Why your iPhone announces notifications during music, and how to turn it off

Your iPhone is announcing notifications out loud while you play music because Announce Notifications is turned on in your Accessibility settings. This feature reads incoming messages, calls, and alerts aloud through your speaker or headphones — useful when you're driving or cooking, but intrusive when you're listening to music, podcasts, or videos.

The setting exists separately from your notification sound settings, which is why turning off notification sounds doesn't stop the announcements. You need to disable Announce Notifications directly, or set it to announce only when you're using specific apps or accessories.

Key Takeaways

  • Announce Notifications is found in Settings > Accessibility > Notifications, not in the main Notifications settings.
  • You can turn off announcements entirely, or limit them to only CarPlay, headphones, or Siri.
  • If you want announcements for some apps but not others, you can customize which apps are allowed to announce.
  • Turning off Announce Notifications does not affect your regular notification sounds or badges.

Turn off announcements completely

The fastest way to stop all announcements is to disable the feature entirely. Open Settings on your home screen, then tap Accessibility. Scroll down and tap Notifications.

Look for the toggle next to Announce Notifications and tap it to turn it off. The toggle will no longer be green. Your iPhone will stop reading notifications aloud immediately, but you'll still receive notification sounds and badges as normal.

If you want announcements back later, return to the same screen and toggle it on again.

Limit announcements to only CarPlay or headphones

If you want to keep announcements for driving but not while you're playing music at home, you can restrict when they happen. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Notifications again, but this time keep Announce Notifications turned on.

Below the main toggle, you'll see Announce Notifications with. Tap that option and you'll see three choices: Always, Headphones Only, or CarPlay Only. Select Headphones Only if you use CarPlay in your car and want announcements there but not through your phone's speaker. Select CarPlay Only if you want announcements only when connected to your car's system.

This approach keeps announcements available when you need them without interrupting music you're playing through your phone's speaker or your own headphones.

Turn off announcements for specific apps

If you want to hear announcements for messages but not for social media notifications, or vice versa, you can control which apps are allowed to announce. Stay in Settings > Accessibility > Notifications with Announce Notifications turned on.

Scroll down to Apps and you'll see a list of every app that sends notifications. Tap any app name to see its announcement settings. You can toggle announcements on or off for each app individually. For example, you might keep Messages and Phone turned on but turn off Twitter, Instagram, and email.

This gives you fine control without having to disable announcements entirely. You'll still hear announcement sounds for the apps you've left on, but other apps will notify you silently.

Check if Siri is reading notifications instead

Sometimes the announcements come from a different setting. If you have Siri Announcements turned on, Siri will read your notifications aloud when you're using headphones or in your car. This is separate from Announce Notifications.

To check this, go to Settings > Siri & Search and scroll down to look for any announcement-related options. The exact name and location varies by iOS version, but search for "announce" in Settings if you're unsure. Turn off any Siri announcement toggles you find.

You can also ask Siri directly: say "Hey Siri, stop announcing notifications" and Siri will disable the feature for you.

Make sure notification sounds are set correctly

Even after you turn off Announce Notifications, your phone might still make sounds when notifications arrive. This is separate from the announcement feature. If you want complete silence, you need to adjust notification sounds too.

Go to Settings > Notifications and tap the app you want to silence. Look for Sounds and make sure it's set to None. You can also turn on Critical Alerts Only if you want to hear only the most important notifications.

Alternatively, turn on Focus modes (Settings > Focus) to automatically silence notifications during specific times or activities. For example, you can create a Music Focus that silences all notifications when you open Apple Music or Spotify.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Announce Notifications affect my Do Not Disturb or Focus settings?

No. Announce Notifications and Do Not Disturb are separate features. Turning off announcements only stops your phone from reading notifications aloud. Your Do Not Disturb and Focus modes will continue to work as they did before, controlling whether notifications appear at all.

Can I make announcements happen only when my screen is locked?

The Announce Notifications setting doesn't have a screen-lock option built in. Your best alternative is to use a Focus mode that silences announcements when your screen is on, or to set announcements to Headphones Only so they don't play through your speaker while you're using your phone.

Why does my iPhone still announce notifications after I turned off Announce Notifications?

Check whether Siri Announcements is turned on separately in Settings > Siri & Search. Also verify that you're in the right settings menu — Announce Notifications is under Accessibility, not under the main Notifications settings. If you're still hearing announcements, restart your iPhone to make sure the change took effect.

Can I turn off announcements just for music apps?

Yes. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Notifications, tap Apps, and find Music, Spotify, Apple Music, or whichever app you use. Toggle announcements off for that app only. Announcements will still work for other apps, but not while you're playing music in that specific app.

Do I need to restart my iPhone for the changes to take effect?

Usually not. The change happens immediately after you toggle the setting off. If announcements continue after you've disabled them, try restarting your phone by holding the power button and swiping to power off, then turning it back on.