Tech Reference

How to turn off or silence notifications on your iPhone in 2 ways

iphone notifications
It's easy to adjust or turn off notifications on your iPhone if you're getting too many alerts from certain apps. Shutterstock
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With every app you have on your iPhone, you can turn notifications off or limit how they will appear, so you can customize your iPhone experience to be helpful and informative – and not annoying and invasive.

In addition, if you ever want a break from all notifications for a certain period of time, you can pause them using the Do Not Disturb feature.

Here's how to turn off notifications for specific apps on your iPhone, as well as pause or clear notifications. 

How to turn off notifications on your iPhone

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Notifications.

The Settings app on iPhone, with the “Notifications” option highlighted.
Tap “Notifications.”  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

3. Scroll down to the app with notifications you want to turn off or limit and tap it.

4. To disable all notifications, toggle the button beside Allow Notifications to off.

An app’s settings in the Settings app on iPhone, with the “Allow Notifications” toggle highlighted.
Toggle off notifications to stop receiving them from that app.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

5. To merely limit the app's notifications, set where it can deliver a notification (Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners) and toggle Sounds and Badges on or off.

An app’s settings in the Settings app on iPhone, with the “Alerts” section, where the apps notifications can be limited, showing.
You can also choose where the app delivers the notifications.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

How to silence notifications on your iPhone

If you want to silence all notifications for a particular time, you can just turn on Do Not Disturb mode.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Focus.

The Settings app on iPhone, with the “Focus” option highlighted.
Tap “Focus.”  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

3. Tap Do Not Disturb.

The “Focus” settings on iPhone, with the “Do Not Disturb” option highlighted.
Tap “Do Not Disturb.”  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

4. Tap the toggle next to Do Not Disturb to turn it on.

The “Do Not Disturb” settings on iPhone, with the “Do Not Disturb” toggle highlighted.
Toggle “Do Not Disturb” to enable the mode.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider
The Control Center on iPhone, with the half-moon icon for the Do Not Disturb mode highlighted.
You’ll also find the option to turn on Do Not Disturb mode in the Control Center.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

How to clear notifications on your iPhone

If you've been ignoring the notifications for a while, they can pile up in the Notification Center. It's quite easy to clean them up.

1. Swipe down from the top left corner of your iPhone's screen to reveal the Notification Center.

2. To clear an individual notification, swipe it to the left and tap Clear.

The Notification Center on iPhone, with the “Clear” button highlighted
Swipe left and tap “Clear” to get rid of the notification.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

3. To clear all notifications at once, tap the X button next to the Notification Center This will change the button to Clear, and you should tap that to clear the Notification Center.

The Notification Center on iPhone, with the “X” button highlighted.
You can also choose to clear all notifications at once if you don’t want to do it one by one.  Stefan Ionescu/Insider

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Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.