How to tell Siri and the Google Assistant to read out your phone notifications

Indulge in a full-on hands-free experience with Siri and Google Assistant reading out your phone notifications. Here’s how you can enjoy this feature.

When it comes to using tech, we have become a little too spoiled. First, we started taking calls on wired headphones when Android-based phones and iPhones rolled out wired, in-ear headphones. Then tech giants launched wireless pods with Bluetooth technology. Such as AirPods, Pixel Buds, Galaxy Buds, Sony wireless earbuds, and so on. These made taking calls and sending voice notes even more convenient as there were no tangled wires involved.

Going completely hands-free was a massive upgrade. This upgrade is similar to going from copper cables in the ’70 to the fiber-optic internet today. Many companies such as cox gigablast have moved to fiber-optic technology to offer blazing internet speeds to their users. Similarly, tech giants in the smartphone industry are now launching feature-rich, more sophisticated, and cutting-edge wireless ear pods.

Are Virtual Assistants Capable of Doing More Than We Think?

Virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant let you stay connected without even lifting a finger. With these virtual assistants, you can multitask effortlessly. You can make calls, send texts, and even have your notifications read out to you while you are driving, eating, taking a stroll, and so on.

Without having to even tap on your smartphone, you can give a voice command to your virtual assistant to play music or a podcast from your phone. It is a lesser-known fact that this feature also allows you to check incoming alerts too.

On iOS, you can enjoy this feature with a pair of AirPods. While on Android, you can use it with Google’s Pixel Buds. If you want to connect to other generic gadgets and use this feature, you can go for Sony wireless earbuds, Samsung Galaxy Buds, and others. You can explore a range of these earbuds manufactured by various companies and choose one according to the budget and specs that you need. They allow you to receive notifications from any device.

Not all earbuds in the market support this feature. Therefore, make sure you research online or read their manual before investing in them.

iOS Notifications on AirPods

AirPods work seamlessly with every Apple handheld device. This means that the Announce notifications feature also works on all iOS devices. You need to set it up and then Siri will automatically read out all the incoming messages and alerts. It can even read out your past alerts. Here’s how you can activate this feature on iOS:

Go to the Settings on iOS
Tap on Notifications
Click on Announce Notifications
Turn the toggle on to activate this feature
Make sure you have selected the Headphones option too

You can scroll down and choose the apps from which you want to have prompt alerts played in your ears.

Android Alerts on Pixel Buds

Google’s Pixel Buds work smoothly with all the Android-based phones. The Google Assistant function in front and center. This means that you can talk to it easily through your Pixel Buds. To have it read out incoming alerts, here is what you need to do:

Go to your device’s Settings
Tap Connected devices
Next to Pixel Buds, click the cog icon
Choose Google Assistant
Turn the Spoken notifications on

You can choose the apps from which you want to receive notifications and have them played in your ears.

iOS and Android Alerts on Galaxy Buds

Samsung Galaxy Buds (all models) are compatible with Android as well as iOS phones. Once you have them configured with your hardware, they will be able to read out notifications right into your ears. For iOS, you need to first download the Galaxy Buds app and for Android, you need to download the Galaxy Wearable app.

After that, all you need to do is to tap the Earbud settings and then click Read notifications aloud. If you want to hear alerts even when you are not using your smartphone, then tap on Read aloud while using the phone toggle.

iOS or Android Notifications on Sony Wireless Earbuds

Sony wireless earbuds are also compatible with Android as well as iOS phones. The only difference is that you will not use Sony’s Headphones Connect app that is needed to connect your buds to your device in the first place. Instead, you will be using the Google Assistant platform for iOS and Android.

For iOS: