How to set Announce Notifications with your AirPods in iOS 15

Some people pop in their AirPods for a pure musical escape, and want nothing else to bother them. Other people plug in their ‘Pods, but also want to stay tuned into what’s going on with their phone’s notifications. If you’re in the second group, you may want Siri to read your notifications to you.

For some time now, Siri’s other “Announce” features like “Announce Calls” have made it possible to have caller ID spoken out loud, and have text messages read to you while you’re wearing AirPods. But with iOS 15, iPhone users can now turn on “Announce Notifications” and allow Siri to read you every notification. Yep, whether it’s an iMessage or a Snapchat, Siri will know, and she’ll be sure to let you know, too. Here’s how to enable the feature so you never miss a notification again.

1. Make sure you have iOS 15

The latest software update is currently only available via developer or public beta, so it has not emerged in its full glory quite yet. If you’d prefer to wait for the full version, check back in around September, when iOS 15 is expected to arrive with the iPhone 13.

2. Open your Settings, and tap on Notifications.

Credit: Screenshot: Apple

Of course we must go to Settings, because that’s where everything is! Once there, the Notifications tab is near the top, under the second grouping of settings.

3. Tap on “Announce Notifications.”

Credit: ScreenShot: Apple

Under the Siri section of the Notifications settings, you should see “Announce Notifications,” probably with the word “Off” in gray to the right. It’s near the top of the screen.

4. Toggle on “Announce Notifications.”

Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE

The next screen will only have one option, so you can’t mess it up. Tap the gray toggle next to “Announce Notifications” and watch it turn green.

5. Choose which apps you want to have notifications announced for.

Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE

Now, if you truly want to never miss a single notification, you could technically turn them all on. But that just seems like Siri might be constantly talking your ear off, and no one wants that. We recommend going through the list of apps that displays once you toggle on “Announce Notifications” and only turning on the ones you care about. Once you click on an app, you’ll get a similar toggle option for that specific app, shown below.

Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE

And that’s it! Note that iOS 15 also allows Siri to continue listening after it reads a notification that may require a response, like an iMessage or Instagram DM. This eliminates the need for you to say “Hey, Siri” to address the notification. Now go on and listen to Siri’s sweet dulcet tones as you pretend to work!