Although call masking can be used to keep some phone numbers hidden, it’s nice to know who is calling you the rest of the time. One of the lesser-known ways of doing so is to have your device announce caller names out loud. Not only can this save you time, but it can also help you determine whether or not a call is legitimate. 

The way to enable this feature differs across device types, platforms, and hardware models. However, there are still some basic step-by-step instructions you can follow for announcing caller names on all major phones and operating systems—as well as some other platforms.

Just remember, some limitations may apply depending on your mobile carrier, device model, hardware type, and country. In any case, we’ll call out any caveats as they come up so you can enable this feature seamlessly and never have to wonder who is calling again when your phone rings. 

Announce Caller Name on Apple Devices

Apple offers a few different options for announcing incoming caller names on iPhones and other devices running iOS.

Use Siri on Your iPhone

The built-in Siri voice assistant can speak caller names for incoming calls on compatible iPhones. The following steps will help you enable it.

  • Step 1: Open the Settings app and select Siri & Search. Make sure Listen for “Hey Siri” is enabled. This allows Siri to listen to your voice commands while your screen is unlocked.
  • Step 2: Depending on your device, toggle or open the Announce Calls setting to have Siri read the name of the person calling you. You may have the option for Siri to announce calls all the time, whenever you are connected to headphones or a car’s audio interface, or only when you are connected to headphones. 

You can enable or disable this feature anytime in Settings, or by saying, “Hey Siri, stop announcing calls.”

Use Siri on Your Apple Watch

If you want caller ID announcements from on your wrist, these next steps will allow Siri to speak names for incoming calls on your Apple Watch.

  • Step 1: From your watch app, go to Settings > Siri > Announce Notifications and toggle it on.
  • Step 2: While still in Settings, go to Phone > Announce Calls and enable this feature.

Now your watch will buzz on your wrist, and Siri will proudly share “Call from [contact name]” when your phone rings.

Use RTT/TTY on Your iPhone

RTT (real-time text) is a feature that can read incoming text messages and caller IDs out loud.

  • Step 1: Go to Settings > Accessibility and look for RTT/TTY settings.
  • Step 2: Toggle on Speak Incoming RTT. You may have to toggle Software RTT/TTY or Hardware TTY to access additional settings. 
  • Step 3: When a call comes in, your iPhone will now speak the caller’s name. Adjust additional RTT options as desired.

Download a Third-Party App

You can also consider a dedicated app for more customization options around spoken caller ID on an iPhone.

Option 1: Caller ID Speak

  • Step 1: Download and install the Caller ID Speak app from the App Store.
  • Step 2: Open the app and enable spoken announcements by toggling Speak Caller ID to the on position.
  • Step 3: Further customize pronunciations and audio options according to your personal preferences.

Option 2: CallsAnnouncer

  • Step 1: Download and install CallsAnnouncer, then open the app.
  • Step 2: Go to Settings > Announcement Setup.
  • Step 3: Toggle Announce Caller Name and other preferences. Customize additional settings as desired.

Announce Caller Names on Your Android

Android phones also allow you to have incoming caller names spoken aloud, both via built-in app methods and third-party downloads. 

Samsung Phone App

Samsung Galaxy devices include caller ID settings right in the built-in Phone app.

  • Step 1: Open your Phone app and tap More options (or the three vertical dots icon).
  • Step 2: Select Settings > Caller ID and toggle on Speak Caller ID Aloud to enable announcements.
  • Step 3: Choose how you want to customize announcements, whether always, never, or on a per-contact basis.

Phone by Google

Google’s Phone app has accessibility options that speak names as well.

  • Step 1: In the Phone app, go to Settings > Accessibility. Turn on TTY mode and configure settings as desired. 
  • Step 2: Locate Caller ID announcement in the Settings > Accessibility menu and choose between always announcing caller ID, only when using a headset, and never. 

Caller Name Announcer App

For more customization and features, one third-party option is to download Caller Name Announcer. 

  • Step 1: Install Caller Name Announcer from the Play Store. Grant all required permissions.
  • Step 2: Open the app Settings and enable Speak Caller Name, plus any other desired preferences.
  • Step 3: Allow the app to bypass battery optimization so it runs smoothly in the background.

CallApp

The CallApp takes accessibility further by announcing names and phone numbers. 

  • Step 1: Install CallApp from the Play Store and grant all requested app permissions.
  • Step 2: In CallApp, go to Settings > Text To Speech and enable Speak Caller ID.
  • Step 3: Customize pronunciation, language voices, and additional display options as you see fit. 

Announce Caller Name With VoIP

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) apps allow you to make calls over the internet via a softphone. Many popular options like Google Voice can speak caller ID across all devices, including Apple, Android, and more.

Google Voice

Google Voice works seamlessly on iPhones and Android devices to announce caller names.

  • Step 1: Download the Google Voice app and sign into (or create) your Google account.
  • Step 2: Go to Settings > Making and Receiving Calls.
  • Step 3: Toggle Announce caller ID to the on position and customize additional preferences as needed.

Now when receiving Google Voice calls, caller names will be spoken aloud on any phone or tablet through the app itself.

Keep in mind that some limitations may occur depending on your data connectivity. We recommend sticking to Wi-Fi calling whenever possible for the best voice call quality and reliability.

Announce Caller Name With Telephones

Caller ID was a huge deal when it first came to landline phones, and many popular telephone service providers have progressed to offer accessibility options for speaking caller IDs aloud. 

AT&T Audibly

Starting at $7 per month, AT&T landline customers can add the Audibly caller name announcement service.

  • Step 1: Contact AT&T to add Audibly to your home telephone plan. There may be activation fees.
  • Step 2: On your phone, dial *77 to enable spoken caller IDs for all future incoming calls. Dial *87 to disable when desired.
  • Step 3: Manage Audibly online through your AT&T phone service account to access customization options.

Spectrum Voice Guidance

Spectrum home phone and internet customers can add Voice Guidance for $7.50 per month to get caller IDs announced for all incoming calls.

Frontier Talking Caller ID

Frontier offers Talking Caller ID for $5 per month to speak the calling number and name for all landlines receiving Frontier service.

Accessible Telephones

For those with hearing loss/impairments, there are also several manufacturers offering home phones that announce incoming numbers and/or contact names through the handset speaker.

Some of the top accessible phone options include:

  • ClearSounds Amplified Phones ($100+): Speaks names and can adjust volumes
  • Clarity Alto Plus ($200+ on average): Links to smartphone contacts
  • Serene Innovations HD-40P ($150+): Provides loud caller ID options at 50dB

If you need more information on these devices, you can reach out to multiple medical supply retailers to compare accessible telephone equipment. The prices typically range from more affordable analog phones to higher-end smartphones for hearing assistance—and most pair with existing landlines.

Stay Connected With Spoken Caller ID

Enabling spoken caller name announcements is fairly straightforward on all your devices—whether smartphone, smartwatch, computer, landline, or something else.

As for mobile phones, both Apple and Android operating systems provide basic built-in tools to announce caller names whenever calls come in. For even more customization, however, you can download specialized apps with preferences for narrating names, numbers, and contacts in different ways.

Lastly, keep in mind that caller ID announcements may not work if the caller is using a masked number. Of course, if that’s the case, then your caller ID announcement settings can act as another level of security to identify whether or not a call is legitimate.