Where AirPods notifications come from and how to stop them

AirPods read notifications aloud through Siri when your iPhone, iPad, or Mac receives a message, call, or app alert. You cannot turn off notifications directly on the AirPods themselves — they have no settings menu. Instead, you control what reaches your ears by changing three things: which apps send notifications to your device, whether Siri announces them, and whether your AirPods are set to read them at all.

The fastest route is usually to turn off Siri announcements in your iPhone's settings, which stops all spoken notifications at once. If you want to keep some notifications but silence others, you can turn off announcements for specific apps instead. A third option is to disable notifications on the app itself, which stops the alert from reaching your device in the first place.

Key Takeaways

  • Siri announcements on AirPods are controlled through your iPhone's Settings app under Notifications, not on the AirPods themselves.
  • Turning off "Announce Notifications" in Settings stops all spoken alerts through your AirPods when ready.
  • You can allow notifications to arrive on your phone while preventing Siri from reading them aloud by disabling announcements for specific apps.
  • If you want to hear some notifications but not others, turn off announcements for individual apps rather than disabling the feature entirely.

Turn off all Siri announcements at once

Open Settings on your iPhone and tap Notifications. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and look for "Announce Notifications" — this is the master switch for all spoken alerts through your AirPods. Tap it and toggle the switch to off. Siri will no longer read any notifications aloud, whether you are wearing your AirPods or not.

This is the simplest option if you find announcements distracting or if you want to check your phone manually instead. Your notifications will still arrive on your device and appear on your lock screen — Siri just will not speak them. You can turn this setting back on at any time by returning to the same screen and toggling it on again.

Turn off announcements for specific apps

If you want to hear some notifications but not others, you can silence announcements for individual apps. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then scroll down and tap "Announce Notifications" again. You will see a list of every app that can send notifications. Next to each app name is a toggle — turn it off for any app you do not want Siri to announce.

For example, you might want to hear calls and messages from your contacts but not notifications from social media or news apps. Toggle off the apps that distract you, and leave on the ones that matter. This way your AirPods will still announce important alerts while staying quiet about the rest.

Disable notifications from an app entirely

If you do not want an app to send notifications at all — not just to avoid hearing them through your AirPods — you can turn off notifications for that app on your device. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then find the app in the list. Tap the app name and toggle off "Allow Notifications" at the top of the screen.

This stops the app from sending any alerts to your phone, your lock screen, or your AirPods. The app will not bother you in any way. Use this for apps you rarely need to hear from, like games or shopping apps. For apps you want to stay informed about but do not want announced aloud, use the "Announce Notifications" toggle instead.

Control announcements while wearing your AirPods

When you are wearing your AirPods and a notification arrives, you can tell Siri to read it or skip it on the spot. When Siri starts to announce a notification, say "Read it" to hear the full message or "Skip" to dismiss it without hearing the details. This gives you quick control without taking off your AirPods or pulling out your phone.

You can also ask Siri to turn off announcements temporarily by saying "Stop announcing notifications" while wearing your AirPods. Siri will silence announcements until you tell her to turn them back on or until you restart your device. This is useful if you are in a meeting or a quiet space and do not want to be interrupted.

Check your Do Not Disturb settings

If you have Do Not Disturb turned on, your iPhone will not send notifications to your AirPods — or to your phone at all, depending on your settings. Open Settings, tap Focus, and look at Do Not Disturb. If it is active, tap it and check which apps are allowed to notify you. You can add apps to the allowed list if you want to hear from them even when Do Not Disturb is on.

Do Not Disturb is different from turning off announcements. With Do Not Disturb, the notifications do not reach your device at all. With announcement settings, the notifications arrive but Siri does not read them aloud. Choose whichever fits your situation — Do Not Disturb for times when you want complete silence, and announcement settings for when you want to see notifications but not hear them.

Make sure your AirPods are connected properly

Sometimes notifications stop being announced because your AirPods have disconnected from your iPhone. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right of your screen, tap the audio card, and check whether your AirPods are listed as connected. If they are not, tap them to reconnect.

If your AirPods are connected but you still are not hearing announcements when you expect to, check that Announce Notifications is actually turned on in Settings. It is straightforward to forget whether you toggled it on or off. Go back to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and verify the setting matches what you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off announcements stop notifications from appearing on my lock screen?

No. Turning off Siri announcements only stops the spoken alert through your AirPods. Notifications will still show up on your lock screen and in your notification center. You will see them when you look at your phone, but you will not hear them read aloud.

Can I turn off announcements for just one contact?

Not directly through the announcement settings. However, you can turn off notifications for that contact's messages or calls in the Messages or Phone app settings. Alternatively, you can use Focus modes to allow notifications from only certain people while blocking others.

What if I want to hear announcements through my speaker instead of my AirPods?

Siri announcements play through whatever audio device is currently active — your AirPods, your phone speaker, or a connected car system. If you want to hear announcements through your phone speaker instead, disconnect your AirPods before the notification arrives, or turn off Bluetooth entirely.

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

No. Announcement settings sync across your devices if you use the same Apple ID and have iCloud enabled. Changing the setting on your iPhone will explore to your iPad and Mac as well. However, you can override this on individual devices if you want different settings on each one.

Why is Siri still announcing notifications even though I turned off announcements?

Check that you toggled off the right setting. Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll all the way to the bottom — "Announce Notifications" should be there. If it is already off, restart your iPhone and check again. If a specific app is still announcing, make sure you toggled it off in the app-specific announcement list.