Where push notifications live and how to find them
Push notifications are messages that apps and websites send to your device whether or not you have them open. They appear as banners on your lock screen, pop-ups on your desktop, or badges on app icons. Unlike email or messages you check on purpose, push notifications interrupt you — they arrive on the sender's schedule, not yours.
The settings to control them live in different places depending on what device you use and what's sending the notification. A notification from Instagram works differently than one from your email client, and both work differently on iPhone than on Android. The good news is that you can turn off almost all of them without uninstalling the app.
Start by identifying which notifications bother you most. Open your phone's notification history — on iPhone, swipe down from the top; on Android, swipe down twice from the top — and look at what arrived today. Write down the app names. You'll disable them one at a time.
Key Takeaways
- Push notifications are turned off separately for each app, in your phone's settings, not in the app itself.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications and tap each app to turn off "Allow Notifications"; on Android, go to Settings > Apps > Notifications and toggle off the apps you don't want to hear from.
- Websites can also send push notifications through your browser — turn these off in your browser settings under Notifications, not on your phone.
- Turning off notifications does not delete the app or prevent it from working; you can still open it and use it normally.
- Some apps will still show a badge (a red number on the icon) even after you disable notifications — you can turn off badges separately if they distract you.
Disabling notifications on iPhone
On iPhone, all notification settings live in one place. Open Settings, then tap Notifications. You'll see a list of every app on your phone that can send notifications, sorted by how recently they sent one.
Tap the app you want to silence. At the top of the screen, toggle off Allow Notifications. That's it — the app can no longer send you push notifications. If you want to keep notifications but change how they appear, you can toggle off Sounds or Badges instead, or change the alert style from Prominent to Quiet so notifications arrive silently in your notification center instead of interrupting you.
If you have a lot of apps, you don't have to do them all at once. Start with the ones that interrupt you most. You can come back and adjust others later.
Disabling notifications on Android
On Android, the path depends on which version you're running, but the idea is the same. Open Settings, then look for Apps or process Manager. Tap Notifications (on some phones this is under Advanced or Permissions).
You'll see a list of apps sorted by how many notifications they've sent. Tap the app you want to silence, then toggle off Allow Notifications or Show Notifications. The exact wording varies by manufacturer — Samsung, Google Pixel, and other brands phrase it slightly differently — but the toggle is always there.
If you can't find Notifications in Settings, try opening the app itself, tapping the three-dot menu, and looking for Notifications or Settings. Some apps let you disable notifications from inside the app, though the phone's settings are usually more reliable.
Stopping notifications from websites and browsers
Websites can ask your browser for permission to send push notifications, even when you're not on the website. You might see a prompt that says "Allow notifications?" when you visit a news site, weather app, or social media page. These are browser notifications, not app notifications, and they're controlled separately.
To turn off notifications from websites, open your browser settings. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications. You'll see a list of websites that have permission to send notifications. Click the three dots next to any site and choose Remove or Block. In Safari, go to Settings > Websites > Notifications and change the default from Allow to Deny. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications and remove sites from the list.
If a website asks for notification permission in the future, you can click Block instead of Allow. You won't see the prompt again for that site.
Turning off badges without turning off notifications
A badge is the red number that appears on an app icon when you have unread messages or updates. Some people find badges helpful; others find them distracting. You can turn off badges separately from notifications.
On iPhone, open Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and toggle off Badges. On Android, open Settings > Apps > Notifications, tap the app, and look for Badge or Show Badge Count and toggle it off. This keeps notifications working but removes the visual reminder on your home screen.
What happens when you disable notifications
Turning off push notifications does not uninstall the app, delete your account, or stop the app from working. You can still open the app and use it normally. You just won't be interrupted by messages when you're doing something else.
Some apps will still show information inside the app itself — like unread message counts or new posts — when you open them. You're only turning off the interruption, not the information. If you change your mind later, you can turn notifications back on the same way you turned them off.
A few apps, like phone calls and text messages, may not let you turn off notifications completely because they're system-level. But you can usually change how they alert you — for example, turning off sound but keeping vibration, or changing the ringtone.
Handling apps that keep sending notifications anyway
Occasionally an app will send notifications even after you've disabled them in settings. This usually means the app has a separate notification setting inside the app itself. Open the app, look for a menu or settings icon (usually three horizontal lines or three dots), and search for Notifications or Alerts. Turn off notifications there as well.
If an app still sends notifications after you've disabled them in both places, the app may be malfunctioning. Try closing the app completely, waiting a few seconds, and opening it again. If it continues, uninstalling and reinstalling the app sometimes fixes the problem. You can always check the app's support page or contact the developer if the issue persists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I miss important messages if I turn off notifications?
You'll still see messages when you open the app, but you won't be alerted to them. If you need to know about urgent messages when ready, keep notifications on for those apps and disable them only for apps that are less time-sensitive. You can also turn on notifications only during certain hours using Do Not Disturb or Focus modes.
Can I turn off notifications for just one contact or sender?
It depends on the app. Text messages and email apps often let you mute specific conversations or senders without disabling all notifications. Look in the app's settings or try long-pressing a conversation to see if a mute option appears. For social media and other apps, you usually have to disable notifications for the whole app.
What's the difference between Do Not Disturb and turning off notifications?
Do Not Disturb silences all notifications temporarily — usually during sleep or work hours — but the notifications still arrive and you can see them when you check your phone. Turning off notifications prevents the app from sending them at all. Use Do Not Disturb for temporary quiet time; disable notifications for apps you don't want to hear from ever.
Why do some apps keep sending notifications even after I disabled them?
The app may have its own notification settings separate from your phone's settings. Open the app, find its settings menu, and look for a Notifications section. Disable notifications there as well. If it still happens, the app may have a bug — try uninstalling and reinstalling it.
Can I turn off notifications for all apps at once?
No, you have to disable them app by app. However, you can use Focus modes (iPhone) or Do Not Disturb (Android) to silence all notifications during certain times or when you're doing specific activities. This is faster than disabling individual apps if you only want quiet time temporarily.