If you regularly wear AirPods or drive a car with Bluetooth connectivity, looking at your iPhone screen to see who is calling can be dangerous or inconvenient. Apple includes a fantastic accessibility feature called “Announce Calls” that uses Siri to speak the name of the incoming caller out loud before you answer.
How to Turn On Announce Calls
You can configure Siri to announce calls all the time, or only when you are wearing headphones or connected to a car.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Phone.
- Under the “Calls” section, tap on Announce Calls.
- You will see four options:
- Always: Siri will speak the caller’s name out loud through your iPhone’s speakers for every single call.
- Headphones & Car: Siri will only announce the caller if you are connected to Bluetooth headphones (like AirPods) or a supported Bluetooth car system.
- Headphones Only: Siri will only announce the caller when headphones are connected.
- Never: The feature is disabled (this is the default setting).
- Tap the option that best fits your lifestyle.
Once enabled, when you receive a phone call, your ringtone will briefly lower in volume, and Siri will say “Call from [Contact Name].” If the number is not in your contacts, Siri will either read the phone number aloud or say “Unknown Caller.”
How to Answer an Announced Call Hands-Free
If you are using AirPods or compatible Beats headphones and have the Announce Calls feature turned on, you can actually answer or reject the call using just your voice—no “Hey Siri” required.
When Siri announces the caller’s name, it will pause. You can simply say “Answer” or “Decline.” Siri will immediately execute the command, allowing you to handle the phone call without ever lifting a finger or touching your device.