The fastest way to silence everything at once
Open Settings, tap Notifications, then scroll to the bottom and toggle off "Allow Notifications." This single switch stops every app from sending you alerts, sounds, and badges — the red numbers on app icons. It takes about 10 seconds and requires no app-by-app decisions.
If you want notifications back later, the same toggle turns them on again. Everything returns to its previous state; you don't lose any settings you've customized for individual apps.
This is the nuclear option. Most people don't need it — they want to silence notifications for a few hours, or turn off alerts from specific apps while keeping others. The sections below cover those situations. But if you genuinely want your phone silent across the board, this is where to start.
Key Takeaways
- Toggling off "Allow Notifications" in Settings stops all alerts, sounds, and badge numbers from every app instantly.
- Focus modes let you silence notifications on a schedule or based on what you're doing — work, sleep, driving — without turning off notifications permanently.
- Do Not Disturb silences calls and alerts but still shows notifications on your lock screen; Focus modes are more flexible.
- You can silence one app at a time by opening Settings, tapping Notifications, selecting the app, and toggling off "Allow Notifications" for just that app.
- Turning notifications back on restores all your previous settings; nothing is lost when you toggle the master switch.
Using Focus modes to silence notifications on a schedule
Focus modes are more useful than the all-or-nothing toggle because they let you silence notifications automatically at certain times or in certain situations, then turn them back on when you're done. Open Settings, tap Focus, and you'll see pre-built options: Sleep, Work, Driving, Fitness, Mindfulness, Reading, and Personal.
Tap Sleep Focus to set it up. Choose the times you want it active — say, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. — and your phone will automatically silence notifications during those hours. You can choose which people and apps are allowed to break through (your partner, your work email, your alarm clock). When the time ends, notifications resume normally.
You can create custom Focus modes too. Tap the plus sign at the top of the Focus screen, name it something like "Meetings" or "Dinner," and set the same rules. Then you can activate it manually whenever you need it, or set it to turn on automatically at certain times or locations.
Do Not Disturb versus Focus modes: which one to use
Do Not Disturb is the older feature. It silences calls and alerts but still shows notifications on your lock screen — you just won't hear them or see badges on app icons. It's simpler to set up but less flexible.
Focus modes do everything Do Not Disturb does, plus more. They let you choose which apps and people can still reach you, set them to turn on automatically, and create multiple modes for different situations. Most people find Focus modes more useful because you can have Work Focus (which allows work email and calls from your boss) and Sleep Focus (which allows only calls from family) running at different times.
If you just want something quick and simple, Do Not Disturb works fine. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen, long-press the Do Not Disturb icon, and set how long you want it on. But Focus modes give you more control with barely more effort.
Turning off notifications from a single app
Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll through the list until you find the app you want to silence. Tap it, then toggle off "Allow Notifications." That app will stop sending you alerts, sounds, and badge numbers, but every other app continues normally.
You can also customize what that app is allowed to do. With "Allow Notifications" still on, you can toggle off "Sounds" to keep seeing alerts but mute the sound, or toggle off "Badges" to stop the red number from appearing on the app icon. Some apps let you choose which types of notifications to allow — for example, keeping calendar reminders but silencing promotional messages.
If you change your mind, return to that app's notification settings and toggle "Allow Notifications" back on.
Silencing notifications without turning them off completely
Sometimes you want to see notifications but don't want them to interrupt you with sound or vibration. Open Settings, tap Notifications, select the app, and toggle off "Sounds." The app will still send alerts and badge numbers; you just won't hear or feel anything.
You can also change how notifications appear. In the same app's notification settings, look for "Notification Grouping" — set it to "By App" to bundle all alerts from that app into one stack instead of showing each one separately. Or tap "Lock Screen" and choose "Off" to stop notifications from appearing on your lock screen while still showing them in Notification Center (the list you see when you swipe down from the top).
These options let you stay informed without the constant interruption. Your phone still receives the alerts; they just don't demand your immediate attention.
Emergency bypass: letting important people reach you
If you've silenced all notifications but need certain people — your partner, your child, your boss — to reach you in an emergency, you can set up exceptions. Open Settings, tap Focus, select the Focus mode you're using, and tap "Allowed Contacts." Add the people who should be able to call or text you even when notifications are silenced.
You can also set this up in the Contacts app itself. Open a contact, tap Edit, scroll down, and toggle on "Emergency Bypass." That person's calls and texts will come through even if you have Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode active. Their calls will ring, and their messages will show notifications.
This is useful for parents, caregivers, or anyone who genuinely needs to reach you urgently. Everyone else stays silenced.
What happens to notifications while they're silenced
When you silence notifications, your phone still receives them — they just don't alert you. They pile up in Notification Center, which you can see by swiping down from the top of your screen. When you turn notifications back on, you'll see all the alerts you missed, organized by app and time.
Badges — the red numbers on app icons — also disappear when notifications are silenced, but the alerts themselves are still there waiting for you. This means you won't feel nagged by a constant stream of red dots, but you can still catch up on what you missed whenever you're ready.
If a Focus mode or Do Not Disturb is active, your status shows on your lock screen and in Messages so people know you're not ignoring them — you're just unavailable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I miss important calls if I silence all notifications?
Yes, unless you set up Emergency Bypass for specific contacts. Calls from people not on your allowed list will go straight to voicemail. If you need to stay reachable, use a Focus mode instead of silencing everything — that way you can allow calls from certain people while blocking notifications from apps.
Can I silence notifications from just one app while keeping others on?
Yes. Go to Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle off "Allow Notifications." That app stops sending alerts, but every other app continues normally. You can do this for as many apps as you want.
What's the difference between silencing notifications and turning off an app?
Silencing notifications stops alerts but the app still works normally when you open it. Turning off an app (in Settings > General > iPhone Storage, then swiping left on the app) removes it from your phone entirely. You almost never need to do that — silencing notifications is what you want.
If I turn off all notifications, will my alarms still go off?
Yes. Alarms, timers, and reminders from the Clock app are separate from notifications and will still work. The master "Allow Notifications" toggle doesn't affect them.
Can I set up a Focus mode that only silences certain apps?
Not directly. Focus modes silence all notifications, then you choose which apps and people are allowed to break through. If you want to silence just one or two apps, it's faster to go to Settings > Notifications and toggle off those specific apps instead.