What customizing your apps actually means
Customizing your apps means changing how they look, what they show you, and what they're allowed to do on your device. Most apps have a settings menu where you can turn features on and off, choose what notifications you see, decide which of your personal information the app can access, and pick colors or text sizes that work for you. You don't need to read anything new or change your device settings — you're just telling each app how to behave.
The reason this matters is that apps come with default settings chosen by the company that made them, not by you. Those defaults often prioritize what the company wants (like sending you lots of notifications) rather than what you want. Taking five minutes to customize each app you use regularly puts you back in control.
Key Takeaways
- Every app has a settings or preferences menu, usually found by tapping a gear icon, three dots, or a menu button inside the app itself.
- Notification settings let you choose which alerts you see and how they appear, without uninstalling the app.
- Permission settings control what information each app can access — your location, contacts, camera, microphone, or photos — and you can change these anytime.
- Display settings like text size and dark mode are often buried in app settings rather than your device settings, so check the app first.
- You can customize an app without affecting how it works for other people, and changes take effect when ready.
Finding the settings menu in any app
The settings menu location varies by app, but there are only a few places to look. Open the app and look for a gear icon (⚙), three vertical dots (⋮), three horizontal lines (☰), or a word that says "Settings," "Preferences," "Options," or "Menu." On some apps, this button is at the bottom of the screen. On others, it's in the top corner. If you don't see it when ready, try tapping the three dots or lines first — that's the most common hiding place.
Once you tap that button, you'll see a list of options. The exact words and order change from app to app, but the categories are usually the same: Notifications, Privacy or Permissions, Display or Appearance, Account, and General. Start with whichever one matches what you want to change. If you're not sure what a setting does, tap it — you can always go back and change it again.
Turning off notifications you don't want
Notifications are the alerts that pop up on your screen or appear in your notification center. By default, most apps send you notifications for almost everything they do. You can customize which notifications you see without deleting the app or turning off all notifications from that app.
Open the app, find Settings, and look for "Notifications" or "Alerts." You'll usually see toggles (switches) next to different types of notifications — things like "Messages," "Promotions," "Reminders," or "New Followers." Turn off the ones you don't want to see. You can also usually choose how notifications appear: as a banner at the top of your screen, as a badge (a number) on the app icon, or silently in your notification center where you only see them if you look. Many people turn off banner notifications for apps they don't need to respond to when ready, but keep them for messages from people they know.
If an app doesn't have detailed notification controls inside its settings, the problem might be that your device is blocking the app from showing you its own settings. In that case, you may need to check your device's notification settings for that specific app — but start with the app's own settings menu first, because that's where most customization happens.
Controlling what information each app can see
Permissions are the rules that control what information an app is allowed to access on your device. An app might ask for permission to use your camera, microphone, location, contacts, photos, or calendar. You decide whether to grant each permission, and you can change your mind anytime.
Some apps ask for permissions when you first open them. If you tap "Allow," the app gets that permission. If you tap "Don't Allow" or "Deny," the app can't access that information. But you can also change permissions later by going into the app's settings and looking for "Permissions" or "Privacy." You'll see a list of what the app is currently allowed to access. Tap any permission to turn it on or off.
A common situation is an app that asks for permission to access your location, but you only want it to know where you are when you're actively using the app. Look for an option that says "Allow While Using App" or "Only While Using" — that's usually the safest choice. "Always Allow" means the app can track your location even when you're not using it, which most people don't want. "Never Allow" or "Don't Allow" means the app can't see your location at all, which might break some features but keeps your location private.
Changing how the app looks and feels
Many apps let you change their appearance — text size, colors, dark mode, or layout. These settings are usually under "Display," "Appearance," "Theme," or "View." If you have trouble reading small text, look here first before assuming you need to change your device's text size.
Dark mode is a popular customization that changes the app's background from white to dark gray or black. This can reduce eye strain in low light and save battery on phones with OLED screens. Some apps let you turn dark mode on or off manually. Others let you set it to follow your device's dark mode setting, so it changes automatically when your device switches to dark mode at night.
Text size is another common setting. You can usually choose from Small, Medium, Large, or Extra Large, or sometimes drag a slider to pick the exact size you want. This is separate from your device's overall text size setting, so you can make text bigger in one app without affecting others.
Customizing account and privacy settings
If you have an account with the app — like a login for email, social media, or a messaging service — you'll usually find account settings in the app's settings menu. These let you change your password, update your profile information, set up two-factor authentication (an extra security step), or manage what other people can see about you.
Privacy settings control what data the app collects about you and what it does with that data. You might see options like "Personalized Ads" (whether the app shows you ads based on your behavior), "Data Collection" (whether the app sends information about how you use it back to the company), or "Third-Party Sharing" (whether the app shares your information with other companies). Turn off anything you're not comfortable with. The app will still work — it just won't collect or share that information.
Some apps also let you delete your data or your account entirely from within the app. If you want to stop using an app completely, look for "Delete Account" or "Clear Data" in the account or privacy section. This is different from uninstalling the app — it actually removes your information from the company's servers.
What to do if an app won't let you customize something
Some apps have limited customization options because the company designed them that way. If you can't find a setting you want, it might not exist. In that case, you have a few options: you can look for a different app that does what you want, you can contact the app's support team and ask them to add the feature, or you can decide whether the app is worth using without that customization.
If you think a setting should exist but you can't find it, check the app's help section or FAQ (frequently asked questions). Many apps have a "Help," "Support," or "About" option in their settings menu. You can also search the app store (Apple App Store or Google Play Store) for the app's name and read the reviews — other people often mention missing features there.
One more thing: if an app asks for a permission you don't want to grant, you can usually deny it and the app will still work, just with that feature disabled. For example, if a weather app asks for permission to access your contacts, you can say no — the app will still show you the weather, it just won't be able to send weather alerts to your contacts. Try denying permissions you're unsure about and see if the app still does what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I customize an app without affecting how it works for other people?
Yes. Your customizations only affect your copy of the app on your device. If you turn off notifications or change the text size, it doesn't change anything for anyone else using the same app. Each person's customizations are separate.
What happens if I turn off a permission an app needs to work?
The app will usually still open, but the feature that needs that permission won't work. For example, if you deny a camera app permission to access your camera, the app will open but you won't be able to take photos. You can turn the permission back on anytime if you change your mind.
Do I have to customize every app, or can I just use the defaults?
You don't have to customize anything. The app will work with its default settings. But most people find that spending a few minutes customizing their most-used apps makes them much less annoying — fewer unwanted notifications, better text size, and more control over what information the app can access.
If I customize an app and then update it, will my customizations disappear?
Usually not. Most apps save your customizations even after updates. But occasionally a major update might reset some settings, so it's worth checking your customizations after a big update if something feels different.
Where do I find customization options if the app doesn't have a settings menu?
Some very straightforward apps don't have settings. In that case, check your device's settings instead — go to your device's Settings app, find the app in the list, and see if there are customization options there. You can also uninstall the app and look for a different one that has more customization options.