You Can Set Up Call Announcements Through Your AirPods With One Quick Procedure
In my personal opinion, AirPods are basically the epitome of "high-tech." Although I don't own any myself, I know for a fact they're great for listening to music, making high-quality phone calls, and apparently, they can even make call announcements — that is — as long as you have an iPhone. It lets you know exactly who is calling you, without having to cancel your music, minimize a page, or even look at the phone screen. So iff you don't know how to configure it for yourself yet, here's how to set up call announcements for your AirPods. It's actually really simple.
As a certified Lazy Person™ (LOL) I can fully attest to the fact that putting in less effort for mundane activities is almost always ideal... like for screening your phone calls, for example. And lucky for me, your AirPods can apparently tell you who is calling without forcing you to look at the screen. So, to set up call announcements, per Inquirer, start out simple: by unlocking your iPhone. Then, set Siri to announce the caller by navigating to Settings, Phone, and then Announce Calls. You can choose to set the option to “Always,” “Headphones & Car,” “Headphones Only,” and “Never.” I, personally, would probably prefer "Headphones Only," so you'll only hear Siri announce who is calling through your AirPods — not out loud or in the car.
However, keep in mind if you end up selecting “Headphones Only,” you cannot answer the phone with your AirPods, according to Inquirer. In fact, if you want to take the call, you will either have to pick up the call with your phone, or answer with your Apple Watch, if you have one. After picking up the call on a separate device, though, you can talk on the phone using the AirPods microphone, to continue using it totally hands-free. Another catch, though, is that Siri will only announce said caller’s name if their number is listed in your contacts. Otherwise, you'll have to look it up yourself. Dang, unknown numbers are the worst!
In the middle of last year in June 2018, Apple announced plans to upgrade the classic AirPods, to be released in 2019. They will reportedly have noise-cancelling capabilities, they will be completely resistant to water, and most importantly, they will be able to work further away from your iPhone or iPad than ever before, due to increased range capabilities. They will also reportedly come with a wireless charging case, so it goes without saying that I'll definitely wait on my AirPod purchase to get my hands on these babies.
AirPods are one of the most futuristic inventions of my lifetime. Not only are they simply cordless, they can now tell you who's calling before you bother answering the phone — or even looking down at your phone screen. Call announcements seem super easy to set up, so as long as you have an iPhone, you'll be good to go. However, I'm most excited for the new 2019 AirPods. They literally sound like a wireless dream come true.
