Where to find notification settings on your iPhone

Open Settings on your home screen, then tap Notifications. You will see a list of every app installed on your phone that can send you messages. From here you can turn notifications off entirely for any app, or adjust exactly what kind of alerts that app is allowed to send.

The Notifications menu is the same on all recent iPhone models. If you cannot find it, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center, then look for the notification icon — it looks like a bell with a line through it. Tapping that icon silences notifications temporarily, but to turn them off permanently for specific apps, you need to go through Settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to Settings > Notifications to control which apps can send you alerts, and what type of alerts they send.
  • Turn off notifications for an entire app by scrolling to it in the list and toggling off the switch next to its name.
  • You can let an app send notifications but hide them from your lock screen, or silence the sound while keeping the visual badge.
  • Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications except from people you choose, and you can schedule it to turn on automatically at certain times.
  • Turning off notifications for an app does not delete the app or prevent it from working — it only stops the alerts.

Turning off notifications for a single app

Scroll down in the Notifications menu until you find the app you want to silence. Tap on it. At the top of the screen, you will see a toggle switch next to Allow Notifications. If the switch is green, notifications are on. Tap it once to turn it gray — that app will no longer send you any alerts.

You can turn notifications back on the same way. If you want to keep notifications but change how they work, leave the switch on and adjust the options below it instead. You can choose whether alerts appear on your lock screen, in your notification center, or as a banner at the top of your screen. You can also turn off the sound and vibration while keeping the visual notification.

Using Do Not Disturb to silence everything at once

If you want to stop all notifications temporarily without turning them off one by one, use Do Not Disturb. Go to Settings > Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb. Turn on the toggle switch. While it is on, your phone will not ring, vibrate, or show notifications on your lock screen — but you can still see them in your notification center if you swipe down.

You can set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times. In the same menu, scroll down to Schedule and tap it. Choose the days and times you want Do Not Disturb to set up — for example, every night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., or during work hours on weekdays. You can also allow calls and messages from specific people even when Do Not Disturb is on by tapping Allowed Notifications and choosing who can reach you.

Customizing notifications by type

Instead of turning off all notifications from an app, you can choose which types of alerts you want to see. Open Settings > Notifications, tap the app you want to adjust, then look at the options below Allow Notifications. You will see toggles for Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners — turn any of these off to hide notifications from that location.

You can also turn off the sound and vibration separately. Scroll down and look for Sounds and Vibration — toggle these off if you want to see the notification but not hear or feel it. Some apps let you choose a custom sound instead of the default one. If an app sends too many notifications, you can also set it to Deliver Quietly, which sends alerts to your notification center but does not show them on your lock screen or send a sound.

Stopping notifications from specific contacts

If you want to silence notifications from one person or group chat, you do not have to turn off the entire app. Open the Messages app, find the conversation you want to mute, swipe left on it, then tap the bell icon with a line through it. That conversation will no longer send you notifications, but you can still read messages in the app whenever you open it.

The same method works for other apps like Mail and FaceTime. In Mail, swipe left on an email from a sender you want to mute, tap the bell icon, and choose how long to mute them — you can mute for one hour, one day, or permanently. In FaceTime, swipe left on a contact and tap the bell icon to silence their calls and video requests.

What happens when you turn off notifications

Turning off notifications does not affect the app itself. The app will continue to work normally, and you can still open it and use it whenever you want. You will just not receive alerts when something new happens. For example, if you turn off notifications for email, your messages will still arrive and stay in your inbox — you just will not get a notification telling you that a new message came in.

If you change your mind later, you can turn notifications back on the same way you turned them off. Go back to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle Allow Notifications back on. Your notification settings will return to their default state unless you had customized them before.

Managing badge numbers and red dots

Some apps show a red number or dot on their icon to tell you how many unread messages or updates you have. If you find these distracting, you can turn them off separately from notifications. Go to Settings > Notifications, tap the app, and scroll down to Badge App Icon. Toggle it off and the red number will disappear, even if notifications are still on.

Turning off badge numbers does not delete your unread messages — it just hides the count. You can still see how many unread items you have by opening the app. This is useful if you want to know when something new arrives but do not want to see a constant reminder of how many unread items are waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yes. In Messages, Mail, and FaceTime, you can swipe left on a specific person or conversation and tap the bell icon to mute just that contact. Other apps may have a mute button in the conversation settings. You do not have to turn off the entire app.

Will turning off notifications prevent me from getting messages?

No. Messages, emails, and other content will still arrive and be stored in the app. You just will not get an alert telling you they arrived. You can open the app anytime to see what you have missed.

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

Turning off notifications for an app is permanent until you turn them back on. Do Not Disturb is temporary — it silences all notifications for a set time, then automatically turns off. You can also allow specific people to reach you during Do Not Disturb.

Can I schedule notifications to turn off at certain times automatically?

Yes, through Do Not Disturb. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, then set a schedule for when you want it to set up. You can also create custom Focus modes that silence only certain apps at certain times.

If I turn off notifications, will the app still work?

Yes. Notifications are just alerts. Turning them off does not affect the app's ability to function. You can still use the app normally whenever you open it.