How to Turn Off App Notifications on iPhone and Android in the UK

Notifications are meant to help, but when every app wants your attention, your phone can feel like it never stops buzzing. The good news is that both iPhone and Android give you fine control. You do not have to silence everything. You can keep alerts from people and apps that matter, and switch off the rest in a few minutes.

This guide covers the main settings on both systems. Menu names can vary slightly between phone models and software versions, but the steps below follow the layout used in most recent versions.

Step 1: Decide which alerts you actually need

Before changing settings, think about which notifications help you. Messages from family, work chat during work hours, banking alerts and delivery updates for a parcel you are waiting for are usually worth keeping. Social media likes, game reminders, shopping offers and news alerts can usually wait.

Step 2: Turn off notifications for one app on iPhone

On iPhone, open Settings, then tap Notifications. You will see a list of apps. Tap the app you want to change.

At the top, you can switch Allow Notifications off to stop all alerts from that app. If you want to keep some alerts but make them quieter, leave the switch on and change how they appear instead. You can turn off sounds, turn off badges on the app icon, and choose whether alerts show on the Lock Screen, in Notification Centre, or as banners while you use the phone.

For apps that send too many alerts, try turning off banners and sounds first. You will still see the alert when you open Notification Centre, but it will not interrupt what you are doing.

Step 3: Turn off notifications for one app on Android

On Android, open Settings, then tap Notifications, then App notifications. You will see a list of apps with a switch next to each one. Turn the switch off for any app you do not want to hear from.

For finer control, tap the app name instead of the switch. Most Android phones then show notification categories for that app, such as messages, promotions or reminders. You can switch off promotions while keeping messages on, which is useful for shopping and banking apps that mix useful alerts with marketing.

If your phone shows a slightly different menu, try Settings, then Apps, then the app name, then Notifications. The same switches are usually there, just reached by a different route.

Step 4: Use Focus on iPhone to silence alerts at set times

Switching apps off one by one helps, but Focus modes help when you want quiet at certain times. On iPhone, open Settings, then Focus. You can use Do Not Disturb for general quiet time, or set up a Work or Sleep focus.

Inside a Focus, you can choose which people and apps are still allowed to break through. For example, you might allow calls from family during Sleep, but block social media and games. You can also set a schedule, so the Focus turns on and off on its own each day. When a Focus is on, a small icon appears in the status bar, and callers in Messages may see that you have notifications silenced.

Step 5: Use Do Not Disturb on Android for quiet hours

Android has a similar feature called Do Not Disturb. Open Settings, then Sound and vibration or Notifications, then Do Not Disturb, depending on your phone model. Turn it on, then set a schedule for nights or work hours.

Inside Do Not Disturb, you can allow exceptions for calls from starred contacts, repeat callers, or alarms. That way urgent calls can still reach you while app alerts stay quiet. Many Android phones also let you set a rule for weekdays only, so weekends stay different from workdays without you having to change the setting each week.

Step 6: Stop notifications from the lock screen and banners

Even with fewer apps allowed, alerts can still feel intrusive if they appear everywhere. On iPhone, in Settings and Notifications for each app, you can untick Lock Screen so alerts do not show when the phone is locked. On Android, in the app notification settings, you can change how sensitive alerts behave on the lock screen, or hide notification content until the phone is unlocked.

This step is also useful for privacy. If you check your phone on a train or at work, hiding message previews stops other people reading the first lines of your messages over your shoulder.

Step 7: Check notification settings after app updates

Apps sometimes ask for notification permission again after a major update, or add a new type of alert you did not agree to before. If a quiet app suddenly starts buzzing, go back to its notification settings and check which categories are now switched on.

A calmer phone, without missing what matters

The aim is not to switch your phone off from the world. It is to make sure that when your phone does buzz, it is for a reason you chose. Keep alerts from people and services you trust, silence the apps that only want attention, and use Focus or Do Not Disturb to protect sleep and work time.

Start with the three noisiest apps today. Once those are quiet, the rest of the list takes only a few minutes, and the difference is easy to feel by the end of the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications stop me getting messages?

No. Turning off notifications only stops the alert. Your messages, emails and app updates are still there when you open the app. You just will not be interrupted until you choose to check.

How do I allow calls from family during Do Not Disturb?

On iPhone, set this in Settings, then Focus, then the Focus you use, under People. On Android, set it in Do Not Disturb under People or Exceptions, depending on your phone model. Add the contacts you want to allow through.

Why am I still getting alerts after switching an app off?

Check whether the alert comes from a different app, such as your browser or email app, rather than the app you switched off. Also check notification categories on Android, and check that a Focus schedule or Do Not Disturb rule is not being overridden by an exception you set earlier.