Where to find the notification settings

Open Settings on your Android phone. The icon usually looks like a gear and sits on your home screen or in your app drawer. Scroll down until you see Apps or Applications — the exact name varies by phone brand.

Tap Apps, then look for Notifications in the menu that appears. Some phones put this directly in Settings under Notifications instead. If you cannot find it in either place, search for "notifications" using your phone's search function at the top of Settings.

Once you are in Notifications, you will see a list of every app on your phone. This is where you control which apps can send you alerts, and how loud or visible they are.

Key Takeaways

  • You can turn off all notifications from a single app by finding it in Settings > Apps > Notifications and toggling the switch off.
  • Most apps let you keep notifications but silence the sound and vibration, which stops them from interrupting you without hiding them completely.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications across your entire phone during set hours, which is useful for sleep or focus time.
  • Some notifications (like calls from contacts or alarms) can be set to bypass Do Not Disturb if you mark them as priority.
  • Turning off notifications for an app does not delete the app or prevent it from working — it only stops the alerts.

Turn off notifications from a single app

Find the app in your notification settings list and tap its name. You will see a toggle switch at the top labeled Allow notifications or straightforward Notifications. Tap the toggle to turn it off. The switch will turn gray, which means that app can no longer send you alerts.

If you want to keep notifications from that app but stop the sound and vibration, look for Sound and Vibration in the same menu. Turn both of these off. The app can still send you silent notifications that appear on your lock screen or notification panel, but they will not interrupt you with noise or buzzing.

You can also find notifications for a specific app by opening the app itself. Look for a settings icon (usually a gear) inside the app, then search for "notifications" in that app's own settings menu. This often gives you more detailed control — for example, you might be able to turn off notifications for messages but keep them for calls.

Use Do Not Disturb to silence everything at once

Do Not Disturb mode stops all notifications from making sound or vibrating, though they still arrive silently in your notification panel. Open Settings, search for Do Not Disturb, and tap it. You will see a toggle to turn it on when ready, or you can set a schedule so it turns on automatically at a certain time each day.

To set a schedule, tap Scheduled or Turn on as scheduled, then enter the start and end times. Many people set Do Not Disturb to turn on at bedtime and turn off when they wake up. You can also set it to turn on during work hours or any other block of time when you do not want interruptions.

While Do Not Disturb is on, most notifications will be completely silent. However, you can allow certain contacts or apps to bypass this mode. Look for Allow calls from or Priority in the Do Not Disturb menu. If you set this to Contacts or Favorites, calls and messages from people in those groups will still ring through even when Do Not Disturb is active.

Control notification badges and lock screen visibility

Even when a notification makes no sound, it can still show a badge — a small number or dot on the app icon — or appear on your lock screen. If you want to stop seeing these visual reminders, go back to that app's notification settings and look for Badge, Lock screen, or Show on lock screen.

Turn off Show on lock screen if you do not want notifications to appear when your phone is locked. Turn off Badge if you do not want the app icon to display a number or dot. These settings let you fine-tune exactly how much you see from each app without turning off notifications entirely.

Manage notification channels within apps

Some apps send different types of notifications — for example, a messaging app might send alerts for direct messages, group chats, and mentions separately. In the app's notification settings, you may see Channels or Categories. Tap one to control that specific type of notification without affecting the others.

For instance, you might turn off notifications for group chats but keep them on for direct messages from close friends. This gives you control at a much more detailed level than straightforward turning the app on or off. Not all apps use channels, but popular ones like messaging and social media apps usually do.

What happens when you turn off notifications

Turning off notifications does not uninstall the app, delete your data, or stop the app from working. It only prevents the app from sending you alerts. You can still open the app manually and see everything that happened — you just will not be interrupted by pings and buzzes.

If you turn off notifications and later change your mind, you can turn them back on the same way you turned them off. Go to Settings > Apps > Notifications, find the app, and toggle notifications back on. Your other settings (like sound and vibration) will return to their defaults unless you had customized them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off notifications for just one contact in an app?

It depends on the app. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram let you mute individual conversations or contacts. Open the conversation, look for a menu icon (three dots or lines), and search for "mute" or "notifications". You can usually mute for a set time or indefinitely. Social media apps rarely offer this level of control.

Why do I still see notifications even though I turned them off?

You may have turned off sound and vibration but left the visual notification on. Check that you toggled off Allow notifications completely, not just the sound. Also check if the app has its own notification settings inside the app itself — those override the system settings sometimes.

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

No. Turning off notifications only stops the alert. Calls and messages still arrive on your phone and appear in the app. You just will not hear a ring or see a badge. If you need to receive calls from certain people, use Do Not Disturb with priority contacts instead of turning off notifications entirely.

How do I stop notifications from waking my phone screen?

Look in the app's notification settings for Wake screen, Peek, or Ambient display. Turn this off to prevent notifications from lighting up your screen. You can also use Do Not Disturb during sleep hours, which usually prevents the screen from waking.

Can I turn off notifications for all apps at once?

Not with a single button, but Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications system-wide. If you want to turn off notifications for many apps individually, go to Settings > Apps > Notifications and work through them one by one. There is no faster way, but it takes only a few minutes.