Turn off notifications in Settings for any app

The fastest way to silence an app is through the Notifications section of Settings. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then find the app you want to quiet. Tap it and toggle off "Allow Notifications" — that app will stop sending alerts to your lock screen, banner, and notification center all at once.

If you want the app to send notifications but silently, keep "Allow Notifications" on and toggle off "Sounds" instead. The notification will still appear, but your phone won't make a sound or vibrate. This works well for apps you check occasionally but don't need to interrupt you.

You can also adjust how notifications appear without turning them off entirely. In that same app's notification settings, you'll see options for "Lock Screen", "Notification Center", and "Banners". Turn off any of these to stop notifications from showing in that specific place.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle "Allow Notifications" off to stop all alerts from that app.
  • Toggle off "Sounds" to let notifications arrive silently without sound or vibration.
  • Use Focus modes to silence groups of apps on a schedule — for example, Work Focus during business hours or Sleep Focus at night.
  • Turn on Do Not Disturb to silence all notifications except from people you choose, without changing individual app settings.
  • Schedule Focus modes to turn on and off automatically so you don't have to remember to switch them manually.

Use Focus modes to silence apps on a schedule

Focus modes let you create custom profiles that silence specific apps at specific times. Open Settings, tap Focus, and tap the plus sign to create a new Focus. Name it something clear like "Work" or "Evening", then tap "Apps" and choose which apps can send notifications while that Focus is active.

Once you've built a Focus, you can set it to turn on automatically. Tap "Schedule" and choose a time range — for example, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Your iPhone will switch to that Focus automatically at those times and switch back when the window closes. This means you don't have to remember to silence your phone; it happens on its own.

You can also set a Focus to turn on when you arrive at a location. Tap "Smart set up" and choose a place like your workplace or gym. Your iPhone will switch to that Focus whenever you arrive there and turn it off when you leave. This is useful if your schedule changes day to day but your locations stay the same.

Use Do Not Disturb for when ready silence

Do Not Disturb is the quickest way to silence everything at once. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then tap the moon icon. Your phone will silence all notifications except from people in your Favorites list — you can customize this in Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.

Do Not Disturb stays on until you turn it off manually or until a time you set. To set an automatic end time, open Control Center, press and hold the moon icon, and tap "End This Focus" to choose when it should turn off — for example, in one hour or at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

If you want Do Not Disturb to turn on and off on a schedule like Focus modes do, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and tap "Schedule". This is useful if you want your phone silent every night at the same time without having to remember to turn it on.

Allow notifications from specific people only

You can set your phone to silence everything except messages and calls from people who matter most. Open Settings, tap Focus, and select Do Not Disturb or create a new Focus. Tap "People" and choose "Allowed People", then add the contacts you want to reach you — family members, your boss, or close friends.

When that Focus is on, only calls and messages from those people will get through. Everyone else's notifications will be silenced. This is especially useful during sleep or work hours when you want to stay reachable for emergencies but don't want casual notifications.

Turn off notifications for specific types of alerts

Some apps send multiple kinds of notifications — messages, reminders, promotional alerts — and you might want to keep some but silence others. Open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and scroll down to see its notification types. Each type usually has its own toggle you can turn off independently.

For example, in the Messages app, you can turn off "Notification Previews" so you see that a message arrived but not who it's from or what it says. In Mail, you can turn off notifications for certain mailboxes while keeping them on for others. Check the settings for apps you use most — many have more granular controls than you might expect.

Silence notifications while still seeing them later

If you turn off notifications entirely, you might miss something important because you won't know it arrived. Instead, keep notifications on but change where they appear. Open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle off "Lock Screen" and "Banners" while keeping "Notification Center" on.

This way, notifications won't interrupt you with sounds or pop-ups, but they'll collect in your Notification Center. You can check them whenever you open Control Center or swipe down from the top of your screen. This is a good middle ground for apps you care about but don't need to interrupt you when ready.

Manage notification badges and sounds separately

A notification badge is the red number that appears on an app icon. You can turn off badges without turning off notifications entirely. Open Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle off "Badges". The app will still send notifications, but the icon won't show a red number.

Similarly, you can keep notifications but remove the sound. In the app's notification settings, toggle off "Sounds" or choose "None" from the sound options. The notification will still appear on your lock screen and in your notification center, but your phone won't make a noise or vibrate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I turned off notifications from them?

No. Turning off notifications only affects what your phone shows you — it doesn't change whether messages or calls arrive. People won't know you've silenced them, and you can still see their messages if you open the app or check your notification center.

Can I silence notifications from one person but not others in the same app?

Not directly through notification settings. However, you can mute individual conversations in apps like Messages and Mail. Open the conversation, tap the person's name or the info icon, and look for a "Mute" or "Hide Alerts" option. This silences just that conversation without affecting the whole app.

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

Turning off notifications for an app means that app never alerts you. Do Not Disturb silences all notifications temporarily but keeps the settings in place — when you turn Do Not Disturb off, notifications resume as normal. Use app settings for permanent changes and Do Not Disturb for temporary quiet.

If I turn off notifications, will I still get calls?

Turning off notifications in Settings doesn't affect calls — it only silences alerts from apps. Calls will still come through and ring normally. If you want to silence calls too, use Do Not Disturb or Focus modes, which let you allow calls from specific people.

Can I silence notifications from an app without opening Settings?

Yes. Press and hold a notification from that app, then tap "Manage" and toggle off "Allow Notifications". You can also swipe left on a notification and tap the options icon to silence that app. Both methods do the same thing as going through Settings, just faster.