The fastest way to silence everything at once
You can turn off all notifications on your iPhone in two ways: Focus mode silences them temporarily without changing your settings, while notification settings turn them off permanently for each app. If you want everything quiet right now, turn on Focus mode. If you want to keep notifications off long-term, you'll adjust settings in the Notifications menu.
The method you choose depends on whether you need the quiet to be temporary (like during work or sleep) or permanent (because you don't want certain apps notifying you at all). Most people use a combination: Focus mode for time-based quiet, and notification settings for apps they never want to hear from.
Key Takeaways
- Focus mode silences all notifications instantly and can turn back on automatically at a set time, without changing any app settings.
- You can turn off notifications for individual apps in Settings > Notifications, or disable all notifications for an app at once.
- Do Not Disturb mode silences calls and notifications but still allows repeated calls through in emergencies — Focus mode does not.
- Notification badges (the red numbers on app icons) and notification sounds are separate toggles from the notifications themselves.
- Some system notifications like low battery and software updates cannot be turned off, only silenced through Focus mode.
Using Focus mode to silence everything temporarily
Focus mode is the quickest way to stop all notifications without changing your settings. Open Control Center (swipe down from the top right on newer iPhones, or up from the bottom on older ones), then tap and hold the Focus icon. Select Do Not Disturb or create a custom Focus. When a Focus is on, notifications arrive but don't make sounds or light up your screen.
To make a Focus turn off automatically, tap the Focus name, then tap Turn Off and choose a time or location. For example, you can set Work Focus to turn on at 9 a.m. and off at 5 p.m. every weekday. You can also set it to turn off when you leave a location, like your office. This way you don't have to remember to switch it back on.
Do Not Disturb is the simplest built-in Focus — it silences everything except repeated calls from the same person (in case of emergency). If you want to block even those, create a custom Focus and don't add anyone to the allowed contacts list.
Turning off notifications for individual apps permanently
To stop notifications from a specific app, go to Settings > Notifications, then tap the app name. At the top, toggle off Allow Notifications. That app will never send you a notification again unless you turn this back on.
If you want to keep notifications but change how they appear, you have more options in the same menu. You can turn off Sounds (the app notifies you but makes no noise), turn off Badges (the red number on the app icon disappears), or change the notification style from Banners (pop-up at the top) to Alerts (pop-up you have to dismiss) or None (silent notification in Notification Center only).
The order of apps in the Notifications menu is not alphabetical — it shows recently used apps first. Scroll down to find the app you want, or use the search box at the top of Settings to jump straight to it.
Turning off notifications for all apps at once
There is no single switch to disable notifications for every app simultaneously. However, you can use Focus mode to achieve the same effect instantly. Turn on Do Not Disturb or a custom Focus, and all notifications will be silenced until you turn the Focus off.
If you want notifications permanently off for all apps, you would need to go through Settings > Notifications and toggle off each app individually. This takes longer but gives you permanent quiet. Most people find it easier to use Focus mode for this instead, since it's faster and you can turn notifications back on whenever you need them.
Controlling notification badges and sounds separately
A notification badge is the red circle with a number on an app icon — it tells you how many unread items you have. A notification sound is the noise your phone makes when something arrives. You can turn off notifications themselves while keeping badges, or turn off sounds while keeping notifications visible.
To turn off badges without turning off notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and toggle off Badges. To turn off sounds, toggle off Sounds. You can also control sounds globally: go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and adjust the volume slider, or toggle off Change with Buttons so the volume buttons don't affect notification sounds.
Some apps have their own notification sound settings inside the app itself. If you've turned off sounds in iPhone settings but an app still makes noise, check the app's own settings menu — look for a Notifications or Sound section.
System notifications you cannot turn off
Some notifications come from iOS itself, not from apps, and cannot be disabled in the Notifications menu. These include Low Battery warnings, Software Update alerts, iCloud Storage Full messages, and Find My notifications if you have that turned on. You can silence these through Focus mode, but you cannot turn them off permanently.
If you don't want to see these notifications at all, Focus mode is your only option. Turn on a Focus and these system alerts will not appear on your lock screen or send sounds, though they may still appear in Notification Center if you swipe down to look for them.
Clearing notifications from your lock screen and Notification Center
Turning off notifications stops new ones from arriving, but old ones may still be visible on your lock screen or in Notification Center. To clear them, swipe left on a notification and tap the trash icon, or tap Clear at the top of Notification Center. You can also press and hold a notification to see options like Manage (which takes you to that app's notification settings).
If notifications keep piling up even after you've turned them off, check that you actually toggled off Allow Notifications for that app. Sometimes people turn off sounds or badges but leave notifications on, so they still arrive — they just don't make noise or show a badge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people still be able to reach me if I turn off all notifications?
Calls and messages will still come through to your phone — they just won't make noise or light up your screen. If someone calls you repeatedly, Do Not Disturb allows that call through after the second attempt. If you use a custom Focus instead, repeated calls are blocked unless you add that person to your allowed contacts.
Can I turn off notifications for just one contact?
Not directly through notifications settings. Instead, go to the Messages or Phone app, find the contact, tap the info icon, and toggle off Notify Me or Hide Alerts. You can also use Focus mode and add only the people you want to hear from to the allowed contacts list.
What's the difference between Do Not Disturb and a Focus?
Do Not Disturb is a built-in Focus that allows repeated calls through. A custom Focus gives you more control — you can choose exactly who can contact you, whether calls are allowed at all, and which apps can send notifications. Both silence notifications the same way.
If I turn off notifications, will I still see them in Notification Center?
If you toggle off Allow Notifications for an app, it won't send notifications at all, so nothing appears in Notification Center. If you only turn off sounds or badges, notifications still arrive and appear in Notification Center — they just don't make noise or show a badge on the app icon.
Can I schedule Focus mode to turn on and off automatically?
Yes. Open Settings > Focus, tap the Focus you want to schedule, then tap Turn Off. Choose At a Specific Time to set exact hours, or When I Leave to turn it off when you leave a location. You can set different schedules for different days of the week.