Where to find notification settings on your device

Notifications live in different places depending on what you're using. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications, and you'll see a list of every app installed on your phone. On Android, open Settings > Apps (or Application Manager on older phones), find the app you want, tap it, then look for Notifications. On a Mac, it's System Settings > Notifications. On Windows, Settings > System > Notifications.

The reason notifications are buried in settings rather than in the app itself is that your device controls whether an app can send them at all — the app can request permission, but your phone decides whether to allow it. This is a privacy boundary: an app can't force notifications on you without your say-so.

For websites, the process is different. When you visit a site that wants to send notifications, your browser will ask permission with a popup. You'll see a message like "example.com wants to show notifications" with options to Allow or Block. If you click Allow, that site can now send you notifications. If you accidentally blocked it, you can change your mind by going into your browser settings and finding the notifications permission list.

Key Takeaways

  • On phones, notifications are managed in Settings under Notifications (iPhone) or Apps (Android), not inside individual apps.
  • For websites, your browser asks permission the first time a site wants to send notifications, and you can change that decision later in browser settings.
  • Turning notifications on for an app means allowing it to send them; the app still decides what to send and when.
  • Different notification types — alerts, badges, sounds — can often be controlled separately for the same app.

Turning notifications on for a specific app on iPhone

Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down to find the app you want to enable notifications for. Tap the app name. You'll see a toggle at the top labeled Allow Notifications — make sure it's switched on (it will be green or blue). Below that, you can choose what kind of notifications you want: Sounds, Badges (the red number on the app icon), and Banners (the alerts that appear at the top of your screen).

If the app isn't in your Notifications list, it either doesn't support notifications or you haven't installed it yet. Some built-in Apple apps like Mail and Messages are always there; third-party apps appear once you've downloaded them.

Turning notifications on for a specific app on Android

Open Settings and go to Apps (the name varies by manufacturer — Samsung calls it Applications, for example). Find the app in the list and tap it. Look for Notifications or App Notifications and tap that. You should see a toggle for Allow Notifications or similar — turn it on. Some Android phones let you control notification channels, meaning you can turn on notifications for some types of messages from an app but not others.

If you can't find the app in your settings, check that it's actually installed. Some phones hide system apps by default; if you see a menu option like Show System Apps, tap that to see everything.

Enabling notifications for websites in your browser

When you visit a website that wants to send notifications, your browser will show a permission prompt. The exact wording depends on your browser, but it will say something like "Allow notifications from this site?" Click Allow to turn them on. The site can now send you notifications even when you're not actively looking at it.

If you blocked the site by accident, you can change it. In Chrome, click the lock icon in the address bar (on the left side of the URL), find Notifications, and change it from Block to Allow. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Permissions, find Notifications, and look for the site in the list. In Safari on Mac, go to Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications.

Understanding notification types and what each one does

Alerts or Banners are messages that pop up on your screen, usually at the top on phones or in the corner on computers. They disappear after a few seconds unless you tap them. Badges are the small red circles with numbers on app icons — they show you how many unread messages or updates you have. Sounds are audio cues that play when a notification arrives. Vibrations make your phone buzz instead of or in addition to making noise.

You don't have to use all of these at once. You might want badges and sounds for messages from your family but only badges for work emails, for example. Most apps let you customize each type separately in your notification settings. This is useful if you want to know something happened without being interrupted by a sound or popup.

What to do if notifications aren't showing up after you turn them on

First, check that you actually turned them on — go back to settings and confirm the toggle is in the on position. Second, check whether your phone is in Do Not Disturb or Focus mode. On iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to see Control Center; if Do Not Disturb is on, tap it to turn it off. On Android, swipe down twice to see Quick Settings and look for Do Not Disturb. These modes silence notifications even if they're turned on.

Third, check your battery saver or low-power mode. Some phones restrict background activity when battery is low, which can prevent notifications from arriving. Fourth, make sure the app itself has permission to send notifications — some apps ask for this permission separately from the system notification setting. If an app shows a permission request, tap Allow. If you already blocked it, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app, or go into your phone's app permissions and manually enable notifications for that app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn notifications on for just one type of message from an app?

Yes, on most phones. In your notification settings for that app, look for options like "Notification Channels" (Android) or different categories of alerts (iPhone). You can often turn on notifications for direct messages but turn off notifications for group chats, for example. The exact options depend on how the app is designed.

What's the difference between allowing notifications and turning on sounds?

Allowing notifications means the app can send you alerts at all. Turning on sounds means those alerts will make noise. You can allow notifications but turn off sounds — you'll see the alerts but won't hear them. This is useful if you want to know about updates without being interrupted by noise.

If I turn notifications on for a website, will it send me messages all the time?

A website can only send you notifications if you have that site open in your browser or if you've given it permission to send push notifications. Even then, the site controls how often it sends them — there's no system-wide limit. If a site is sending too many notifications, you can revoke permission by going back to your browser settings and changing that site from Allow to Block.

Do I need to turn notifications on separately for each device?

Yes. Your phone, tablet, and computer all have their own notification settings. Turning notifications on for an app on your iPhone doesn't automatically turn them on for that app on your iPad. You have to go through the settings on each device separately.