The Intrusive Assistant
If you own a pair of Apple AirPods, you have likely experienced the “Announce Notifications” feature. By default, when your iPhone is locked and you have your AirPods in your ears, Siri will automatically lower the volume of your music and loudly read any incoming text messages directly into your brain. While this is incredibly useful if you are cycling down a busy road and cannot look at your phone, it is incredibly intrusive if you are trying to focus on a podcast while working at your desk. Having a fast-paced group chat constantly interrupting your audio stream is infuriating. If you prefer to read your messages manually on your own schedule, you must revoke Siri’s permission to speak.
How to Turn Off Announce Notifications
You can completely disable this auditory interruption via the main notification settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Notifications.
- Under the “Siri” section, tap on Announce Notifications.
- You will see a master toggle switch at the very top of the screen.
- Tap the switch to turn it Off (the green background will disappear).
Creating Exceptions
If you don’t want to completely disable the feature, you can leave the master switch on and scroll down to the specific app list instead. This allows you to turn the feature off for standard “Messages” (stopping the constant group chat interruptions), but leave it turned on for critical apps like “Reminders” or “Calendar.” This ensures Siri only interrupts your music to tell you about an impending meeting, rather than a meme your friend just texted you.