Set up your Android phone to “read” the callers name

Call announcements on Android were introduced by Google in 2021. The feature lets anyone using the company's Phone app know who's calling by announcing the caller ID, so you don't have to check manually.

Call notifications can be a handy feature or a nuisance, depending on your situation and preferences. This article will show you how to use call notifications on your Android phone using Google's Phone app or Samsung's stock Phone app.

How to enable call notifications on Android phone

As one of the best Android dialer apps, Google’s Phone app offers a lot of features you may not have heard of. Like other features in the app, call notifications are hidden inside the app’s settings. Here’s how you can enable it:

1. Open the Phone app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right.
2. Select Settings from the pop-up menu.
3. Next, scroll down to Advanced and tap on Caller ID announcement .
4. On the next page, tap Announce caller ID and select Always or Only when using a headset  to enable this feature.

Your changes will be saved automatically. The next time a call comes in, your device will announce "Incoming voice call from [Caller Name]" while ringing at the same time, unless the Android speaker is not active or you have Do Not Disturb turned on.

How to stop call notifications

To turn off call notifications, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select Settings .
2. Next, select Caller ID announcement > Announce caller ID .
3. From the pop-up menu, select Never to turn it off.

How to Enable or Stop Call Notifications on Samsung Galaxy Devices

If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone and use the default Phone app (Samsung Call), the steps will be slightly different from the information shared above.

Here's how you can enable or disable call notifications on any Samsung Galaxy smartphone:

1. Open Samsung's Phone app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right.
2. From the pop-up window, select Settings .
3. Then, click Answering and ending calls in the Call settings page.
4. Finally, turn Read caller names aloud on or off to enable or disable this feature.

If you enable this feature, by default it will only work when you have wireless headphones or earbuds connected . This is beneficial because most, if not all, modern wireless headphones and earbuds allow you to conveniently take calls with the press of a button.

But if you want your device to always announce the caller ID, tap Read caller names aloud and change the setting to Always .

Depending on your preferences, call announcements can be either an annoyance or a useful feature. If you find them annoying, follow the steps above to turn them off. If you want your phone to announce the identity of the caller, turn it on.