The average iPhone user receives 46 push notifications per day. When you factor in the number of iPhone users in the world, that is a really high number of text messages, app alerts, and emails that are being displayed on mobile device screens.
The popularity of Apple’s wireless AirPod earbuds, also means that many of those notifications are being read by Siri when they are received, which may not be a setting that every iPhone user wants to live with.
If you’re seeking to disable notifications on your AirPods, you can do so with the following step-by-step guide.
- First, unlock your device and go to the ‘Settings’ application, identifiable by the gear icon.
- Once there, scroll down until you find the ‘Notifications’ tab, which is usually represented by a red icon.
- In the ‘Notifications’ menu, you’ll notice an option labeled ‘Announce Notifications.’ Tap on this option.
- In the ensuing ‘Announce Notifications’ settings, you’ll find a toggle to turn the feature on or off. Simply switch off the toggle to disable AirPod notifications. This will ensure a more distraction-free audio experience with your AirPods.
Our tutorial below will show you how to turn off AirPod notifications if you either want to stop those “left behind” notifications or if you want your phone to stop reading them to you.
Check out this video about how to turn off AirPod notifications on YouTube for more on this topic.
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How to Turn Off AirPod Announcements
If you have ever asked yourself, “How do I turn off notifications on my AirPods” it’s probably because they seem to interrupt your music, podcast, or audiobook with relative frequency.
Check out our how to turn off flash notification on iPhone guide if you are currently seeing a light flash whenever you get an alert.
When you have your AirPods in your ears, and you get a notification, such as a text message, then your phone might read it to you. These are called announcements. Some people like them, but it’s entirely possible that you want to know how to turn off AirPod notifications if you would rather just check them yourself.
You can change this setting by going to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications > then turning off the Headphones option.
Alternatively, if you never want Siri to read your notifications in any situation, then you could turn off the Announce Notifications option at the top of the screen instead. Note that this turn off announcement AirPods action will also disable other announcements that you may actually want.
The Announce Notifications feature works on these headphones:
- AirPods (second-generation) or later
- AirPods Pro
- AirPods Max
- Beat Fits Pro
- Beats Solo Pro
- Powerbeats
- Powerbeats Pro
Note that there is also an option to change the setting for CarPlay as well if you want to adjust a similar setting for that feature.
You can also choose to keep the Announcements featured turned on, but disable it for individual apps instead.
Do you need a new pair of AirPods, or do you want to upgrade to the AirPods Pro for the noise cancellation? You can view the AirPods on Amazon here, and the AirPods Pro on Amazon here.
They also offer custom cases for the AirPods and custom cases for the AirPods Pro that can protect the charger and let you customize its appearance.
How to Turn Off AirPod Notifications for Specific Apps
While you might be most concerned about adjusting the notification settings for things like your Messages or Mail apps, there are other apps that might send a lot of notifications, too.
For example, some social media apps like Instagram or Pinterest may push a lot of information throughout the day, which could be disruptive while you have your AirPods in.
If this is happening to you, then you may want to use the steps below to check the list of apps on your device and turn off the notifications for your AirPods.
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Choose Notifications.
Step 3: Tap Announce Notifications.
Step 4: Scroll down to the Announce Notifications From section and turn off the option for any app that you don’t want announcing notifications.
In the image below, I have turned off the Announce Notifications feature for the Instagram app.
You will know that it is turned off when it says “Off” next to the app in the app list.
The next section is going to discuss adding a button to one of the iPhone’s menus so that you have another, quicker option when it comes to enabling or disabling the option that causes Siri to read notifications on your device.
How to Add an “Announce Notifications” Option to the iPhone Control Center
The Control Center on your iPhone is a great place to toggle certain settings on or off.
You may have already used it for things like the flashlight or Low Power Mode, but it’s pretty customizable, and you can put an “Announce Notifications” option there, too.
This can be a much quicker option when you get used to it and need to follow the steps for how to turn off AirPod notifications.
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Scroll down and select the Control Center menu.
Step 3: Tap the green + button to the left of Announce Notifications.
This will add this button to the very bottom of the Control Center.
If you want to move it up a bit, then you can reorganize buttons in the Control Center by tapping on the three lines next to the option in the Control Center menu, then dragging the button to the desired location.
In the next section, we will show you how to use this new option to turn AirPod notifications on or off on your iPhone.
