if Announce Notifications is turned on overall.

What happens if you have multiple AirPods

If you own more than one pair of AirPods — for example, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max — each pair has its own entry in your Bluetooth settings. You can set different announcement rules for each pair. Your AirPods Pro might announce all notifications, while your AirPods Max only announces messages from contacts.

To change the setting for a different pair, go back to Settings > Bluetooth, find the other AirPods in the list, tap the information icon, and adjust Announce Notifications the same way.

Why announcements might still happen after you change the setting

If you turn off Announce Notifications but Siri still reads messages aloud, your AirPods may not be fully connected. Disconnect them from Bluetooth, wait five seconds, and reconnect. Sometimes the setting doesn't sync until the AirPods reconnect.

Also check that you're looking at the right AirPods. If you have multiple pairs, you might have changed the setting on one pair but you're wearing the other. Look at your Bluetooth menu — the pair you're currently wearing will show a blue dot next to the name.

If you recently updated your iPhone, the setting may have reset to its default. Go back to Settings > Bluetooth > your AirPods > Announce Notifications and confirm it's set the way you want it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off announcements for just one contact?

No — you can only choose between Everyone, Contacts Only, or turn announcements off entirely. If you want to silence one specific person, you'll need to remove them from your Contacts or use Do Not Disturb to silence notifications from their number during certain hours.

Will I still get visual notifications if I turn off Announce Notifications?

Yes. Turning off Announce Notifications only stops Siri from reading messages aloud. You'll still see notification badges on your apps, and your iPhone screen will still light up when messages arrive. You just won't hear them read aloud through your AirPods.

Does this setting work with Siri voice announcements in the car?

No. Announce Notifications only controls what Siri reads through your AirPods. If you're using CarPlay or a car's Bluetooth system, those have separate announcement settings in your car's settings menu or in the CarPlay preferences on your iPhone.

What if I want announcements only during certain times of day?

Announce Notifications doesn't have a time-based schedule. Instead, use Focus modes — create a Focus for work hours or bedtime, and set it to silence notifications entirely or allow them only from certain contacts. Then turn Announce Notifications back on for times when you want to hear them.