Turn off AirPods notifications in your iPhone settings

The fastest way to stop notifications from reaching your AirPods is to turn off the feature in your iPhone's settings. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then scroll down and tap Announce Notifications. Toggle it off. This stops Siri from reading incoming messages, calls, and reminders aloud through your AirPods — but you'll still see notifications on your phone's screen.

If you want to keep announcements but control which apps trigger them, you can turn off Announce Notifications globally and then re-enable it only for specific apps. Go back to Settings > Notifications, find the app you want to hear announcements from, tap it, then toggle Announce Notifications on for just that app.

This method works on any iPhone model running iOS 13.2 or later, and the setting syncs across all your Apple devices if you use the same iCloud account.

Key Takeaways

  • Turning off Announce Notifications in Settings stops Siri from reading messages and calls aloud through your AirPods, but notifications still appear on your phone screen.
  • You can allow announcements for some apps while blocking them for others by toggling the setting individually for each app in the Notifications menu.
  • The Announce Notifications feature requires iOS 13.2 or later and works with any AirPods model that supports Siri.
  • Disabling notifications on AirPods does not delete them from your phone — you'll still receive them normally through your device.

Disable notifications for specific apps only

If you want to hear announcements from some apps but not others, you don't have to turn off the entire feature. Go to Settings > Notifications and find the app you want to silence. Tap the app name, then toggle off Announce Notifications. Repeat for each app you want to mute on your AirPods.

This is useful if you want to hear important calls and messages but not notifications from social media or games. Your AirPods will still announce the apps you left enabled while staying quiet for the ones you turned off.

Turn off all notifications on your AirPods without touching your phone

If you're wearing your AirPods and want to quickly silence notifications without pulling out your phone, you can use Siri. Say "Turn off announcements" or "Stop announcing notifications," and Siri will disable the feature temporarily. To turn them back on, say "Turn on announcements."

This method is temporary and works only while you're wearing the AirPods. The setting reverts to whatever you chose in your phone's Settings app, so it's useful for a quick pause during a meeting or call without permanently changing your preferences.

Control notifications during Focus modes

If you use Focus modes on your iPhone — like Do Not Disturb, Work, or Sleep — you can set different notification rules for each mode. Open Settings > Focus, select the Focus mode you want to customize, then tap Notifications. You can choose which apps are allowed to send notifications while that Focus is active.

When you activate a Focus mode, your AirPods will respect those rules. For example, you could set your Work Focus to allow only calls and messages from contacts, blocking everything else from being announced through your AirPods. This is more flexible than turning off announcements entirely, because you keep control over what gets through.

Check your AirPods settings in the Bluetooth menu

Your AirPods themselves don't have a settings menu, but you can see their status and connection details in your phone's Bluetooth settings. Open Settings > Bluetooth, find your AirPods in the list, and tap the info icon next to them. This shows battery level and connection status, but notification settings are controlled only through the Notifications menu, not here.

If your AirPods aren't announcing notifications even though you have the feature turned on, check this menu to make sure your AirPods are connected and up to date. Occasionally, a disconnection or firmware issue can prevent announcements from working.

What happens when you turn off announcements

When you disable Announce Notifications, Siri stops reading messages, calls, reminders, and other alerts aloud through your AirPods. You won't hear a voice telling you who's calling or what message arrived. Your phone will still light up and vibrate with notifications, and you can still see them on your lock screen or notification center — they just won't be spoken to you.

This is different from turning off notifications entirely. The notifications still arrive on your phone; they're just not announced through your AirPods. If you want to stop receiving notifications from an app altogether, you'd need to go to that app's individual notification settings and turn off all notifications for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off announcements stop notifications from appearing on my phone?

No. Turning off Announce Notifications only stops Siri from reading them aloud through your AirPods. Notifications will still appear on your phone's screen, lock screen, and notification center. You'll just see them instead of hearing them.

Can I turn off announcements for just one app?

Yes. Go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, tap it, and toggle off Announce Notifications for that app only. Other apps will continue to announce through your AirPods if you have the feature enabled globally.

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

Check that your AirPods are connected in Settings > Bluetooth and that you're wearing them — announcements don't play if they're in the case. Also verify that the specific app has notifications turned on in Settings > Notifications. Some apps require you to enable notifications at the app level before announcements will work.

Do I need to turn off announcements on each of my Apple devices?

No. If you use the same iCloud account on multiple devices, the Announce Notifications setting syncs across them. Turning it off on your iPhone will turn it off on your iPad and Mac as well.

Can I schedule announcements to turn off at certain times?

Not directly through the announcements feature, but you can use Focus modes to achieve this. Create a Focus mode for evening or sleep hours, set it to allow no notifications, then schedule it to activate automatically at a specific time each day.