Where your silenced notifications are hiding
When you silence notifications on a phone or computer, the system doesn't delete them — it hides them in a separate place. On most devices, silenced notifications pile up in a notification center or notification history that you can open anytime. The exact location depends on what device you use, but the principle is the same: you can see what you missed without the sound or vibration interrupting you.
The confusion happens because "unsilencing" actually means two different things. You might want to see the notifications that are already silenced (which sit in your notification center right now), or you might want to turn the sound back on so future notifications alert you again. This guide covers both.
Key Takeaways
- Silenced notifications don't disappear — they collect in your notification center, which you can open manually on any device.
- On iPhone, swipe down from the top to see Notification Center; on Android, swipe down twice from the top; on Windows, click the notification icon in the system tray.
- To turn sound back on for future notifications, go to Settings and find the app or contact that is silenced, then toggle notifications back to "On" or "Allow".
- Some apps let you silence notifications from one person while keeping notifications from everyone else in that app turned on.
- If you silenced all notifications from your device (Do Not Disturb mode), you need to turn that mode off separately before individual notifications will alert you again.
Finding silenced notifications on iPhone
On iPhone, silenced notifications collect in Notification Center. To see them, swipe down from the top of your screen (or swipe down from the top-left corner on newer iPhones with Face ID). You will see a list of all notifications that arrived while your phone was silenced, organized by app and time.
If you want to act on a notification, tap it and it will open that app. If you want to clear them all at once, scroll to the bottom of Notification Center and tap "Clear All". You can also swipe left on individual notifications to delete just those ones.
To turn sound back on for future notifications from a specific app, go to Settings > Notifications, find the app name, and make sure "Allow Notifications" is toggled on. Then check that "Sounds" is also enabled in that same app's notification settings.
Finding silenced notifications on Android
On Android, silenced notifications sit in your notification shade. Swipe down from the top of your screen once to see recent notifications, or swipe down twice to see the full notification shade with all your settings. Older Android versions may show notifications after a single swipe.
Tap any notification to open it, or swipe left or right on a notification to dismiss it. To clear all notifications at once, look for a "Clear All" button, usually at the bottom of the notification shade.
To turn sound back on for future notifications, go to Settings > Apps > Notifications (the exact path varies by phone brand). Find the app you want to unsilence, tap it, and toggle "Show Notifications" to on. Then check that "Sound" or "Alert" is enabled for that app.
Finding silenced notifications on Windows
On Windows, silenced notifications collect in your notification center. Click the notification icon (usually a bell or speech bubble) in the bottom-right corner of your screen, in the system tray. A panel will open showing all your recent notifications, even the ones that arrived silently.
Click any notification to open it, or click the X next to it to dismiss it. To clear all notifications at once, look for a "Clear All" option at the top of the notification panel.
To turn sound back on for future notifications, go to Settings > System > Notifications & Actions. Scroll down to find the app you silenced, click it, and toggle "Notifications" to on. You can also toggle "Show notification banners" and "Play notification sounds" separately if you want sound but no pop-up banner, or vice versa.
Turning off Do Not Disturb mode
If you turned on Do Not Disturb mode (or Focus mode on newer iPhones), all notifications are silenced at the device level, not just from one app. Even if individual apps have notifications turned on, they won't alert you until you turn off Do Not Disturb.
On iPhone, swipe down from the top to open Control Center and look for the "Do Not Disturb" or "Focus" button. If it is highlighted or colored, tap it to turn it off. On Android, swipe down twice to open the full notification shade, find "Do Not Disturb" or "Quiet Mode", and toggle it off. On Windows, click the notification icon in the system tray and look for "Focus information" — if it is on, click it to turn it off.
Unsilencing notifications from one person in a messaging app
Many messaging apps let you silence notifications from one contact while keeping notifications from everyone else turned on. This is different from silencing the entire app.
In most apps, you can long-press or right-click a conversation to see options like "Mute Notifications" or "Silence". To unsilence that person, open the same menu and look for "Unmute" or "Unsilence". The exact wording depends on the app — Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, and others each use slightly different language, but the concept is the same.
If you cannot find the option in the conversation menu, try opening the conversation, tapping the contact name or group name at the top, and looking for notification settings there. Some apps hide the mute toggle in the contact details rather than the conversation menu.
What to do if notifications still won't alert you
If you have turned notifications back on in Settings but you still are not hearing or seeing them, check a few things. First, make sure your device volume is not turned all the way down — on most phones, you can press the volume button on the side to check. Second, check that the app itself has permission to send notifications. Go to Settings > Apps > Permissions (or Apps > App Permissions on Android) and find the app, then make sure "Notifications" is allowed.
Third, some apps have their own notification settings inside the app itself, separate from your device settings. Open the app, go to its Settings or Preferences, and look for a Notifications section. If notifications are turned off there, turn them back on.
Fourth, if you are using a work phone or a phone managed by your employer or school, your organization may have blocked notifications from certain apps. Contact your IT department or administrator to ask whether notification restrictions are in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see notifications that arrived days ago?
It depends on your device. iPhone keeps notifications in Notification Center for several days, but older ones eventually disappear. Android keeps them longer, sometimes for a week or more. Windows keeps notifications until you clear them manually. If you need to find something from longer ago, check the app itself — most apps have their own message history or activity log.
Why do some notifications still not make a sound even though I turned them back on?
The app may have a custom notification sound set to "None" or "Silent". Open the app's settings, find Notifications, and look for "Sound" or "Notification Tone". Make sure it is set to an actual sound, not "None" or "Vibrate Only". Also check that your device is not in Do Not Disturb or Focus mode.
If I unsilence an app, will I get all the old notifications again?
No. Turning notifications back on only affects future notifications. The old silenced notifications will stay in your notification center until you clear them, but they will not re-alert you. You can still see them if you open your notification center, but they will not make a sound or vibrate.
Can I unsilence notifications from just one app but keep others silenced?
Yes. Go to your notification settings, find the specific app you want to unsilence, and toggle notifications on for just that app. All other apps will stay silenced. You can also customize individual apps — for example, allowing notifications but turning off sound, or allowing notifications only from certain contacts within that app.
What is the difference between silencing an app and muting a conversation?
Silencing an app turns off all notifications from that app. Muting a conversation turns off notifications from just one person or group chat within that app, while notifications from other conversations in the same app still come through. If you mute a conversation but the app is silenced, you will not get notifications from that conversation either.