Why doesn't my iPhone notification sound like the person who sent it?

You glance at a message on the Lock Screen and think: that does not sound like them. Before reading it as someone's tone, check whether you are looking at an AI summary. Apple's existing notification guide says Apple Intelligence summaries appear in italics. Tap a summarized notification to expand it and read the full text. Apple also warns that generated outputs can vary and important information should be checked. This is a documented feature, not a new release or a test of how often summaries get things wrong. For a changed pickup time or a message that sounds unusually blunt, I would read the original before replying. The short version may help you decide what to open; I would not treat it as the sender's exact words. If the summaries make a particular app harder to follow, go to Settings → Notifications → Summarize Notifications. Apple lets you switch them off for individual apps rather than abandon them everywhere. I would prefer a plain ‘AI summary’ label beside the text. Italics are easy to read as emphasis, especially when you are checking your phone while putting on a coat. That label is a design wish, not an extra setting Apple documents. Which messages would you rather keep in the sender's own words, even if they take longer to read?