Turn off Announce Notifications in AirPods settings

Announce Notifications is the feature that reads your messages, calls, and alerts through your AirPods. You can turn it off entirely, or limit it to specific apps and situations. The setting lives in your iPhone or iPad's Bluetooth settings, not in the AirPods app itself.

Open Settings on your iPhone, then go to Bluetooth. Find your AirPods in the list and tap the info icon (the small circle with an "i"). Scroll down to "Announce Notifications" and toggle it off. This stops all announcements when ready.

If you want to keep announcements for some things but not others, tap "Announce Notifications" instead of toggling it off. You'll see options to announce calls, messages, and reminders separately. Turn off the ones you don't want to hear.

Key Takeaways

  • Announce Notifications is found in Bluetooth settings under your AirPods info, not in the AirPods app.
  • You can turn off announcements completely or choose which types of notifications to announce.
  • On Mac, the setting is in System Settings > Bluetooth, then the info button next to your AirPods.
  • If you have multiple Apple devices, you'll need to change the setting on each one separately.
  • Turning off Announce Notifications does not affect notifications on your screen or in Notification Center.

Control which apps can announce through AirPods

Some apps send notifications that bypass your Announce Notifications setting. Calendar, Reminders, and third-party messaging apps sometimes announce events or messages even when you've turned off announcements. You can prevent this by controlling which apps are allowed to send notifications at all.

Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll through the list of apps. Tap each one and turn off "Allow Notifications" for apps you don't want interrupting you. This stops them from sending notifications to your screen, your lock screen, and your AirPods.

If you want an app's notifications on your phone but not announced through AirPods, tap the app in Notifications settings, then scroll down and turn off "Announce Notifications" for that specific app. This keeps the notification silent in your ears but still visible on your device.

Set up Focus modes to silence announcements during specific times

Focus modes let you create schedules where announcements stop automatically. You can set Work Focus to silence all notifications during business hours, Sleep Focus to mute everything at night, or Driving Focus to pause announcements while you're on the road.

Open Settings > Focus and tap the plus sign to create a new Focus. Name it (Work, Sleep, Driving, or whatever fits your routine), then tap "Customize Notifications". Choose which apps can still send notifications during this Focus, and toggle off "Announce Notifications" at the top.

Once you've set up the Focus, tap "Set a Schedule" to make it turn on and off automatically. You can also add locations — for example, Sleep Focus could set up whenever you're at home after 10 p.m., or Driving Focus whenever you connect to your car's Bluetooth.

Use Do Not Disturb to pause announcements without changing settings

Do Not Disturb is faster than Focus modes if you just need a quick break. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone to open Control Center, then tap the Do Not Disturb icon (a circle with a line through it). This silences all notifications, including announcements through AirPods, until you turn it off.

You can also set Do Not Disturb to set up automatically at certain times. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, then tap "Set a Schedule". Choose the times you want it on, and it will silence announcements without you having to remember to turn it on.

Do Not Disturb is temporary and doesn't change your notification settings. When you turn it off, your announcements come back exactly as they were. This makes it useful for meetings, meals, or any time you want a break without permanently disabling the feature.

Disable Announce Notifications on Mac

If you use AirPods with a Mac, the announcement setting is separate from your iPhone. Open System Settings, click Bluetooth in the sidebar, find your AirPods, and click the info icon. Scroll to "Announce Notifications" and uncheck the box.

On Mac, you can also control which apps announce notifications by going to System Settings > Notifications, then clicking each app and unchecking "Announce Notifications" for that app only. This gives you finer control than the all-or-nothing toggle.

Turn off Announce Notifications for specific contact types

If you want to hear announcements from calls and reminders but not from Messages, you can customize this in your AirPods settings. Go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap your AirPods info, and look for "Announce Notifications". Tap it to see separate toggles for Calls, Messages, and Reminders.

Turn off the ones you don't want announced. For example, you might keep Calls and Reminders on but turn off Messages so your AirPods don't read every text message aloud. This is useful if you get a lot of group chat notifications but still want to hear important calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Announce Notifications affect my phone's notifications?

No. Turning off Announce Notifications only stops your AirPods from reading them aloud. Your notifications will still appear on your screen, lock screen, and in Notification Center exactly as before.

Can I announce notifications from some apps but not others?

Yes. Go to Settings > Notifications, tap each app, scroll down, and toggle "Announce Notifications" on or off for that app individually. This lets you hear announcements from Messages but not from Calendar, for example.

What's the difference between turning off Announce Notifications and using Do Not Disturb?

Turning off Announce Notifications is permanent until you turn it back on — your notifications still arrive, just silently. Do Not Disturb is temporary and pauses all notifications until you turn it off. Use Announce Notifications to change your default behavior, and Do Not Disturb for quick breaks.

Do I need to change the setting on all my Apple devices?

Yes. Each device has its own Bluetooth settings. If you use AirPods with an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you'll need to turn off Announce Notifications on each one separately if you want the same behavior everywhere.

Why are some notifications still being announced even though I turned off Announce Notifications?

Some apps have their own announcement settings that override the main toggle. Check Settings > Notifications, tap the app, scroll down, and look for an "Announce Notifications" option specific to that app. Turn it off there as well.