Where to find notification settings on your AirPods

Notification sounds on AirPods come from your connected iPhone, iPad, or Mac — not from the AirPods themselves. To turn them off, you go into the device's settings, not the AirPods settings. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then tap Notifications. You'll see a list of every app that sends notifications. From here, you can turn off sound for individual apps, all apps at once, or adjust which notifications make noise versus which ones stay silent.

On a Mac, open System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), then click Notifications in the sidebar. The layout is similar to iPhone — you choose which apps can send sounds and which cannot.

Key Takeaways

  • Notification sounds play through your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, so you control them in that device's settings, not in AirPods settings.
  • On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Notifications and turn off sound for individual apps or use Focus modes to silence all notifications at once.
  • On Mac, open System Settings > Notifications and disable sound for apps you don't want to hear from.
  • Do Not Disturb and Focus modes silence notifications across all apps without deleting them, so you can still see them when you unlock your device.

Turning off sound for a single app on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down to find the app you want to silence — for example, Messages, Mail, or Slack. Tap the app name to open its notification settings.

Look for the toggle next to Sound or Allow Notifications. If you want to keep seeing notifications but without sound, turn off the Sound toggle only. If you want to stop all notifications from that app, turn off Allow Notifications instead. The change takes effect immediately.

Using Focus modes to silence all notifications at once

Focus modes let you silence notifications from everything except a few chosen apps — useful if you want quiet time without turning off your phone. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Focus. Tap the + button to create a new Focus, or tap an existing one like Do Not Disturb, Work, or Sleep.

Choose which people and apps can still send notifications while the Focus is on. All other notifications will stay silent. You can set a Focus to turn on automatically at a certain time, when you arrive at a location, or when you open a specific app. When you turn off the Focus, notifications return to normal.

Turning off sound for a single app on Mac

Open System Settings and click Notifications in the sidebar. Find the app in the list on the left — for example, Mail, Messages, or Slack. Click the app name to see its notification options.

Uncheck the box next to Play sound for notifications. The app will still send notifications to your Notification Center, but you won't hear a sound through your AirPods. If you want to stop notifications from that app entirely, click the app and change the Notification Style dropdown to None.

Silencing notifications without turning off your device

If you want temporary quiet without changing individual app settings, use Do Not Disturb on iPhone or iPad. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, then tap the moon icon. All notifications will be silent until you turn it off.

On Mac, click the Control Center icon in the top-right corner, then click Do Not Disturb. You can set it to last for one hour, until the end of the day, or until you turn it off manually. Notifications still arrive — you just won't hear them or see banners on your screen.

Why you might still hear notifications after changing settings

If you've turned off sound for an app but still hear notifications, check whether a Focus mode is active. Focus modes override individual app settings. Look at the top of your iPhone screen or the top-right corner of your Mac — if you see a Focus icon, that Focus mode is controlling which notifications make sound.

Another reason is that the notification sound might be coming from a different app than you think. For example, a calendar reminder might be set to sound even if Calendar's notification sound is off. Open the app and check its own internal notification settings, separate from the device's main Notifications menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notification sound delete my notifications?

No. Turning off sound only silences the audio — your notifications still arrive and appear in your Notification Center. You can see them whenever you unlock your device or open Notification Center. Deleting notifications requires a separate action.

Can I turn off sound for notifications but keep vibration?

On iPhone, vibration is controlled separately from sound in some apps. Open Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and look for a Vibration option. You can turn off sound while keeping vibration on. On iPad, vibration options are more limited. On Mac, vibration is not available.

Do I need to restart my AirPods after changing notification settings?

No. Changes to notification settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac take effect immediately. You don't need to restart your AirPods or disconnect and reconnect them.

What's the difference between turning off sound and turning off notifications entirely?

Turning off sound keeps notifications arriving silently — you'll see them in Notification Center and on your lock screen, but hear nothing. Turning off notifications entirely stops them from arriving at all. Choose based on whether you want to see the notification later or ignore it completely.

Can I set different notification sounds for different apps?

On iPhone and iPad, you can choose a sound for each app in Settings > Notifications > [App Name] > Sound. On Mac, you can choose a sound in System Settings > Notifications > [App Name] > Sound. You cannot change the sound that plays through AirPods specifically — the sound comes from your device's notification sounds.