Turn off notifications in Settings for any app

The fastest way to stop an app from sending notifications is to go to Settings > Notifications, find the app in the list, and toggle off Allow Notifications. This stops all alerts from that app — sounds, badges, and banners. You can do this for one app or dozens.

If you want to keep notifications but just remove the sound, open that same app's notification settings and toggle off Sounds. The notification will still appear on your lock screen or in your notification center, but your phone won't make a noise or vibrate.

You can also control where notifications show up. In the same app settings, choose Notification Style and pick Banners (appears at the top, then disappears), Alerts (stays until you dismiss it), or None (only shows in notification center). This lets you see notifications without them interrupting what you're doing.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off Allow Notifications in Settings > Notifications to stop any app from sending alerts completely.
  • You can silence the sound while keeping visual notifications by toggling off Sounds in that app's settings.
  • Choose where notifications appear — as banners that disappear, alerts that stay, or only in your notification center.
  • Focus modes let you silence all notifications except from people and apps you choose, without turning notifications off permanently.
  • Do Not Disturb silences calls and notifications but still lets through repeated calls from the same person in emergencies.

Use Focus modes to silence everything except what matters

Focus modes let you create rules for when your phone should stay quiet. Go to Settings > Focus and choose a preset like Work, Sleep, or Personal, or create a custom one. For each Focus, you decide which people and apps can send notifications through.

Once you set up a Focus, you can turn it on manually or schedule it to turn on automatically at certain times. For example, you can set Sleep to turn on every night at 10 p.m. and turn off at 7 a.m., silencing everything except calls from family. Your lock screen can also show a different appearance for each Focus — some people use this to remind themselves which mode is active.

Focus modes are more flexible than Do Not Disturb because you can allow specific apps or contacts through. If you silence work notifications during evenings, you can still let calls from your partner come through, or let messages from your boss appear as alerts while blocking everyone else.

Use Do Not Disturb for a simpler on-off switch

Do Not Disturb is the quickest way to silence your phone right now. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then tap the Do Not Disturb icon (a circle with a line through it). Your phone will silence all calls and notifications when ready.

You can set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at bedtime or during work hours. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and toggle on Turn On Automatically. Choose the days and times, and your phone will silence itself without you having to remember.

Do Not Disturb still allows repeated calls from the same person to come through after three minutes — this is a safety feature so emergencies can reach you. If someone calls twice in three minutes, the second call will ring through even with Do Not Disturb on.

Manage badge numbers and lock screen clutter

Red badges with numbers on app icons can be as distracting as sounds. To remove them, open Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle off Badges. The app will still work normally; you just won't see a number telling you how many unread messages or updates are waiting.

You can also hide notifications from appearing on your lock screen entirely. In that app's notification settings, toggle off Show on Lock Screen. The notification will still go to your notification center (swipe down from the top), but it won't be visible when your phone is locked. This is useful for apps you want to check on your own schedule, not when your phone interrupts you.

Turn off notifications for specific contact groups

If one person or group chat is sending too many notifications, you can silence just that conversation. In Messages, swipe left on the conversation and tap the bell icon with a slash through it. The conversation stays in your inbox, but you won't get alerts when new messages arrive.

You can do the same in other apps like Mail. Swipe left on an email thread and tap the bell icon to mute notifications from that sender. This is faster than turning off notifications for the entire Mail app if only one person is the problem.

Check notification settings for system alerts

Some notifications come from iOS itself, not from apps. These include reminders, calendar alerts, and Siri suggestions. Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll to the bottom to find Siri Suggestions, Reminders, and Calendar. You can turn off notifications for each one or adjust how they appear.

If you get notifications about software updates, storage space, or battery health, these come from system settings. You can't turn them off completely, but you can reduce how often they appear by managing your storage and keeping your phone updated regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I silence notifications from one contact without muting the whole app?

Yes, in Messages and Mail you can swipe left on a specific conversation or sender and tap the bell icon to mute just that thread. Other messages from other people in those apps will still send notifications normally.

What's the difference between turning off notifications and using Do Not Disturb?

Turning off notifications in Settings removes them permanently until you turn them back on. Do Not Disturb is temporary — it silences your phone now but notifications resume when you turn it off or when the scheduled time ends. Use Do Not Disturb for right now; use notification settings for apps you never want to hear from.

Will people know if I've silenced their notifications?

No. Silencing notifications doesn't affect whether you receive messages or calls — it only stops your phone from alerting you. The person sending the message has no way to know whether you have notifications on or off.

Can I silence notifications during work hours but keep them on evenings?

Yes, use a Focus mode. Create a Work Focus in Settings > Focus, choose which apps and people can notify you, then turn on Turn On Automatically and set the hours. At the end of your work hours, the Focus turns off and all notifications resume.

What if I accidentally turn off notifications for an important app?

Go back to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle Allow Notifications back on. You can also check your notification center (swipe down from the top) to see if you missed anything while notifications were off.