Where to find notification settings on your Android phone

Android stores notification controls in two places: in the Settings app itself, and inside individual apps. Most of the time you'll use Settings, which gives you broad control over which apps can send you notifications at all. Open Settings, then look for "Apps" or "Applications" — the exact name varies by phone maker. Tap it, then find the app you want to silence. Inside that app's settings, look for "Notifications" and toggle it off.

If you can't find "Apps" in your main Settings menu, try searching instead. Swipe down from the top of your home screen twice to open the full quick settings panel, then tap the search icon (usually a magnifying glass). Type "notifications" and Android will show you the notification settings page directly.

Key Takeaways

  • You can turn off notifications for an entire app in Settings > Apps > [app name] > Notifications, then toggle the switch off.
  • To silence notifications without uninstalling the app, turn off notifications rather than disabling the app itself — disabling stops it from working entirely.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications for a set time period, useful when you need quiet hours but don't want to change individual app settings.
  • Some apps let you customize which types of notifications they send, so you can keep important alerts while muting others.
  • Notification badges (the red numbers on app icons) can be turned off separately from sound and vibration in most Android versions.

Turning off notifications for a single app

Open Settings and go to Apps (or Applications). Scroll through the list until you find the app you want to silence — you can also search by typing the app name at the top. Tap the app name, then look for "Notifications" in the menu that appears. You'll see a toggle switch; tap it to turn notifications off. The app will continue to work normally, but it won't send you alerts anymore.

Some apps have more detailed notification controls. After you tap the app name, you might see options like "Allow notifications" at the top, and below that, separate toggles for "Sound" or "Vibration" or "Badge" (the red number on the app icon). You can turn off the sound but keep vibration, or turn off the badge but keep sound — whatever combination works for you.

Using Do Not Disturb to silence everything temporarily

If you need quiet for a set period — during a meeting, while sleeping, or while working — Do Not Disturb is faster than changing individual app settings. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full quick settings panel. Look for "Do Not Disturb" (sometimes called "Interruptions" on older phones) and tap it. A menu will appear asking how long you want it on: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, or until you turn it off manually.

When Do Not Disturb is active, your phone will still receive notifications, but it won't make sound or vibrate. The notifications sit quietly in your notification panel until you turn Do Not Disturb off. Some phones let you set exceptions — for example, allowing calls from your contacts while blocking everything else. Look for "Exceptions" or "Allow calls from" in the Do Not Disturb settings to set this up.

Controlling notification badges and sounds separately

You don't have to turn off all notifications from an app if you only want to silence the sound or remove the red badge (the number that appears on the app icon). Go to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Notifications. Below the main toggle, you'll usually see separate controls for "Sound," "Vibration," and "Badge." Turn off whichever ones bother you while leaving the others on.

This is useful for apps you need to check regularly but don't want interrupting you constantly. For example, you might turn off sound and vibration for email but keep the badge on, so you can see at a glance that new messages arrived without hearing a chime every time.

Stopping notifications from specific notification channels

Many apps send different types of notifications — messages, reminders, promotions, updates — and Android lets you control each type separately. Go to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Notifications. Below the main toggle, you might see a list of "Notification channels" or "Categories." Each one can be turned on or off independently. For example, a shopping app might have channels for "Order updates," "Sales," and "Recommendations." You can turn off Sales and Recommendations while keeping Order updates on.

Not all apps use notification channels, so you may not see this option for every app. If you don't see it, the app either sends all notifications the same way or doesn't support channel-level control.

Turning off notifications for all apps at once

If you want to silence your entire phone temporarily, Do Not Disturb is the right tool — it's faster and more flexible than disabling notifications app by app. But if you want to permanently turn off notifications for most apps and only keep a few active, you'll need to go through them individually. There's no master "off" switch for all notifications at once, because Android assumes you want at least some apps to be able to reach you.

A faster approach: go to Settings > Apps, then tap the three-dot menu (or look for "Show system" or "Filter"). You can sometimes sort apps by how recently you used them, so you can silence the ones you don't use often first. Work through the list, turning off notifications for apps you don't need alerts from.

What happens when you turn off notifications

When you turn off notifications for an app, the app itself keeps working normally. You can still open it, use it, and see new content — you just won't get alerts about it. The app won't send you sounds, vibrations, or badges. If the app tries to send a notification, Android will silently discard it instead of showing it to you.

If you change your mind later, go back to the same Settings menu and turn notifications back on. Your previous settings (like which notification channels were on or off) may or may not be remembered depending on the app — most apps reset to their defaults when you re-enable notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications stop the app from working?

No. Turning off notifications only stops alerts; the app runs normally. If you want to completely stop an app from running, you'd disable it instead, but that's a different action. Notifications off means the app works fine — you just won't be notified about new activity.

Can I turn off notifications for just one contact or conversation?

It depends on the app. Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Google Messages let you mute individual conversations or contacts — usually by long-pressing the conversation and looking for "Mute" or "Notifications." Email apps usually don't have this option; you'd need to turn off notifications for the whole app or use filters to move certain emails to a folder.

Why do some apps keep sending notifications even after I turned them off?

Some apps have multiple notification channels, and you may have turned off only one. Go back to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Notifications and check whether other channels are still on. If you see "Notification channels" listed, make sure all of them are toggled off, not just the main switch.

Does Do Not Disturb affect alarms or timers?

Alarms and timers usually go off even when Do Not Disturb is on, because they're considered essential. However, this depends on your phone's settings. If you want to be sure, check Settings > Sound or Settings > Do Not Disturb to see whether alarms are listed as an exception.

Can I schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times?

Yes. Go to Settings > Sound or Settings > Do Not Disturb and look for "Schedule" or "Automatic." You can set it to turn on at a specific time each day — for example, 10 PM to 7 AM — and it will activate without you having to do anything. This is useful for sleep hours or regular meeting times.