How to stop Siri from reading messages on AirPods

After some time of being connected with Siri on your AirPods, you might need a break from the constant flow of notifications. Although this feature is perfect for keeping up with messages when hands are busy, spam emails or unwanted notifications can become a real headache.

That’s why I prefer turning off this feature every now and then. I know that doing it for the first time might be a bit frustrating since it’s not everyday basic information. But no worries — in this article, I’ll show you how to stop AirPods from announcing notifications through various methods.

How to stop Siri from reading messages on AirPods via Settings

After pairing your AirPods with your iPhone or iPad for the first time, this Siri feature is automatically enabled. So, if you’re not one of the Apple geeks, the easiest way for you to turn it off might be through the Settings app. For that, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap Notifications.
2. Go to the Siri section and tap Announce Notifications.
3. Toggle off Announce Notifications to turn off AirPod message reading completely.

How to turn off notifications on AirPods via Control Center

Another way to disable Siri from reading messages on AirPods is through the Control Center. However, this method works only if you have previously customized your Control Center by adding notification announcements to it. If not, follow these steps first:

1. Go to the Settings app and scroll down.
2. Find Control Center and tap it.
3. Scroll down to the More Controls section and find Announce Notifications.
4. Tap the white cross icon in the green circle next to it.

Once the Announce Notifications feature is added to Control Center, you can easily use it to turn off AirPod message reading by following these steps:

1. Open the Control Center on your iPhone by swiping down from the upper-right corner (for iPhone X and later) or swiping up from the bottom (for iPhone 8 and earlier).
2. Find the bell icon and tap it to turn off the notification announcement feature.
3. Tap and hold the icon to access two options of muting notifications for an hour or a day, and choose one if you want to temporarily turn off the feature.

How to temporarily turn off AirPods reading texts

If you want some “me time” with your favorite podcast or music album without the notification flow, calls, and emails, Do Not Disturb or Focus mode might be your choice. This way, your notifications will be temporarily muted, meaning no additional noises.

1. Open the Control Center on your iPhone.
2. Tap the moon icon to enable Do Not Disturb mode.
3. Tap and hold the icon to get more mode variants. Choose the best option and tap three dots to access their customization options.

How to turn on and customize Siri notifications on AirPods

After a while, you might decide it’s time to get back on track. The good news is if you know how to turn off notifications on AirPods, you can easily turn them back on, as the steps are almost the same: 

1. Go to the Settings app and tap Notifications.
2. Find the Siri section and tap Announce Notifications.
3. Turn on the Announce Notifications toggle for Siri to announce all the notifications.

If you’d like to hear notifications from specific apps only, you can easily customize this by following these steps:

1. Scroll down to get to the Announce Notifications From section and find the app you need.
2. Tap the chosen app to open the settings window.
3. Toggle on or off Announce Notifications.
4. If you turn on the toggle, some apps might offer you to get either all notifications or time-sensitive ones

Read “How to customize an iPhone Home screen.”

Summary: Turn off AirPod message reading 

If you jumped here without reading the article, here’s a quick recap. You can always stop notification announcements through the Settings app > Notifications > Announce Notifications or by opening Control Center and tapping the bell icon. Additionally, you can temporarily disable it by turning on Focus mode.

For those seeking advanced experience without the constant flow of notifications, I recommend exploring the apps mentioned in this article. Both Curio and Launcher are available through Setapp, along with other 240+ stellar applications. 

This platform allows you to use all of them with a single subscription. And the cherry on top — you can explore all apps for free with a 7-day trial period.

How to turn off announce messages on AirPods FAQ