How to Turn Off AirPod Notifications in the Control Center on an iPhone
The previous section discussed adding a button to turn the notification reading on and off.
So now that you have that button available, it’s time to figure out how to use it if you want to turn off AirPod notification content.
Step 1: Open the Control Center on your iPhone.
If your iPhone doesn’t have a Home button, you can add this by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen.
If your phone does have a Home button, then you will swipe up from the bottom of the screen instead.
Step 2: Find the Announce Notifications button and tap it to turn that feature on or off.
The button looks like a bell with a diamond-shaped series of vertical lines at its upper right corner.
Now that you know how to turn notifications off on AirPods from the Control Center, you can use this if you are frequently toggling this setting.
Since having this button on the Control Center can be really useful if you toggle this setting on or off with some frequency, then you might be interested in using a similar option from your Apple Watch.
How to Change a Setting on Your Apple Watch to Make Siri Stop Reading Text Messages
The Apple Watch affords you a large number of options for changing settings on both the watch and your phone.
The “Announce Notifications” option is one such item you can control by following the steps below.
Step 1: Swipe up from the bottom of your watch face.
Note that on newer watchOS versions you can open the Control Center by tapping the flat button on the side of the Apple Watch instead.
Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the menu and tap the Announce Notifications button.
The icon looks the same as the one in the Control Center on the iPhone that we discussed in the previous section.
Our guide continues below with additional information on turning off the “Airpods left behind” notification on an iPhone, including pictures of these steps.
Is there blue shading around your iPhone clock? Read our why is the time blue on my iPhone guide for ways that you can fix that.
While the above sections have focused on how to disable AirPod notifications that occur when you are wearing the earbuds, you may also want to know how to turn off AirPods notification settings that can happen when you leave them somewhere.
How to Disable the Notification About Forgotten Airpods on an iPhone (Guide with Pictures)
Keeping track of all of your electronic devices can be difficult, especially if you have multiple devices with you when you leave home.
This is especially true for smaller items like AirPods, which are very compact, even when they are in the charging case.
Plus, you may be taking your AirPods in and out of your ears periodically, and it’s easy to put them down on a table or someplace and forget about it.
Since forgotten AirPods and other devices are such a common problem, your iOS 15 iPhone can be configured so that it lets you know when you have left the location where your AirPods currently are. This occurs via a notification that is tied into the “Find My” app associated with your Apple ID.
While this feature is great should you ever need it, I was asking myself “how do I turn off AirPod notifications” because it was happening every time I left my AirPods at home and went somewhere without them.
If you find this notification to be problematic, however, then you can change a setting so that you stop receiving it. Our guide below will show you how to accomplish this.
The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 13, in iOS 15. These same steps will work for other iPhone models that are using the iOS 15 operating system as well.
These steps will show you how to turn off AirPod notifications on iPhone.
Step 1: Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
Tap the Find My app icon on your iPhone Home screen.
If you don’t see the app on the Home screen then it may be in an Extra or Utilities folder. You can also search for it with Spotlight Search.
Step 2: Choose the device for which you wish to turn off the notification.
Select your AirPods from the list of devices.
You can swipe up on the list of devices to show all of the devices associated with your Apple ID.
Step 3: Swipe up on the device information panel to expand it, then touch the Notify When Left Behind option in the Notifications section.
Open the device settings menu, then select the Notify When Left Behind button.
There’s a small horizontal gray bar that you can drag up to expand the menu.
Step 4: Tap the button to the right of Notify When Left Behind to turn it off.
Turn off the Notify When Left Behind setting.
When this setting is turned off, there won’t be any green shading around the button. I have it turned off in the image above.
Step 5: Select the Done button at the top-right of the screen to save your changes.
Tap Done to confirm that you have finished making changes.
Now that you know how to turn off AirPod notifications, if you leave your AirPods at home, you won’t constantly have to worry about seeing them show up on your phone.
For more about using this app and working with its notifications, including how to turn AirPod notifications off, you can continue to the section below.
Our clock icon on iPhone article can help if you’ve seen a clock icon at the top of your iPhone screen and wondered what it was or how to remove it.
Summary – Turning Off AirPods Left Behind Alert
- Open the Find My app.
- Touch the device.
- Select the Notify When Left Behind option.
- Tap the Notify When Left Behind button to turn it off.
- Touch Done to save your changes.
