When you’re wearing compatible AirPods or Beats headphones, or driving with your iPhone connected to the car, Siri can read your incoming text messages out loud. That’s useful while you’re cooking or running, but it’s annoying (or embarrassing) when you’re in a meeting or listening to a podcast. On an iPhone 13 you can turn the feature off completely, stop it only for headphones or the car, or limit it to the Messages app. This guide also covers how to make announcements quieter instead of turning them off.
Quick Answer
Go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and turn off Announce Notifications. On some newer iOS versions, the same setting is under Settings > Siri > Announce Notifications. To stop only text messages, tap Messages on that screen and turn it off.
Turn Off Announce Messages on iPhone 13
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications (or Siri on newer iOS versions).
- Tap Announce Notifications.
- Turn off the Announce Notifications switch.
Siri stops announcing notifications from every app, including Messages, on headphones and in the car.
Stop Announcements Only for Messages
- On the Announce Notifications screen, scroll to the list of apps.
- Tap Messages.
- Turn off Announce Notifications, or choose which messages to announce: Time Sensitive and Direct Messages or All Notifications. Newer versions also offer Priority Notifications.
Stop Announcements Only on AirPods or Headphones
Under Announce When Connected To, turn off Headphones. Siri will keep announcing messages in the car (if that switch is on) but not through your earbuds or headphones. Turn off the car switch to do the opposite.
Turn It Off Quickly From Control Center
- Go to Settings > Control Center and add Announce Notifications. On iOS 18 and later, open Control Center, tap + in the top-left corner, tap Add a Control, and search for Announce Notifications.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
- Tap the Announce Notifications button (a red bell with a waveform). Press and hold it to mute announcements for one hour or for the rest of the day.
Make Announcements Quieter Instead
If Siri is just too loud, you don’t have to turn announcements off:
- Adjust volume while Siri is speaking: Siri’s voice volume is separate from your music. Press the volume buttons on your iPhone (or use your headphones’ volume control) while Siri is reading a message. The new level is remembered for future announcements.
- Lower media volume first: the announcement plays over your audio, so turning down loud music makes Siri easier to hear at a lower volume.
- Use a quieter Siri voice: in Settings > Siri > Siri Voice, some voices are softer than others.
How Announce Notifications Works
- It only works when your iPhone is locked, or the screen is off. If you’re using the phone, messages aren’t read aloud.
- It needs compatible headphones: AirPods (2nd generation and later), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and several Beats models, according to Apple.
- After Siri reads a message, you can say “Reply” and speak your response. With Reply Without Confirmation on, Siri sends the reply without reading it back first. Turn it off to hear your reply before it’s sent.
- To stop Siri mid-message, remove one earbud or press your headphones’ control.
Still Hearing Messages Read Aloud?
- Car settings: in CarPlay, messages can also be announced via Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications > Car switch. Some cars have their own text-to-speech that reads messages; check the car’s settings.
- Spoken Content: if your iPhone speaks words while you type, that’s a separate accessibility feature. See how to stop your iPhone from speaking words while you type.
- Apple Watch: if your AirPods are connected to your Apple Watch, check Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications on the watch.
- Focus: a Focus that allows notifications from certain people will still let Siri announce those messages. Silenced notifications aren’t announced.
To control whether Siri works before unlocking, see how to use Siri from the Lock Screen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my AirPods start reading my texts?
Announce Notifications is often turned on during AirPods setup, or after an iOS update. Turn it off using the steps above.
Can I let Siri announce messages from only certain people?
Not directly, but choosing Time Sensitive and Direct Messages for Messages, combined with a Focus that allows only certain contacts, gets close.
Does turning this off stop Siri announcing calls?
No. Calls are controlled separately in Settings > Phone > Announce Calls (or Settings > Siri > Announce Calls).
Does this work the same on other iPhone models?
Yes. The steps are the same on any iPhone running iOS 15 or later.
Summary
- Open Settings > Notifications (or Siri) > Announce Notifications.
- Turn off Announce Notifications to stop all announcements.
- Or turn off Headphones, or Messages, to limit them.
- Adjust Siri’s volume while it’s speaking if you only want it quieter.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.