Tip: This is how you let Siri read your messages with AirPods or Beats earbuds

Do you have the AirPods Pro or Beats earbuds or headphones? Then Siri can read your messages and answer you hands-free. We show you how it works.

Read aloud with AirPods or Beats earbuds

Siri can read the messages that arrive on your iPhone or iPad if you have one of the following earbuds or headphones:

  • AirPods 2;
  • AirPods Pro;
  • Powerbeats Pro;
  • Beats Solo Pro.

This is how you set up reading

If you have one of these devices, you can set Siri to read your messages to you. This way you can always hear and reply to your messages on the go without taking your iPhone out of your pocket. Please note that you need iOS 13.2 or newer for this. To set up reading with Siri:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone;
  2. Tap on ‘Notifications’;
  3. Tap ‘Announce messages with Siri’;
  4. Turn on the slider.

Now if you get a message while your AirPods or headphones are connected to your iPhone, Siri will read the messages you get. It only works when your iPhone is locked. First a sound will be heard, after which Siri will announce the name of the person who sent a message. You will then hear the full message.

Read to certain contacts only

If it’s a long message, Siri will first announce only the name and the fact that this person has sent you a message. You can then ask Siri to read the message or check it yourself on your iPhone or iPad.

You can also only have messages from specific contacts read to you. To do this, follow the first three steps and then tap ‘Messages’. Here you can select whether you only want to read messages from Favorites, Recent, Contacts, or everyone.

Reply with Siri

In addition to reading aloud, you can also use Siri to reply to messages. To do this, you simply wait until Siri has read a message. Siri will then wait and see if you answer something. Tell Siri you want to reply and then leave your message.

For example “answer ‘I’ll see you there’”. Siri will read your own message and ask you if you want to send it. You can also disable this feature. To do this, again follow the first three steps above and turn on the slider for ‘Answer without confirmation’.

Other apps with Siri support

This feature applies to your Messages app. Siri can also read and reply to messages in WhatsApp, but since this is not a standard app, you have to ask for it from WhatsApp itself. Read our tip about having Siri read WhatsApp messages to you. You can also control Spotify with Siri and the Apple TV app. Siri will probably support other apps as standard this year.

Read more about Siri

  • The 40 funniest questions for the Dutch Siri (13-4)
  • ‘Siri may whisper and scream in the future’ (1-4)
  • Shared Siri Shortcuts not working: solution unknown (24-3)
  • ‘Spotify as default Siri music service can be set from iOS 14.5’ – Update (5-3)
  • Apple trains Siri to better understand people with speech impediments (26-2)

Recent Articles

Related Stories

Stay on op - Ge the daily news in your inbox