Where to find notification settings on your iPhone

Notification controls on iPhone live in the Settings app, not in the notification center itself. Open Settings, then tap Notifications. You will see a list of every app that has sent you a notification, organized alphabetically. From here you can turn notifications off entirely for any app, or adjust exactly what kind of notifications that app is allowed to send.

The fastest way to silence one notification right now is to swipe left on it in your lock screen or notification center, then tap the X. But that only dismisses that single alert — the app will keep sending them. To actually stop an app from notifying you, you need Settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off all notifications from one app by going to Settings > Notifications, finding the app, and toggling off Allow Notifications.
  • You can keep notifications but silence the sound and vibration by turning off Sounds and Haptics for that app.
  • Banner notifications appear at the top of your screen and disappear on their own, while alerts stay until you dismiss them — choose which style you prefer in that app's settings.
  • Focus modes let you silence notifications from everything except specific apps during certain times, like Do Not Disturb at night or Work during business hours.
  • Badges (the red numbers on app icons) can be turned off separately from notifications themselves.

Turn off notifications from a single app completely

Open Settings and tap Notifications. Scroll down and find the app you want to silence. Tap it, then toggle off Allow Notifications at the top. That app will no longer send you any alerts, badges, or sounds.

If you change your mind later, come back to that same screen and toggle Allow Notifications back on. The app's other settings (like which notification style it uses) will be exactly as you left them.

Keep notifications but silence the sound and vibration

Sometimes you want to see that an app has notified you, but you do not want the sound or buzz interrupting you. Go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and keep Allow Notifications turned on. Then toggle off Sounds and Haptics. The notification will still appear on your lock screen and in the notification center, but your phone will not make a noise or vibrate.

This is useful for apps like email or messaging where you want to check them on your own schedule, but you do not need an immediate alert. You will still see the red badge number on the app icon (unless you turn that off separately).

Choose how notifications appear on your screen

Each app can send notifications in different styles. Go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and look at the Notification Style section. Banners appear at the top of your screen for a few seconds and then disappear automatically — they do not interrupt what you are doing. Alerts stay on your screen until you dismiss them by tapping or swiping, which interrupts whatever app you are using.

Most people prefer banners for less important apps and alerts for messages or calls. You can also choose None if you want the app to send notifications only to your lock screen and notification center, with no interruption on your home screen.

Use Focus modes to silence notifications during specific times

Focus modes let you create schedules where only certain apps can notify you. Go to Settings > Focus, then tap the plus sign to create a new Focus (or choose a preset like Do Not Disturb, Sleep, or Work). Set the times you want it active, then choose which apps are allowed to notify you during that Focus.

For example, you can set a Sleep Focus that turns on at 10 p.m. and allows notifications only from Phone and Messages, silencing everything else. When the Focus is active, your lock screen changes appearance and notifications from blocked apps go straight to your notification center without alerting you. You can also turn a Focus on or off manually from Control Center without waiting for the scheduled time.

Turn off badge numbers on app icons

The red circle with a number on an app icon is called a badge. It shows how many unread notifications you have from that app. If badges distract you, go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle off Badges. The app will still send notifications, but the number will not appear on its icon.

You can turn off badges for individual apps or for all apps at once. Some people keep badges on for important apps like Messages or Mail, but turn them off for social media or games.

Manage notifications on your lock screen and notification center

Your lock screen and notification center are two different places where notifications collect. Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll to the bottom. You will see options for Lock Screen and Notification Center. You can choose which apps appear in each place, and whether they show a preview of the message or just the app name.

For sensitive apps like banking or health, you might want to hide the preview so the content does not show on your lock screen where others might see it. Tap an app in either section and toggle Show Previews to control this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off notifications for just one contact in Messages?

Yes. Open Messages, find the conversation, swipe left on it, tap the three dots, then tap Hide Alerts. You will still see messages from that person, but you will not get a notification when they text. To turn alerts back on, swipe left again and tap Show Alerts.

What does "critical alerts" mean and can I turn those off?

Critical alerts are notifications from apps like health or emergency services that bypass your Focus modes and Do Not Disturb. Most apps cannot send them — only Apple and certain health apps have permission. You cannot turn off critical alerts from those apps, but you can turn off regular notifications from them in Settings > Notifications.

Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?

Check that you toggled off Allow Notifications for that specific app, not just the sound. Also check if a Focus mode is active — a Focus does not turn off notifications, it just hides them from interrupting you. Look at the top of your screen for a Focus icon, or check Settings > Focus to see what is currently on.

Can I schedule notifications to stop at a certain time each day?

Not for individual apps, but you can use Focus modes to do this. Create a Focus that turns on at your preferred time (like 9 p.m.) and set it to allow notifications only from specific apps or none at all. When the Focus is active, other apps will not interrupt you, though their notifications will still appear in your notification center.

Do I need to restart my iPhone after changing notification settings?

No. Changes to notification settings take effect immediately. If a notification setting does not seem to be working, try force-closing the app (swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold on the app in the app switcher) and then open it again.