- How to keep your iPhone from making noises
- Go beyond the regular Focus modes
- Keep Siri, vibrations, and the keyboard nice and quiet
Hopefully by now you’re aware of Do Not Disturb and Focus modes, which are ideal when you need a set period with no pings, buzzes, or banners.
But even outside those modes, the iPhone has plenty of smaller sounds and spoken alerts that can catch you out. Tweaking a few settings can make day-to-day use much quieter, without needing to mute the phone entirely.
Here are five settings worth adjusting if you’d prefer a little more peace – or want to be more respectful of those around you.
Keyboard clicks
By default, the iPhone keyboard makes a small click every time you press a key. Some people enjoy the tactile feedback, but others find it distracting – especially in a quiet room.
Muting the phone hides the clicks, but it’s easier to disable them outright. Open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, and swipe to the bottom of the page. Turn off Keyboard Clicks and, if you want a fully silent experience, Lock Sound as well.
Voice feedback
Siri chiming up at the wrong moment can be as awkward as a ringtone. If you’d rather the assistant didn’t speak unless absolutely necessary, you can rein in that behaviour.
Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Responses and choose when Siri is allowed to speak. You can keep full voice output, allow speech only when the phone isn’t muted, or rely mostly on on-screen responses instead. It’s an easy way to prevent Siri from blurting out an answer when you’re in public.
Type to Siri
There are times when you want Siri’s help but can’t – or don’t want to – speak aloud. Type to Siri has been around for a while, but iOS in recent times offers a much faster way to access it on demand.
The original method still works: go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri and enable Type to Siri if you prefer a permanent text-only interface.
But there’s now a quicker gesture that doesn’t require changing any settings. Whenever Siri is available, simply double-tap the home bar at the very bottom edge of the screen. This instantly opens the Type to Siri interface so you can type your request quietly, wherever you are.
Driving directions
Maps can still speak over everything, even when your phone is muted and a Focus mode is active. If you prefer silent navigation, you can mute this easily.
Start some directions in Apple Maps, then tap the speaker icon on the route screen. You can silence voice guidance entirely or keep only critical alerts. Google Maps works the same way, so whichever app you use, it’s easy to keep directions discreet.
Don’t vibrate on silent
Even with your ringtone muted, the vibration motor can make a surprisingly loud buzz, especially if your phone is resting on a hard surface. If you want true silence, you can disable these vibrations altogether.
Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn off Vibrate on Silent. From then on, your phone will remain completely silent when muted.
Bonus: stop AirPods from announcing notifications
If you use AirPods, your iPhone may read out notifications whenever they arrive. It won’t annoy those around you, but it can feel intrusive when you’re trying to concentrate on something or listen to a podcast.
To stop this, go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and turn off Headphones. This stops Siri from reading out messages and alerts through your AirPods, leaving you in charge of when you want things piped into your ears.