How to Answer Calls with AirPods Using Siri

Learn the hands-free trick to answer or reject calls with AirPods, Beats, and Powerbeats headphones.

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By Ashleigh Page
March 22, 2023

Whether you're washing dishes or working out, it can be handy to accept or decline calls without touching your phone. Now, you can easily reject calls through your headphones with Siri without even needing to say "Hey Siri." Let's go over how to answer calls on AirPods and other headphones.

Related: FaceTime Not Working? 10 Ways to Fix It in iOS 15

Why You'll Love This Tip

  • Efficiently answer or decline calls with your voice using a single word.
  • Avoid having to rush to your phone or stop tasks to respond to a call.

How to Answer the Phone with AirPods Using Siri

To take advantage of this feature, you’ll need an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or later. You will also need a set of the following wireless headphones: AirPods (2nd generation or later), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, or Beats Solo Pro. First, we'll need to confirm you have Siri set to announce incoming calls. Then, you'll be able to answer or reject calls with Siri anytime you need! For more hidden Apple device tricks, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Siri & Search.
  3. Tap Announce Calls.
  4. Choose one of these announce call options: Always, Headphones & Car, or Headphones Only.
  5. Now Siri will announce calls through your headphones and tell you the name of the person calling.
  6. You can respond with "answer" to accept the call.
  7. You can also say "decline" or "reject" to decline the call.

That's all there is to it! We hope you enjoy this simple way to answer calls hands-free.

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written by

Ashleigh Page

Ashleigh Page is an Associate Editor for iPhone Life. A longtime Apple enthusiast with a Bachelor's in English and Computer Science and three years of experience writing about tech, Ashleigh has written and tested hundreds of articles about devices and features within Apple's ecosystem. She specializes in iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Mac content and has authored a 60-page in-depth guide about the Apple Maps app. Based in North Carolina, Ashleigh is often crafting whimsical (and sometimes nonsensical) short stories and hiking when she's not working.
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