Get your notifications under control by customizing your alerts and badges

Have your notifications just become too much? Here's how to fix that.

You're sitting on the couch. Your iPhone is on the coffee table. You get a notification. You grab your iPhone to see what the notification was. You get another notification, it hangs out on top of the notification that you were just trying to read. It's getting out of hand. You're starting to feel all that notification anxiety. So many notifications, so little time!

Sound familiar? You can fix that by customizing how you receive alerts and how Notification Center looks when you access it. Don't be a slave to your app notifications. Make them work for you instead of driving you crazy.

How to enable Siri suggestions for apps in iOS 12

In iOS 12, you can get help from Siri for which apps can suggest shortcuts to notifications on your Lock screen.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.

    3 Tap Siri Suggestions.

  3. Turn on the app switch for apps you want to enable Siri Suggestions.

How to customize how notifications are grouped in iOS 12

In iOS 12, notifications are grouped into stacks, making addressing them much easier. You can customize how notifications are grouped.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app you want to customize notification grouping.

  4. Tap Notification Grouping.
  5. Tap Automatically to have Siri suggest how your app notifications are grouped.
  6. Tap By App to keep notifications grouped by app.
  7. Tap Off to disable notification grouping altogether.

How to manage notifications from Notification Center in iOS 12

In iOS 12, you can manage notifications right in Notification Center. When you swipe to the right, you can open the app the notification is related to. When you swipe to the left, you can manage, view, or clear the notification.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Unlock your iPhone.
  2. Swipe down from the top of your screen to access Notification Center.
  3. Swipe to the left on a Notification to view your options.

  4. Tap Clear All to remove all notifications in the stack.
  5. Tap View to access the app the notification is from.
  6. Tap Manage to quickly manage an app's notifications.

  7. Tap Deliver Quietly to adjust the settings for the notification. Deliver Quietly will allow notifications to appear in Notification Center, but not on the Lock screen, or play a sound, show a banner, or show a badge on the app icon.
  8. Tap Turn Off to disable notifications for that app altogether.
  9. Tap Settings to customize the app's notifications in the Settings app.

How enable or disable notifications

If you suffer from FoMo (fear of missing out) and want to make sure you always know when something important comes in on your iPhone or iPad, make sure it's set to allow notifications.

If you feel like Notification Center is getting out of hand and seems like a big old mess, try disabling the un-important ones from Notification Center to clear your head and clear your screen. Think of it like a bunch of Post-it notes stuck to your desk. Do you really need a note to let you know that your game cool down has completed?

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.

  3. Select the app you want to remove from Notification Center.
  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications switch on or off.

When you disable notifications for apps that aren't really important to your daily life, you'll feel a lot better about Notification Center. There's no reason to bog down your important alerts with unnecessary interruptions.

How to enable or disable banner notifications

If you want to make sure you're always aware of any notification coming in, you can set them as banners so you'll see them even if you're using another app. Conversely, if notifications keep popping up on your screen while you're using your iPhone or iPad and you don't want to be bothered by them anymore, you can disable them.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to turn on or off banners.

  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications switch on if it's not already.
  5. Tap Banners to enable or disable them.

How to set banner notifications to temporary or persistent

Some apps are so important that you need to make sure you don't miss them under any circumstance. You don't want to forget them just because they disappear from view while you're reading something on Twitter. For the varying importance of alerts, you can make them temporary or persistent.

Temporary banners will simply appear at the top of your screen and then disappear after about three seconds.

Persistent banners must be manually swiped away or addressed before they go away.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to receive banners and alerts.

  4. Turn on Show Banner if it's not already on.
  5. Tap Persistent to have them stay until you swipe them away. Tap Temporary to have them disappear on their own.

How to set banner notifications to temporary or persistent in iOS 12

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to customize banners.

  4. Turn the Allow Notifications switch on if it's not already.
  5. Tap the Banner to enable it if it's not already enabled.

  6. Tap Banner Style.
  7. Tap Persistent to have them stay until you swipe them away. Tap Temporary to have them disappear on their own.

How to turn on or off sound alerts on your iPhone and iPad

Want to make sure you hear every notification that comes in? Make sure you've got sound alerts enabled. Don't want certain apps to audibly notify you anymore? Here's how to turn off notification sounds (aside from just toggling your mute switch):

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to get an audible alert.

  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications switch on if it's not already.
  5. Toggle the Sounds switch on or off.

How to turn on or off badge app icons on your iPhone and iPad

If you want to make sure you know about notifications, even if you miss them on your Lock screen or didn't hear the sound alert, turn on Badge App icons so you'll always know what hasn't been addressed yet. If those numbers in red circles on each app annoy or stress you out, you can turn them off.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to see that red dot on the icon.

  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications switch on if it's not already.
  5. Toggle the Badge App Icons switch on or off.

How to turn on or off Lock screen notifications on your iPhone and iPad

If you don't want notifications from certain apps appearing on your Lock screen, here's how to turn them off:

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to have notifications appear on your Lock screen.

  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications switch on if it's not already.
  5. Tap Lock Screen.

How to turn off Lock Screen and Notification Center notifications on your iPhone and iPad in iOS 12

In iOS 12, you can separate notifications for the Lock screen or Notification Center.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select the app for which you want to turn on or off notifications on the Lock Screen or Notification Center.

  4. Tap Lock Screen.
  5. Tap Notification Center.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about customizing Notification Center alerts, banners, sounds, and app icon badges? Put them in the comments and we'll help you out.

Updated August 2018: Included steps for customizing notifications in iOS 12.

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