The fastest way to silence notifications
Open Settings on your home screen, then tap Notifications. You will see a list of every app installed on your phone. Tap any app name to see its notification settings. Toggle Allow Notifications off to stop all alerts from that app. If you want to keep some notifications but silence others, leave Allow Notifications on and adjust the options below it — you can turn off sounds, badges (the red numbers on app icons), or lock screen alerts individually.
For apps you use but find noisy, you do not have to choose between all notifications or none. Most apps let you pick which types of messages reach you. For example, Gmail lets you silence promotional emails while keeping messages from your contacts. Slack lets you mute specific channels or turn off notifications during certain hours. The settings vary by app, but the pattern is the same: tap the app in Notifications, then look for category toggles below the main Allow Notifications switch.
Key Takeaways
- Go to Settings > Notifications and toggle off Allow Notifications for any app you want to silence completely.
- Most apps let you keep notifications but turn off sounds, badges, or lock screen alerts separately, so you do not have to choose all or nothing.
- Focus modes let you create schedules where only certain people or apps can reach you — useful for work hours, sleep, or driving.
- Turning off notifications for an app does not delete the app or prevent you from opening it manually.
Using Focus modes to silence notifications on a schedule
If you want notifications off during certain times — like work hours or bedtime — Focus modes are faster than changing settings every day. Open Settings, tap Focus, and tap the plus sign to create a new Focus. Name it (Work, Sleep, Driving, or anything else), then choose which apps and people can send you notifications while that Focus is on. You can set a schedule so the Focus turns on and off automatically.
For example, you can create a Work Focus that silences all notifications except calls from your boss and messages from your family. Set it to turn on at 9 a.m. and off at 5 p.m. on weekdays. When Work Focus is active, your phone will still receive notifications from other apps, but they will not make sounds or light up your screen — they will wait in the notification center until you turn the Focus off. This keeps your phone from interrupting you without cutting you off from people who might need to reach you in an emergency.
Stopping notifications from specific contacts
If one person sends you too many notifications, you can silence them without blocking them. Open the conversation in Messages, Mail, or the app where they contact you, then tap the person's name at the top of the screen. Scroll down and toggle off Notifications or Notify Me (the exact wording depends on the app). The person can still message you, but you will not see alerts or hear sounds when they do.
This is different from blocking, which prevents someone from contacting you at all. Silencing lets them reach you if they need to — you just will not be interrupted by every message. You can check messages from that person whenever you open the app, but they will not ping you throughout the day.
Turning off badge numbers and lock screen previews
The red circles with numbers on app icons (called badges) and message previews on your lock screen can be as distracting as sounds. Go to Settings > Notifications, tap an app, and toggle off Badges to remove the red number. Toggle off Show Previews to hide what the notification says on your lock screen — it will still arrive, but you will not see the content until you unlock your phone.
This is useful if you want to stay aware that an app has new messages without being interrupted by what those messages contain. For example, you might turn off lock screen previews for work email so you know messages arrived, but you do not see them until you choose to look. The notifications still pile up in your notification center, and you can read them all at once when you have time.
Silencing notifications while keeping the app
Turning off notifications does not uninstall the app or prevent you from using it. You can still open the app, read messages, and use all its features — you just will not be interrupted by alerts. This is important to understand because some people worry that silencing an app means they will miss something important. In reality, you can check the app whenever you want. The difference is that the app will not demand your attention.
If you later decide you want notifications back, go to Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and toggle Allow Notifications back on. Your previous settings will still be there. You can also turn notifications back on for just certain types of messages — for example, turning sounds back on but keeping badges off.
Managing notifications from system apps and services
Some notifications come from Apple itself, not from third-party apps. Reminders, Calendar, Find My, and Health all send alerts. You can silence these the same way: go to Settings > Notifications and scroll to find the app name. The system apps are mixed in with your other apps, so scroll through the full list. Toggle off Allow Notifications or adjust individual settings like sounds and badges.
One notification many people want to silence is the low battery warning. You cannot turn this off completely, but you can turn off the sound. Go to Settings > Notifications > Battery, toggle off Sounds, and you will still see the warning on your screen but will not hear an alert. Similarly, you can silence Do Not Disturb reminders, Siri suggestions, and app update notifications by finding them in the Notifications list and adjusting their settings.
What happens to notifications you silence
When you turn off notifications for an app, the messages do not disappear — they just do not alert you. They sit in your notification center, which you can open by swiping down from the top of your screen. You can read them all at once when you have time. This is different from deleting them. The notifications stay there until you dismiss them or until they expire (most notifications disappear after a few days).
If you turn off notifications for an app and then open the app manually, you will see all the new messages waiting for you. The app itself still works normally. You are only controlling whether the app is allowed to interrupt you with alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off their notifications?
No. Silencing notifications is invisible to the other person. They will not receive a message saying you turned off alerts from them. They can still message you normally, and you can still read and reply to their messages whenever you open the app.
Can I turn off notifications for just one type of message from an app?
Yes, if the app supports it. For example, in Settings > Notifications > Mail, you can turn off notifications for promotional emails while keeping them on for messages from VIPs. Not all apps offer this level of control, but most popular ones do. Check the app's notification settings to see what categories it offers.
What is the difference between turning off notifications and blocking an app?
Silencing notifications stops alerts but lets the app work normally — you can still open it and use it. Blocking an app (which you cannot do in iOS settings) would prevent the app from running at all. Turning off notifications is the right choice if you want to use an app but do not want it interrupting you.
If I turn off notifications, will I miss important messages?
You will not miss messages — they will arrive and sit in your notification center. You just will not be alerted when they come in. You can check the app whenever you want, or set a Focus mode to allow notifications from specific people (like family or your boss) while silencing everyone else.
Can I schedule notifications to turn off automatically?
Yes, using Focus modes. Create a Focus, choose which apps and people can notify you, and set a schedule for when it turns on and off. For example, you can create a Sleep Focus that silences all notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and turns on automatically every night.