How to Stop Siri from Reading Text Messages

Want to learn how to stop Siri from reading your text messages?

Siri is an excellent virtual assistant. It doesn’t only solve math questions and check the weather for you, but it can also help you with complex problems. You can turn to Siri for directions, translations, and more. Sometimes, though, Siri can be annoying, too.

Imagine listening to an audiobook intently. Suddenly, Siri disrupts you by reading text messages you can otherwise ignore for a moment. That feature is called “Announce Messages with Siri.” It can be handy when you’re expecting an important text, but your hands are occupied. Let’s face it, though: you don’t need this feature all the time.

Today, we’ll teach you how to use “Announce Messages with Siri” more efficiently. Fortunately, Apple allows you to change some of the Siri and AirPods settings on your iPhone at any time. Here’s how to stop Siri from reading text messages on your iPhone.

Let’s jump in! 

1. What Exactly Does Siri Read?

Announce Messages with Siri works when you’re wearing AirPods or Beats. When your iPhone receives a message, Siri will play an alert tone through your earbuds or headphones. Then, it’ll read the name of the sender aloud along with the entire message if it’s short. Otherwise, it’ll only announce the sender’s name.

If the message is long, you can ask Siri to read it or get your iPhone and read the text yourself. You can also tell Siri to reply. It’s convenient when you’re washing the dishes or busy working out and in a room where you can speak aloud.

stop Siri from reading messages

Now, there are a few reasons you would want to turn this Siri feature off. When too many messages come in quickly, it can be annoying to hear one alert after another. Likewise, if you’re enjoying great music, an audiobook, or a podcast, you don’t want Siri to interrupt you with messages from people who aren’t even on your contact list.

2. Can You Stop Siri from Reading Messages Temporarily?

The short answer is yes. If the Siri feature is convenient for you from time to time, you shouldn’t disable it. The better option is to turn this Siri feature off temporarily. You can do it quickly through your iPhone’s Control Center. 

Here’s how to stop Siri from reading messages temporarily:

  1. First, swipe down from the upper right corner of your iPhone’s screen. 
  2. Then, tap and hold the Announce Messages with Siri icon. Note: The icon is a white box with a black border. It also has a red soundwave pattern in the box’s top-right corner.
  3. Lastly, a pop-up menu will show up. You’ll see three options: On, Mute for 1 hour, and Off for the day. Check the option that suits your needs. 
stop Siri from reading messages

Can’t find the Announce Messages icon on the Control Center? Here’s how to fix it:

  1. First, launch the Settings menu on your iPhone.
  2. Select Control Center.
  3. Next, choose Customize Controls.
  4. Under the More Controls section, look for Announce Messages with Siri. Then, hit the plus button next to it. 
stop Siri from reading messages
  1. Then, under the Include section, tap and hold the three horizontal lines beside the recently added Announce Messages with Siri and move it up a bit in the list. That way, it’s easier for you to see the icon when you open the Control Center
  2. Lastly, swipe down from the upper right corner of the screen to launch the Control Center. Check if you can see the icon for Announce Messages with Siri.

3. How Can You Stop Siri from Repeating Your Replies?

Some users like the fact that Siri reads their messages aloud. What annoys them is that whenever they reply, Siri reads the text back to them. If you feel the same way, you can keep Announce Messages but prevent Siri from reading your replies. 

Here’s how to do it:

  1. First, go to your iPhone’s Settings menu.
  2. Then, choose Notifications from the list.
  3. Now, find and tap Announce Messages with Siri.
  4. Lastly, toggle off the button next to Reply without Confirmation.
turn on reply without confirmation

After following these steps, Siri will send your replies as soon as you finish talking instead of reading your reply to you first.

4. How Can You Disable Announce Messages with Siri?

If you don’t like to read and reply to messages hands-free, you can disable Announce Messages with Siri through your iPhone’s settings.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. On your iPhone, navigate your way to the Settings menu.
  2. Then, select Notifications.
  3. Next, find and tap Announce Messages with Siri.
stop Siri from reading messages
  1. Finally, toggle off the green button beside Announce Messages with Siri.

After doing that, Siri will no longer alert you and announce the messages you receive. 

5. How Can You Stop Siri from Reading Text Corrections?

Does your iPhone continue to speak when you’re texting even after you’ve disabled Announce Messages with Siri? You can blame Speak Auto-text. It is a feature that detects misspelled words and recites the correct spelling and other text suggestions.

You can interrupt it by continuing to type your text message. Tapping the space key can also help. That signals your iPhone to enter the correct word automatically. If these two options don’t work for you, the next thing to do is disable Speak Auto-text.

Here’s how to disable Speak Auto-Text on your iPhone:

  1. First, go to your iPhone’s Settings menu.
  2. On the list, choose General. Then, tap Accessibility.
iPhone settings
  1. Next, select Spoken Content under the Vision section.
  2. Then, find and tap Typing Feedback.
  3. Lastly, turn off the button beside Speak Auto-text.

After that, go back to Messages and type a text message. You’ll notice that your iPhone or Siri will no longer detect and speak text corrections. 

That’s it. At this point, you should’ve already stopped Siri from reading text messages on your iPhone. Want to learn more tips and tricks on using your Apple devices more efficiently? Feel free to leave a comment below. Our team will do our best to craft another quick, simple how-to guide for you.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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