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 maker, but it will be there.

Tap Apps, then look for Notifications in the menu that appears. Some phones call this App Notifications or Notification Settings. Once you tap it, you will see a list of every app installed on your phone, sorted by how many notifications each one sends.

The apps at the top are the ones bothering you most. Start there.

Key Takeaways

  • You can turn off notifications for individual apps by opening Settings, tapping Apps, then Notifications, then the app name, then toggling the notification switch off.
  • Most apps let you keep some notifications (like messages from people) while silencing others (like promotional alerts), which you control in the app's own settings, not Android Settings.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications during set hours, which is faster than disabling apps one at a time if you want quiet time at night or during work.
  • Notification badges (the red dots on app icons) can be turned off separately from the notifications themselves, so you can silence the sound without removing the badge.

Turning off notifications for a single app

From the Notifications list in Settings, tap the name of the app you want to silence. A new screen opens showing that app's notification options. At the top, you will see a toggle switch labeled Allow Notifications or just Notifications. Tap it to turn it off.

That single switch stops all notifications from that app. If you turn it off for, say, Facebook, you will not see any Facebook alerts until you turn the switch back on. The app will still work normally — you just will not be interrupted.

Some apps make this harder by hiding the main toggle. If you do not see it at the top of the screen, scroll down. If it still is not there, the app does not let Android control its notifications, and you will need to change the settings inside the app itself instead.

Keeping some notifications and silencing others

Many apps send different kinds of notifications — messages from friends, promotional emails, reminders, order updates. You might want messages but not promotions. Android's Settings menu does not let you pick and choose this way. Instead, you have to go into the app itself.

Open the app, then look for Settings within it. This is different from your phone's Settings. The location varies: sometimes it is a gear icon in the corner, sometimes it is in a menu you pull down from the top, sometimes it is buried under a three-line menu icon. Once you find it, look for Notifications or Alerts.

Inside the app's notification settings, you will usually see checkboxes for different notification types. Uncheck the ones you do not want. For example, in Gmail you might uncheck Promotional Emails but leave Messages checked. These changes only affect that one app.

Using Do Not Disturb to silence everything at once

If you want to turn off all notifications during certain hours — like at night or during work — Do Not Disturb is faster than disabling apps one by one. Open Settings, then search for Do Not Disturb or Quiet Hours. The name depends on your phone maker.

Tap Turn On Now to silence notifications when ready, or tap Scheduled to set specific times. If you choose Scheduled, enter the start and end times — for example, 10 PM to 7 AM. During those hours, your phone will not make sounds or show notifications on your lock screen, though important calls from people in your Contacts can still come through if you allow it.

You can also turn on Do Not Disturb from your phone's Quick Settings. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open Quick Settings, then tap Do Not Disturb. This is the fastest way to silence your phone when you need quiet right now.

Turning off notification badges

Notification badges are the small red circles with numbers on app icons — they show you have unread messages or alerts without making a sound. Some people find them less distracting than sounds or pop-ups, but others want them gone too.

Go back to Settings, then Apps, then Notifications. Tap the app name, then scroll down to find Badge or App Icon Badge. Toggle it off. The red dot will disappear from that app's icon, even if notifications are still turned on.

You can turn off badges for some apps and leave them on for others. For example, you might silence all notifications from Instagram but keep the badge on Messages so you know when someone has texted you.

Stopping notifications from apps you rarely use

If an app sends notifications but you do not use it often, the simplest move is to uninstall it. Open Settings, tap Apps, find the app, and tap Uninstall. The app and all its notifications are gone.

If you want to keep the app but never see notifications from it, turn off notifications in Settings as described above. You can always turn them back on later if you change your mind. There is no penalty for turning notifications off — the app will still work, and you can still open it manually whenever you want.

What to do if notifications still appear after you turn them off

Sometimes an app keeps sending notifications even after you turn them off in Android Settings. This usually means the app has its own notification system that overrides Android's. Open the app, find its Settings, and look for Notifications or Alerts there. Turn off the specific notification types you do not want.

If an app keeps sending notifications no matter what you do, and you do not use it, uninstalling is the only reliable fix. Some apps are designed to be hard to silence because the company wants to keep you engaged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications stop the app from working?

No. Turning off notifications only stops the alerts. The app itself works normally, and you can still open it and use it whenever you want. You just will not be interrupted by pop-ups or sounds.

Can I turn off notifications for just one contact or conversation?

It depends on the app. In Messages and some other apps, you can long-press a conversation and choose Mute or Silence. In other apps like WhatsApp, you go into the app's Settings and find a Mute option for individual chats. Check the app's own settings first.

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

Turning off notifications for an app stops that app from alerting you at all times. Do Not Disturb silences all notifications during set hours but does not change any app settings. Do Not Disturb is temporary; notifications come back when the scheduled time ends.

Why do some apps keep sending notifications even after I turn them off?

Some apps have their own notification system that does not use Android's standard controls. You have to go into the app itself and turn off notifications there. If that does not work, the app may be designed to resist being silenced, and uninstalling is the only fix.

Can I turn off notifications for all apps at once?

Not directly. Do Not Disturb silences all notifications during set hours, which is the closest option. If you want to permanently turn off notifications for many apps, you have to do them one at a time in Settings, or uninstall the apps you do not use.