The fastest way to silence every notification at once

The quickest method is to turn on Do Not Disturb, which blocks all notifications, calls, and alerts from reaching your screen and lock screen. Open Settings, tap Notifications, scroll to the bottom, and toggle Do Not Disturb on. This silences everything immediately without deleting notification settings — when you turn it off later, your notifications resume as they were.

If you want notifications gone permanently rather than temporarily silenced, you can disable them app by app in the Notifications settings menu. This takes longer but gives you control over which apps can still send alerts if you change your mind later.

Key Takeaways

  • Do Not Disturb silences all notifications instantly and can be toggled on or off from Control Center or Settings without changing your notification rules.
  • To turn off notifications from individual apps, go to Settings > Notifications, select each app, and toggle off Allow Notifications.
  • Scheduled Do Not Disturb lets you set times when notifications automatically silence — useful for sleep hours or work blocks.
  • Turning off notifications for an app does not delete its data or prevent you from opening the app manually.

Using Do Not Disturb for immediate silence

Do Not Disturb is the fastest way to stop all notifications without changing individual app settings. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then tap the moon icon labeled "Do Not Disturb." The icon turns purple when active, and all notifications, calls, and alerts stop appearing on your lock screen and during use.

You can also reach Do Not Disturb through Settings: open Settings, tap Notifications, scroll to the bottom, and toggle the Do Not Disturb switch on. Both methods produce the same result — every app stops sending alerts until you turn the feature off again.

Do Not Disturb does not delete notification settings. When you toggle it off, each app returns to its previous notification state. This makes it ideal if you want silence for a few hours but plan to re-enable notifications later.

Disabling notifications from individual apps

To turn off notifications from specific apps permanently, open Settings and tap Notifications. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Tap the app you want to silence, then toggle off "Allow Notifications" at the top of that app's settings screen. The app will no longer send any alerts, badges, or sounds.

If you want to disable notifications from many apps at once, repeat this step for each one. There is no bulk toggle to turn off all app notifications at once — you must do this individually. However, you can work through your most-used apps first and leave less-important ones for later.

Turning off notifications does not affect the app itself. You can still open the app, receive messages, or use its features normally. Notifications simply will not appear on your lock screen, home screen, or in the notification center.

Setting up scheduled Do Not Disturb for automatic silence

If you want notifications to silence automatically at certain times — such as during sleep or work hours — you can schedule Do Not Disturb. Open Settings, tap Notifications, scroll to Do Not Disturb, and tap "Scheduled." Toggle on the switch, then set your start and end times. Do Not Disturb will activate at your chosen time each day and turn off automatically when the window ends.

You can create multiple schedules if your routine changes by day. For example, you might set one schedule for weekday work hours and another for sleep time. Each schedule runs independently, so Do Not Disturb activates whenever any scheduled time arrives.

Controlling which contacts can reach you during Do Not Disturb

By default, Do Not Disturb blocks calls and messages from everyone. If you want certain people — like family or your boss — to reach you even when Do Not Disturb is on, you can allow them through. Open Settings, tap Notifications, scroll to Do Not Disturb, and tap "Allowed Notifications From." Select Contacts, Favorites, or Recent Contacts, then choose which people can bypass Do Not Disturb.

You can also allow calls from specific contact groups. If you have a group labeled "Family" or "Work," you can select that group so only members can reach you. This keeps most notifications silent while ensuring urgent calls get through.

Turning off notification badges and sounds separately

If you want to keep notifications but remove the red badges (the numbered circles on app icons) or notification sounds, you can adjust these separately. Open Settings, tap Notifications, select an app, and toggle off "Badges" to remove the red circles. Toggle off "Sounds" to silence notification alerts while keeping notifications visible in your notification center.

This approach is useful if you want to check notifications on your own schedule without being interrupted by sounds or visual badges. The notifications still arrive — they simply do not grab your attention.

Removing notifications from your lock screen and notification center

You can hide notifications from your lock screen while still receiving them in your notification center. Open Settings, tap Notifications, select an app, and toggle off "Lock Screen." The app's notifications will appear in your notification center when you swipe down from the top, but they will not show on your lock screen when your phone is locked.

Similarly, you can hide notifications from your notification center by toggling off "Notification Center" for that app. This keeps the app from appearing in your notification list, though it may still send sounds or badges. Combine these settings to fine-tune exactly where and how each app's notifications appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications prevent me from receiving messages or calls?

Turning off notifications stops alerts from appearing, but messages and calls still arrive on your phone. You will see them when you open the app or check your notification center. Do Not Disturb works the same way — calls and messages come through, but you are not notified until you turn Do Not Disturb off.

Can I turn off notifications for all apps except a few?

Yes, but you must do it app by app. Use Do Not Disturb to silence everything, then go to Settings > Notifications and toggle "Allow Notifications" back on for the apps you want to keep. This is faster than disabling each app individually if you only want a few apps to send alerts.

What is the difference between Do Not Disturb and turning off notifications?

Do Not Disturb temporarily silences all notifications without changing your settings — turn it off and notifications resume. Turning off notifications in Settings permanently disables alerts from that app until you re-enable them. Do Not Disturb is temporary; disabling notifications is permanent until you change it.

If I turn on Do Not Disturb, will people know I am ignoring them?

No. Do Not Disturb is a phone setting only — it does not send a message to callers or message senders. People will not see that you have Do Not Disturb on. Calls and messages still arrive normally; you simply do not receive notifications about them.

Can I have Do Not Disturb on while using my phone?

Yes. Do Not Disturb silences notifications on your lock screen and in the notification center, but you can still use your phone normally. Apps work as usual, and you can still see and respond to messages or calls if you open the app yourself.