Modern Android smartphones include a built-in accessibility feature known as “Caller ID Announcement.” When you receive an incoming phone call, this feature temporarily mutes your ringtone and uses a synthetic robotic voice to loudly announce the name of the person calling you (e.g., “Incoming call from: Mom”).
While this is incredibly helpful if you are driving or wearing Bluetooth headphones across the room, it can be extremely embarrassing in a quiet office environment or a public space. If your phone rings on your desk, you likely do not want your entire department to hear a robot loudly announcing that your doctor or your ex-partner is calling you.
If you prefer a standard, discreet musical ringtone, you can easily disable the Caller ID announcer.
How to Turn Off Caller Name Announcements
This setting is controlled directly within the default Google Phone (Dialer) application.
- Open the Phone app on your Android device (the app you use to dial numbers).
- Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the search bar.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the settings list. Under the “Advanced” section, tap on Caller ID announcement.
- Tap on Announce caller ID.
- A pop-up menu will appear with three options:
- Always
- Only when using a headset
- Never
- Select Never (or select the headset option if you only want it active while wearing earbuds).
The change is instantaneous. The next time you receive a phone call, your Android device will simply play your designated ringtone silently, keeping the identity of the caller strictly private until you pick up the screen.