AirPods read notifications aloud by default, but you can silence them entirely or route them elsewhere

When you wear AirPods, your phone reads incoming messages, calendar alerts, and app notifications directly into your ears — even if you've muted your phone. This happens because AirPods treat audio announcements as a separate setting from your phone's notification volume. To stop hearing notifications through your AirPods, you have three real options: turn off Siri announcements (which handles most notifications), disable specific app notifications on your phone, or switch your AirPods to a different audio mode that doesn't trigger announcements.

The fastest path is usually turning off Siri announcements in your AirPods settings. This stops the most intrusive notifications — messages, calls, and reminders — without touching your phone's notification settings. If you want finer control, you can silence notifications from individual apps instead, which keeps them on your phone but stops them from interrupting you through your AirPods.

Key Takeaways

  • Siri announcements in AirPods settings control whether notifications read aloud to you, separate from your phone's notification volume.
  • Turning off "Announce Messages" and "Announce Calls" in Bluetooth settings stops the most common AirPods notifications in one place.
  • You can also disable notifications from individual apps on your phone, which silences them everywhere including your AirPods.
  • Switching your AirPods to a different audio mode or disconnecting them temporarily stops notifications without changing permanent settings.

Turn off Siri announcements in your AirPods settings

This is the simplest method and handles most notifications. On your iPhone, open Settings, then tap Bluetooth. Find your AirPods in the list and tap the information icon (a small circle with an "i") next to them. Scroll down until you see Announce Messages and Announce Calls. Toggle both of these to Off.

This stops Siri from reading your messages and incoming calls aloud through your AirPods. Calendar reminders and other app notifications may still appear on your phone's screen, but they won't interrupt your audio. If you want to keep announcements for calls but silence messages, you can toggle them separately — turn off only the one you don't want to hear.

On Mac, the process is similar. Go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), click Bluetooth, find your AirPods, and click the information icon. Look for the same announcement settings and toggle them off.

Disable notifications from specific apps on your phone

If you want to keep some notifications but silence others, you can turn off notifications for individual apps. This prevents those apps from sending notifications to your phone at all, so they won't reach your AirPods either. On iPhone, open Settings, then Notifications. Scroll through the list and tap any app you want to silence. Toggle Allow Notifications to Off.

This approach takes longer if you have many apps, but it gives you precise control. You might turn off notifications for social media or games while keeping them on for messages, email, and calendar. The downside is that you'll also stop seeing notifications on your phone's lock screen and in the notification center — they won't just be silent through your AirPods.

If you want notifications to still appear on your phone but just not announce through your AirPods, stick with the Siri announcements method instead. That way your phone can still alert you visually without interrupting your audio.

Use Focus modes to silence notifications by context

Focus modes let you create rules about which notifications come through based on what you're doing. If you're in a meeting, exercising, or working, you can set a Focus that silences most notifications automatically. Open Settings, tap Focus, and tap the + button to create a new Focus. Name it something like "Work" or "Gym".

For each Focus, you can choose which people and apps are allowed to notify you. When you set up that Focus, all other notifications stay silent — including through your AirPods. You can set Focus modes to turn on automatically at certain times or locations, so you don't have to remember to switch them manually.

This is useful if you want different notification rules for different parts of your day. You might allow messages from family during your Work Focus but silence everything else, then switch to a different Focus when you're done.

Disconnect your AirPods temporarily

If you need a quick break from notifications without changing settings, straightforward disconnect your AirPods. Go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the information icon next to your AirPods, and tap Disconnect. Your phone will still receive notifications, but they won't play through your AirPods — they'll use your phone's speaker instead (if notifications are set to play sound).

When you're ready to use your AirPods again, they'll reconnect automatically the next time you open the case or tap them. This method doesn't change any permanent settings, so it's useful when you just need temporary silence.

Check Do Not Disturb settings on your phone

Your phone's Do Not Disturb mode silences most notifications, but it doesn't always stop Siri announcements through AirPods. However, it's worth checking because it can reduce overall notification noise. Open Settings, tap Focus, then Do Not Disturb. You can set it to allow calls and messages from specific contacts while silencing everything else.

Do Not Disturb is different from turning off Siri announcements — it's a broader setting that affects your entire phone. Use it alongside the AirPods settings for maximum control. For example, you might turn off Siri announcements permanently and use Do Not Disturb during specific times when you want extra quiet.

Troubleshooting: Notifications still coming through

If you've turned off Siri announcements but still hear notifications, restart your AirPods. Put them back in their case for 15 seconds, then take them out and reconnect them to your phone. Sometimes the Bluetooth connection doesn't sync settings properly until you reconnect.

Also check that you toggled off the correct settings. Open Settings > Bluetooth > your AirPods info icon again and confirm that Announce Messages and Announce Calls both show Off. If they're still on, toggle them off again and wait a few seconds for the change to take effect.

If a specific app keeps announcing notifications even after you've disabled Siri announcements, go to Settings > Notifications and turn off that app's notifications entirely. Some apps have their own notification settings that override the system settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Siri announcements stop all notifications on my AirPods?

It stops messages and calls, which are the most common announcements. Calendar reminders and some app notifications may still appear on your phone's screen, but they won't play audio through your AirPods. If you want to silence those too, disable notifications for those specific apps in your phone's notification settings.

Can I turn off announcements for messages but keep them for calls?

Yes. In Settings > Bluetooth > your AirPods info, toggle Announce Messages to Off while leaving Announce Calls on. You can control each one separately.

What's the difference between turning off Siri announcements and disabling app notifications?

Siri announcements control whether notifications play audio through your AirPods. Disabling app notifications stops the app from sending notifications to your phone at all, so they won't appear anywhere — not on your lock screen, not in your notification center, and not through your AirPods.

If I disconnect my AirPods, will I still get notifications on my phone?

Yes. Your phone will still receive notifications and may play them through your phone's speaker or show them on your lock screen, depending on your notification settings. Disconnecting only stops them from playing through your AirPods.

Do these settings work the same way on Mac?

The Siri announcement settings work similarly on Mac — go to System Settings > Bluetooth > your AirPods info. However, Mac has its own notification settings separate from your iPhone, so you may need to adjust notifications in both places if you use AirPods with both devices.