Announce Calls feature only works for "Always" option

Question

Level 1

17 points

Announce Calls feature only works for "Always" option

Hello.

I turned on the "Announce Calls" feature and I'm not able to get it to work on my iPhone 6S, running iOS 10.3.1. It will only work if I set it to "Always".

I'm trying to get it to work using the "Headphones Only" option. I also tried the "Headphones & Car" option but that alos does not work. I'm using the standard wired earbuds and have tried three different pairs, to no avail. I've also restarted the phone but still no luck.

Has anyone else reported this issue?

iPhone 6s, iOS 10.3.1

Posted on Apr 26, 2017 6:40 PM

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Answer 1

xyvz

Level 1

4 points

Nov 9, 2017 2:27 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Please turn on the Siri and it will work.

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Answer 2

ifan369

Level 2

153 points

Dec 25, 2017 8:56 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Hey DonnyGAG, Thank you for the great work on your end finding out that the iPhone must be set to the silent ringer for the announce calls feature to work when set to headphones only, why doesn't Apple know this? and why should it only work with ringer set to silent? just doesn't make sense.

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Answer 3

DonnyGAG Author

Level 1

17 points

May 3, 2017 9:47 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Providing an update on a new finding I made today, with the iPhone 7+ use case versus iPhone 6S.

I wanted to get a better understanding of why my wife's iPhone 7+ worked fine with the setting at "Headphones Only" but my iPhone 6S did not. So I tried to compare all of her other settings with mine and what I uncovered was that she had the the ringer switch on side of her device turned off (silent mode). Once I flipped her ringer switch on, the Announce Calls feature failed to work, which was consistent with my 6S.

I then turned my ringer switch off on the iPhone 6S and it now works identically on both the 6S and 7+. Not sure if the feature should only work with the ringer disabled but at least I now have consistent user experience across devices.

Is there any documentation from Apple that fully clarifies how/when this "Announce Calls" feature is supposed to work?

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Answer 4

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Apr 27, 2017 11:42 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Hello DonnyGAG,

Thanks for that info and choosing the Apple Support Communities. If I understand correctly, you are unable to have the Announce Calls feature work with headphones unless it is set to "Always" which is not how you want to use this feature on your iPhone. Since restarting your iPhone didn't resolve your issue, at this point we would like you to reinstall iOS on your device; this will help us isolate the situation further. Reinstalling iOS should not affect any of your data, but it is always a best practice to make sure you have a current backup in either iTunes or iCloud.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Once you have a current backup, follow the steps from the "If your device turns on but gets stuck during start up" section in this article:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on

Use the “Update” option and not “Restore” and these steps will reinstall iOS. Keep in mind that these steps were written for a different issue, but they will still help us isolate the situation further. Cheers!

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Answer 5

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Apr 28, 2017 7:20 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Thanks for replying, DonnyGAG, and that additional info, it really helps! Since those steps didn't work to resolve your issue, use iTunes on your Mac or PC to backup and restore your iOS software to factory settings, as this process erases the information and settings on your device and installs a fresh copy of the latest iOS software. Temporarily setup your phone as new to test your issues, and then restore your backup and test the issues again.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Restore your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to factory settings
Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup

Have a great day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

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Answer 6

DonnyGAG Author

Level 1

17 points

Apr 27, 2017 5:16 PM in response to CarlAVII

Hi Allen.

Thanks for the suggestion, however, this did not work. I followed the steps you provided and reinstalled iOS 10.3.1 as a new device and then tried the Announce Calls feature, but got the same failure. The feature still only works when set to "Always" but not when set to "Headphones Only" or "Headphones & Car".

I then did a reset (Erase all contents and Settings) and restored the phone from the iCloud backup but still got the same same results.

Do yo have any other suggestions? BTW, I tried my wife's iPhone 7+ and it does work correctly, so could this be a bug related to the 6S device?

Thx!

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Answer 7

DonnyGAG Author

Level 1

17 points

Apr 28, 2017 7:23 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Allen A.

I also wanted to let you know that I tested the feature on an iPhone 6 Plus (AT&T) and got the same failure, i.e. it also only works when set to "Always" and not when set to "Headphones Only".

BTW, my iPhone 6S is on Verizon Wireless. I tested it with both the old style RCA jack equipped earbuds, as well as the latest ear buds with the lightening connector, neither of which worked.

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

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Answer 8

DonnyGAG Author

Level 1

17 points

Apr 28, 2017 7:32 AM in response to brenden dv

Allen A.

I already did that step of setting up the phone as a new device, as I erased it following the previous instructions you provided and tested, which also did not work. It is after this temporary step that I restored my device from the iCloud backup. I've already noted this in my previous response.

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Answer 9

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Apr 28, 2017 7:37 AM in response to DonnyGAG

Thanks for that info, DonnyGAG, and for trying the steps suggested. If this feature still doesn't work when your iPhone is restored and setup as new temporarily, your next step is to contact Apple for further help with investigating and resolving this issue.

Contact Apple Support

Best regards!

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Answer 10

DonnyGAG Author

Level 1

17 points

Apr 28, 2017 7:52 AM in response to brenden dv

Brenden dv, OK thanks.

I thought you guys were with Apple support.😕 I think I've established that it's not a defective device but an apparent software issue with earlier model phones, i.e. 6S, 6 Plus and earlier. Not sure what the support guys/gals in the store would be able to do for me, which hasn't been already tried, per my previous posts.

Thanks anyway!

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Answer 11

Jul 13, 2017 8:01 AM in response to DonnyGAG

I noticed this a while ago...that you have to have the phone in Silent mode in order for the Announce Calls feature to work.

This...well, it's a horrible choice. And here's why: I must choose if I want to hear the calls announced, or hear my text notifications. Can't have both this way. If I'm jogging, and have my earphones in, I want to be able to hear ALL ALERTS, including Call Announce.

I've also noticed that the Call Announce feature seems to work near perfectly with the Apple Earpods (wired), yet it's iffy with any other brand earphones/headphones connected. And even more iffy with bluetooth earphones/headphones.

But that's a different gripe for a different post. I just hope that in iOS 11 we get the option to keep Silent mode OFF and have Call Announce work properly across the board.

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Answer 12

jukialla

Level 1

4 points

May 30, 2017 9:38 PM in response to DonnyGAG

Thank you DonnyGAG, solved my issue too.

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