Turn Off Notifications in Settings

The fastest way to stop notifications is through the Notifications section in Settings. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then tap the app you want to silence. Toggle off "Allow Notifications" at the top of the screen. That app will no longer send you alerts, badges, or sounds — though it can still send notifications to your lock screen if you turn that setting back on later.

If you want to keep some notifications but silence others from the same app, you have more control. In that same app's notification settings, you can turn off specific types: toggle off "Sounds" to mute the alert noise, toggle off "Badges" to remove the red number on the app icon, or toggle off "Lock Screen" to prevent notifications from appearing on your lock screen when the phone is locked.

You can also change how notifications arrive. Under "Alert Style When Unlocked", choose "Banners" (a notification slides down from the top and disappears automatically), "Alerts" (a notification stays on screen until you dismiss it), or "None" (no visual alert, though the notification still goes to your notification center). This is useful when you want to know about something eventually but don't want constant interruptions.

Key Takeaways

  • Toggle "Allow Notifications" off in Settings > Notifications > [App Name] to stop an app from sending any alerts.
  • You can silence just the sound, the badge number, or the lock screen notification while keeping other notification types active.
  • Changing the alert style to "Banners" makes notifications disappear automatically instead of staying on screen until you dismiss them.
  • Scheduled Summary groups notifications from multiple apps into one digest at a time you choose, reducing constant interruptions throughout the day.
  • Focus modes let you create custom notification rules for different times or activities — work, sleep, driving, or personal time.

Use Scheduled Summary to Batch Notifications

Instead of getting notifications throughout the day, you can collect them into one digest. Go to Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary, toggle it on, then tap "Customize" to choose which apps send notifications to the summary and what time you want to receive it. At that time, you'll get one notification containing all the alerts from those apps since the last summary.

This works well for apps you want to stay informed about but don't need to interrupt you constantly — news apps, social media, email, or project management tools. You check them once at a set time instead of dozens of times a day. Apps you mark as important (like Messages or Phone) bypass the summary and still alert you when ready.

Create Focus Modes for Different Times

Focus modes let you set up rules for when notifications can reach you. Open Settings > Focus, tap the plus sign to create a new Focus, name it (Work, Sleep, Driving, or a custom name), then choose which people and apps can notify you during that time. You can also set a schedule so the Focus turns on automatically at certain times or locations.

For example, a Sleep Focus can silence all notifications except emergency calls from family members, turning on automatically at 10 p.m. and off at 7 a.m. A Work Focus might allow notifications from work email and your calendar but silence social media and games. When a Focus is active, your lock screen and notification center show only the notifications that Focus allows.

You can also set what happens when someone tries to reach you during a Focus. Under "Calls & Messages", choose whether to allow calls from everyone, favorites only, or nobody. You can set exceptions for repeated calls (if someone calls twice in three minutes, it goes through) so emergencies still reach you.

Silence Notifications Without Turning Them Off

If you want to keep notifications but stop them from interrupting you right now, use Do Not Disturb. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then tap the moon icon. This silences all notifications, calls, and alerts until you turn it off or set a time limit. You can also go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb to customize which contacts can still reach you.

Do Not Disturb is different from turning off notifications entirely — the alerts still arrive and appear in your notification center, but they won't make sounds or vibrate. This is useful when you're in a meeting, at dinner, or need a few hours of quiet without permanently disabling notifications.

Manage Notifications on Your Lock Screen

Your lock screen can show notifications from multiple apps at once, which can feel overwhelming. To control what appears there, go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and toggle off "Lock Screen" for apps you don't want to see when your phone is locked. The notifications still arrive in your notification center, but they won't be visible on the lock screen itself.

You can also customize how many notifications show on your lock screen. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older iPhones), scroll down to "Lock Screen", and choose "Show" or "Hide" for notifications. If you choose "Show", you can then decide whether to show notification previews (which display the full message) or just show that a notification arrived without the content.

Turn Off Notifications for Specific Contact Types

Some apps let you silence notifications from certain people or groups. In Messages, for example, you can mute a conversation by opening it, tapping the contact name at the top, scrolling down, and toggling on "Hide Alerts". The conversation still appears in your message list, but you won't get notifications when that person texts you.

In Mail, you can mute entire mailboxes. Swipe left on a mailbox in the Mail app, tap the bell icon with a slash through it, and that mailbox will stop sending notifications. You can still check it manually, but it won't alert you to new messages. This is useful for newsletters, notifications, or work email you want to read on your schedule, not on the sender's schedule.

Check Notification History and Adjust Over Time

After you've made changes, check your notification center to see what's still coming through. Swipe down from the top-left corner of your screen to open Notification Center and review what notifications arrived. If you're still seeing too many from a particular app, go back to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and adjust the settings further.

Your notification needs change depending on what you're doing. You might want full notifications during work hours but silence during evenings. Focus modes handle this automatically, but you can also manually adjust settings whenever you need to. The goal is to find the balance where you stay informed about what matters without being interrupted by what doesn't.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications stop the app from working?

No. Turning off notifications only stops alerts from reaching you. The app continues to work normally in the background. You can still open the app and use it whenever you want — you just won't be interrupted by notifications.

Can I turn off notifications for just one person in Messages?

Yes. Open the conversation with that person, tap their name at the top, scroll down, and toggle on "Hide Alerts". You'll still see their messages when you open Messages, but you won't get notifications when they text you.

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

Do Not Disturb silences notifications temporarily without changing your settings — turn it off and notifications resume. Turning off notifications in Settings permanently stops an app from sending alerts until you turn them back on. Do Not Disturb is for right now; turning off notifications is for the long term.

If I use Scheduled Summary, will I miss urgent messages?

No. When you set up Scheduled Summary, you can mark certain apps or contacts as important. Messages from those apps or people still alert you when ready instead of waiting for the summary. You choose which notifications are urgent enough to interrupt you.

Can I have different notification settings for work and home?

Yes, using Focus modes. Create a Work Focus that allows notifications from work email and calendar but silences everything else, then set it to turn on automatically during work hours. Create a separate Focus for home time with different rules. Your phone switches between them automatically based on your schedule.