Some of the icons on your iPhone can be tough to identify. If you’ve ever wondered about the airplane, then read our what does the paper airplane mean on iPhone article to learn more about it.
More Information on How to Turn Off the AirPods Left Behind Notification on an iPhone
The steps in this article specifically reference changing this setting for AirPods, but you can also use these steps for other iOS devices like AirPods Pro, an Airtagged object, an iPad, and more.
You can click here if you would like to find out more about using a feature on your iPhone that lets you mute some of the conversations.
If you can’t find the Find My app on your Home screen, then you can swipe down on the Home screen to open Spotlight Search, then type “find my” into the search field and choose the Find My app. This is a default app on your iPhone so you should have it unless you previously removed it. If you have removed it, then you can go to the App Store and search for it to reinstall.
While you are editing the settings for your device in the Find My app, you will see that there is an option to add locations where you don’t want to be notified. This means that you can configure the Find My app to not alert you about leaving something if you are at home or work, for example.
If you want to change other settings for your AirPods, then, when you are using them, go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap on the small i to the right of them. There you will see a variety of different options that let you control how the earbuds work. Depending on the type of AirPods you have, these options could vary.
When you select your AirPods in the Find My app, you are going to see that there are a variety of different ways to interact with that device. These include:
- Play sound
- Find
- Notifications
- Mark as Lost
- Remove this Device
Each of these different settings can be useful in its own right and can be instrumental in helping you locate a lost Apple device.
If you happen to get an “AirPod detected near you” notification, and you either know that your AirPods aren’t near you or that the only AirPods near you are your own, then you might be asking yourself, “Are my AirPods following me?”
This is another AirPod tracking notification, and it is related to the “Find My” app. You can read this Apple support article for more on what it means and what you can do to disable or prevent it from happening in the future.
Our article continues to the next section with some of the more commonly asked questions about how to turn off AirPod notifications and minimize the number of times that your songs or podcasts are disrupted by these alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Turn Off AirPod Notifications
How do I disable the announce messages feature of the AirPods?
When you have your AirPods connected to your iPhone, and you don’t change any settings, then you are probably getting some Siri announcements that will do things like read incoming text messages or tell you about the person that is calling you.
You can turn off the announce notifications feature with these steps:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Notifications.
3. Choose Announce Notifications.
4. Turn off Announce Notifications.
Once you have completed these steps, you won’t hear announced notifications again unless you switch the Announce Notification toggle back on.
Why can’t I hear Siri announcements on my headphones?
While you can tap Notifications and then tap Announce Notifications on the Settings menu to customize this option for your AirPods, compatible Beats headphones, or a couple of other compatible headphones models, it doesn’t work for all headphones.
If you’ve gone through these steps and adjusted the announce notifications settings so that Siri should be announcing messages, but you still aren’t hearing your incoming messages read out loud, then it’s likely not supported for your headphone model.
How do I turn announce notifications back on from iPhone settings?
While having Siri announce your direct messages and information from all the apps that support it may have initially caused you to disable announce notifications, it’s entirely possible that you might elect to re-enable it.
Luckily you can always go back to the Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications menu at any time and toggle the Announce Notifications setting back to on.
How do I toggle announce notifications on or off for my Airpods?
Occasionally you may find that you want to enable the announce messages with Siri option for your AirPods.
Luckily this option can be changed whenever you want.
Simply go to Settings > Siri & Search> then select Announce Notifications.
You can tap the button next to the Announce Notifications option to enable or disable it.
How do I enable notifications on Airpods for specific third-party apps?
The menu where you find the Announce Notifications button also has a notification feature where you can adjust settings so that Siri announces a notification automatically for a particular app.
For example, if I wanted to have Siri read message notifications for my Messages app, I could go to Settings > Siri & Search > Announce Notifications > then scroll down and select Messages.
I can then enable Announce Notifications at the top of the screen to have Siri read my text messages to me when I have my AirPods in.
How to Turn off Notifications on AirPods Infographic
Conclusion
When you connect your AirPods to your iPhone, they will not only provide you with excellent sound from the music you play from apps like Apple Music or Spotify, but they will also read some notifications to you.
In addition to those notifications that the headphones read, you may also get notifications on your iPhone if you leave your AirPods at home or work.
Hopefully our different AirPods turn off notifications options above have provided you with the information that you need in order to properly customize your experience with Apple’s wireless headphones so that you can reduce the frustrations that occur when you use them.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.