Push notifications on Facebook are messages that pop up on your phone or computer even when you're not in the app
A push notification is a small alert that appears on your device's screen — usually at the top of your phone or in the corner of your desktop — to tell you something happened on Facebook. Someone commented on your post. A friend sent you a message. A page you follow posted something new. Facebook sends these notifications to pull you back into the app, and they arrive whether the app is open, closed, or running in the background.
Push notifications are different from the notifications you see inside Facebook itself. Those in-app notifications only show up when you're already using Facebook. Push notifications reach you outside the app, which is why they can feel more intrusive — they interrupt what you're doing on your device.
Facebook decides what notifications to send based on your activity, your settings, and what the platform thinks will keep you engaged. The more you interact with certain types of content or people, the more notifications Facebook sends about similar activity. This is intentional: Facebook's business model depends on keeping users active, so the notification system is designed to draw you back in.
Key Takeaways
- Push notifications are alerts that appear on your device outside of Facebook, designed to notify you of activity like comments, messages, and friend requests.
- You can turn off push notifications entirely in your phone's settings, or manage individual notification types within Facebook's settings.
- Facebook's notification system learns from your behavior — the more you engage with certain content, the more notifications you'll receive about similar activity.
- Turning off push notifications does not delete your account or hide your activity from others; it only stops the alerts from reaching your device.
Where push notifications come from and why Facebook sends them
Facebook sends push notifications through your device's operating system. On an iPhone, they use Apple's push notification service. On Android, they use Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging. On a desktop, they come through your web browser. This means Facebook doesn't send the notification directly to you — it sends it to Apple, Google, or your browser, which then delivers it to your device.
The platform sends notifications for several reasons. Some are genuinely useful: a friend sent you a direct message, or someone tagged you in a photo. Others are designed purely to re-engage you: a page you liked posted something, or someone you haven't heard from in months liked your old photo. Facebook's algorithm decides which notifications to send based on what it predicts will make you open the app. If you tend to respond to friend requests, you'll get more notifications about friend requests. If you engage with video content, you'll get more video notifications.
This is why notification volume often increases the more you use Facebook. The platform is learning what keeps you coming back and sending more of that type of alert.
How to turn off push notifications on iPhone
On iPhone, you have two routes: turn off all Facebook notifications at once, or manage individual notification types.
To turn off all push notifications from Facebook: Open Settings, tap Notifications, scroll down and tap Facebook, then toggle off "Allow Notifications." This stops all alerts from reaching your phone. Facebook will still send notifications — you just won't see them.
To manage specific notification types: Go to Settings > Notifications > Facebook, and you'll see options like Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Likes, and others. You can turn off individual categories while keeping others on. For example, you might want messages but not likes. Toggle each one on or off as you prefer.
If you want finer control, open the Facebook app itself, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications, and look for "Push." Here you can customize notifications by type — for instance, turning off notifications about "People You May Know" while keeping friend request alerts on.
How to turn off push notifications on Android
Android's process is similar but the menu names differ slightly. Open Settings, tap Apps or Application Manager, find Facebook, tap Notifications, and toggle off "Allow Notifications." This blocks all push alerts from Facebook.
To manage individual notification types on Android: Open Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications, and you'll see toggles for different categories like Messages, Comments, and Friend Requests. Turn off the ones you don't want.
You can also customize notifications within the Facebook app itself. Open the app, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Push Notifications, and adjust by category. Some Android phones also let you set a notification schedule — for example, silencing notifications between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. — which you can find in your phone's main notification settings.
How to turn off push notifications on desktop
On a desktop computer, push notifications appear as small popups in the corner of your screen, usually from your web browser. To turn them off, you need to change your browser's notification settings, not Facebook's settings.
In Chrome: Click the three-line menu in the top right, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications, find Facebook in the list, and click the three dots next to it. Select "Remove" or change the setting to "Block."
In Safari: Go to Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, find Facebook, and change the dropdown from "Allow" to "Deny."
In Firefox: Click the menu button, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications, find Facebook, and click "Remove Website."
You can also manage notifications within Facebook's web settings. Log in to Facebook on your desktop, click the down arrow in the top right, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications > Push Notifications, and adjust your preferences there. However, browser-level blocking is more reliable because it prevents Facebook from sending the notification to your browser in the first place.
The difference between muting and turning off notifications
Turning off notifications and muting are not the same thing. When you turn off push notifications, Facebook stops sending alerts to your device. When you mute a conversation, a page, or a person, you're telling Facebook not to notify you about that specific source, but you're still receiving notifications from everyone and everything else.
Muting is useful when you want to stay connected to Facebook but don't want alerts from one particular friend, group, or page. For example, you might mute a friend's posts so you don't get notified every time they post, but you'll still see their posts if you visit their profile. To mute someone on Facebook, go to their profile, click the three dots, and select "Mute."
Turning off notifications is a broader choice — it affects your entire notification system. Use muting for fine-tuned control over specific people or pages. Use notification settings when you want to change what types of alerts you receive overall.
What happens when you turn off push notifications
Turning off push notifications does not change anything about your Facebook account or your privacy. Your posts are still visible to the same people. Your messages still arrive. Your activity is still tracked by Facebook for advertising purposes. The only thing that changes is that you stop receiving alerts on your device.
Facebook will still send notifications — they just won't reach you. If you turn notifications back on later, you may see a batch of alerts for activity that happened while they were off. This is normal and not a sign that anything went wrong.
Turning off notifications also does not hide your activity from other users. If you comment on someone's post, they'll still see your comment and may still get a notification about it. Notifications are one-way alerts from Facebook to you — they don't affect what other people see or know about your activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off notifications from one person but keep them from everyone else?
Yes, by muting that person. Go to their profile, click the three dots, and select "Mute." You can also mute specific types of notifications from them — for example, muting their story but not their posts. This is more precise than turning off all notifications.
Will Facebook know if I turn off push notifications?
Facebook knows whether push notifications are enabled on your account, but turning them off does not affect how the platform tracks your activity or shows you ads. Your data is still collected and used for targeting regardless of your notification settings.
Why do I still get notifications after turning them off?
Check that you turned them off in the right place. On phones, you may need to disable notifications both in your device settings and in the Facebook app itself. On desktop, make sure you changed your browser's notification settings, not just Facebook's. If notifications persist, restart your device.
Can I schedule notifications to turn off at certain times?
On iPhone and Android, you can set a "Focus" or "Do Not Disturb" mode that silences notifications during specific hours. Some Android phones also let you set notification schedules directly in the notification settings. Facebook itself does not have a built-in scheduling feature for push notifications.
What's the difference between turning off notifications and deleting my Facebook account?
Turning off notifications only stops alerts from reaching your device. Your account, messages, posts, and all your data remain on Facebook. Deleting your account is a separate process that removes your profile and data from the platform entirely.