How do I stop unwanted notifications?
Turn everything off and add back only what earns it — the approach that actually reduces the count.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Turn off all notifications and re-enable only the handful that genuinely need your attention. Pruning them one at a time never works, because new apps keep asking and the default is always yes.
Notifications are on by default because they benefit the app rather than you. Going through them one at a time is endless; starting from nothing and adding back deliberately takes twenty minutes and holds.
Step by step
- Open the system notification settings.Both platforms list every app that can notify you. It is usually a much longer list than people expect, and seeing it is half the motivation.
- Turn everything off.Then add back. It sounds drastic and it is the only approach that works — reviewing app by app leaves most of them on.
- Add back only what needs immediate attention.Calls, messages from people, calendar, and anything genuinely time-critical for you. Almost nothing else qualifies.
- Deny new apps by default.When an app asks on first launch, say no. You can always enable it later, and you almost never will need to.
- Turn off badges as well as banners.The red dot is a notification too, and for many people it is the more compelling one. Separate setting, worth turning off.
- Use scheduled summaries for the middle tier.Both platforms can hold non-urgent notifications and deliver them at set times. Good for news, social and shopping — you still see them, just not immediately.
- Set up focus or do not disturb properly.Scheduled quiet hours overnight and during work, with exceptions for specific people. This is the setting that most improves sleep and concentration.
- Turn off marketing notifications specifically.Many apps bundle marketing with functional alerts. Look inside the app's own settings, not just the system ones — retail and delivery apps are the worst for this.
Tips
- Notifications from people are usually worth having; notifications from companies usually are not. That single distinction handles most decisions.
- Check again after major system updates and after installing anything new. Permissions reset and new apps ask again.
- If you are worried about missing something, try a week with them off. Almost nobody misses anything that mattered.
Questions people ask
How do I reduce phone notifications?
Turn them all off, then add back only the few that genuinely need immediate attention. Pruning one at a time does not work because the default is always on.
Should I turn off notification badges?
For most apps, yes. The red dot is a notification too and for many people it is more compelling than a banner.