You can hide notification previews on your lock screen in three ways: turn off notifications for specific apps, hide the preview text while keeping the notification badge, or use Focus modes to silence notifications during certain times

The fastest method is to turn off lock screen notifications for individual apps. Open Settings, go to Notifications, select the app you want to change, and toggle off "Show on Lock Screen". The app will still send you notifications in Notification Center, but nothing will appear on your lock screen itself.

If you want to keep notifications but hide what they say, you can show only the notification badge (the red number or dot) without the preview text. This tells you something arrived without displaying the message where anyone can see it. A third option is to use Focus modes — like Work or Sleep — to automatically silence notifications during specific hours or locations.

Key Takeaways

  • Turning off "Show on Lock Screen" for an app hides all its lock screen notifications but keeps them in Notification Center.
  • You can hide notification preview text while keeping the badge by choosing "Badge only" in the notification style settings.
  • Focus modes let you automatically silence notifications during work hours, sleep time, or when you're at specific locations.
  • Changes take effect immediately — you do not need to restart your phone or sign out.

Turn off lock screen notifications for specific apps

Open the Settings app and tap Notifications. Scroll through the list of apps and select the one you want to change. Look for the toggle next to "Show on Lock Screen" and turn it off. That app's notifications will no longer appear on your lock screen, but you will still see them in Notification Center if you swipe down from the top of your screen.

You can do this for as many apps as you want. Some people turn it off for work email but leave it on for messages from family, or vice versa. The setting applies only to that specific app — changing it for Mail does not affect Messages or any other app.

If you want to hide notifications from all apps at once, you can turn off "Show on Lock Screen" at the very top of the Notifications settings page. This removes all lock screen notifications system-wide, though you can still turn them back on for individual apps afterward.

Hide notification text while keeping the badge

If you want to know that a notification arrived without showing what it says, choose "Badge only" as your notification style. Open Settings, tap Notifications, select an app, and look for the notification style options near the top. You will see choices like "Banner", "List", or "Badge only". Select "Badge only".

With this setting, the app will show a red number or dot on its icon, but the actual notification text will not appear on your lock screen or anywhere else. This is useful for apps like banking or email where you want to know something arrived but do not want the content visible to someone looking at your phone.

Note that "Badge only" still sends the notification — it just changes how it displays. If you want to stop notifications from that app entirely, you need to turn off notifications in the Allow Notifications toggle at the top of that app's settings page.

Use Focus modes to silence notifications by time or location

Focus modes let you create rules that automatically silence notifications during certain hours or when you are at specific places. Open Settings, tap Focus, and choose an existing mode like Work, Sleep, or Driving, or create a new one. Set the times when the Focus should be active and choose which contacts and apps can still send notifications during that time.

For example, you can set a Work Focus that turns on at 9 a.m. and off at 5 p.m., allowing only calls from your boss and messages from your team while silencing everything else. Or create a Sleep Focus that blocks all notifications except alarms and emergency calls. When a Focus is active, notifications from blocked apps will not appear on your lock screen, but they will still arrive in Notification Center once the Focus ends.

You can also set a Focus to turn on automatically when you arrive at a location. Go to the Focus settings, tap "Add Location", and choose a place from your contacts or maps. The Focus will activate whenever your phone detects you are at that location.

What happens to notifications you hide

Hiding a notification from your lock screen does not delete it. If you turn off "Show on Lock Screen" for an app, that app's notifications still arrive in Notification Center — the list you see when you swipe down from the top of your screen. You can read them there whenever you want.

Similarly, notifications silenced by a Focus mode are not lost. Once the Focus ends, you will see all the notifications that arrived while it was active. They will appear in Notification Center in chronological order, and you can tap on them to open the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I turned off their notifications?

No. Turning off lock screen notifications is a setting on your phone only — the person sending the notification has no way to know. They will not see a "read" status or any indication that you changed your settings. The notification still arrives; it just does not show on your lock screen.

Can I hide notifications from one person but not others in the same app?

Not directly through lock screen settings. However, you can use Focus modes to allow notifications only from specific contacts. Open a Focus, tap "Allowed Notifications", and select which contacts can reach you. Messages from people not on that list will be silenced during the Focus.

What is the difference between turning off notifications and hiding them on the lock screen?

Turning off notifications stops them entirely — the app cannot send you anything. Hiding them on the lock screen means the notification still arrives, but it does not appear where someone looking at your phone can see it. You can still find it in Notification Center.

If I use a Focus mode, will my lock screen still show the time and date?

Yes. Focus modes only affect notifications and which contacts can reach you. Your lock screen will still display the time, date, and any widgets you have set up. The visual appearance of your lock screen does not change.

Can I schedule a Focus mode to turn on automatically every day?

Yes. Open Settings, tap Focus, select the mode you want, and tap "Add Schedule". You can set it to turn on at the same time every day, on specific days of the week, or during a time range. The Focus will activate automatically at those times without you having to do anything.