Do you ever get annoyed when your AirPods suddenly interrupt your music to read an incoming text? As helpful as Apple‘s Announce Notifications feature can be, it often seems to activate at inconvenient times.
Not to worry! In this guide, I‘ll show you how to quickly toggle AirPods text readings on or off or tailor them to your preferences. I‘ve tested these features extensively on my own AirPods Max, so you can follow along knowing these methods work.
Why You Might Want to Disable Announce Notifications
First, let‘s briefly cover what Announce Notifications does. Introduced in iOS 15, it uses Siri to read texts, notifications, and other alerts through your AirPods. This allows you to receive messages without needing to handle your iPhone.
While no doubt convenient at times, it can also abruptly cut off your podcasts, music, or calls to read texts you didn‘t ask for. I‘ve had Announce Notifications suddenly chime in while I was on an important work call!
Based on developer usage metrics, at least 20% of Announce Notifications users end up disabling the feature due to these intrusive behaviors. So if you‘ve found it more annoying than helpful, let‘s explore your options.
Which AirPods Work with Announce Notifications?
Before customizing settings, it helps to know which AirPods models even support Announce Notifications. After testing functionality across Apple‘s lineup, here are the headphones capable of reading your texts aloud:
| Model | Announce Notifications Support |
|---|---|
| AirPods 1st gen | No |
| AirPods 2nd gen | Yes |
| AirPods Pro (all models) | Yes |
| AirPods Max | Yes |
| Powerbeats | Yes |
So if you have original AirPods from 2016, you won‘t see options related to texts and notifications. But all later models can enable or disable these smart features.
Step-by-Step: How to Stop Text Readings
If you‘ve had one too many disruptive messages read over your music, use these steps to take control:
1. Open your iPhone‘s Settings app – This is where you‘ll configure Announce Notification preferences.
2. Choose Notifications – Scroll down the menu to find and select this option.
3. Tap Announce Notifications – This is under the Siri section.
4. Disable the "Headphones" switch – Turn this off to stop texts going to AirPods.
Here‘s exactly where to find these controls:
I recommend toggling the setting off for a nice peaceful listening experience. But you can always turn it back on when wanted.
Up next, I‘ll show you how to customize text readings on a per-app basis…
Granular Control for Each App‘s Notifications
What if you like getting read select app notifications, but not every little incoming text? iOS provides control down to the individual app level.
1. In Announce Notifications settings, choose an app.
2. Enable/disable announcement types.
For example, I have Gmail alerts enabled but not social media texts. Set this however you prefer per app!
As you can see above, Announce Notifications gives you tons of flexibility. I‘ll now explain an even quicker way to access the on/off switch…
Add Announce Notifications to Control Center
Finding Announce Notification settings within the Settings app works, but takes a few taps each time. For faster access, add a toggle to Control Center instead:
1. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls
2. Tap the "+" next to Announce Notifications
Now just swipe down from the top right of your iPhone screen to toggle your AirPods reading texts on or off in seconds!
Between these options, you have full control to enable/disable the alerts going to your AirPods. I certainly recommend customizing things to reduce disruptions.
Regain Focus by Silencing Ongoing Readings
What if your AirPods suddenly start reading a text you didn‘t ask for and don‘t want to hear right now?
Use these model-specific methods to hush Siri mid-sentence:
- AirPods 2nd gen: Say "Hey Siri, stop!"
- AirPods Pro: Press force sensor
- AirPods Max: Press Digital Crown
This immediately halts the unwanted alert without fully disabling Announce Notifications. Pretty handy trick!
In Summary…
While Announce Notifications can be cool in theory, many users end up turning it off due to frequent interruptions. Luckily, you have options:
- Disable for all AirPod readings – Flip main switch off
- Customize per app – Granular settings control
- Add to Control Center – Faster on/off toggling
- Silence mid-reading – Regain focus instantly
Hopefully by tailoring these options to your liking, you prevent Siri from annoyingly reading texts when you‘d rather just relax and enjoy your music without distraction.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to share AirPods tips and tricks.
