A push notification on Facebook is a message that appears on your phone or computer screen outside the Facebook app or website
When you get a push notification, you see a small alert pop up on your device — even if you're not currently using Facebook. It might appear as a banner at the top of your screen, a badge on the app icon, or a sound and vibration. Facebook sends these to tell you that something happened: someone commented on your post, sent you a message, tagged you in a photo, or your friend went live.
The key difference between a push notification and a regular in-app notification is timing and location. In-app notifications only show up when you're already inside Facebook. Push notifications reach you wherever you are — checking email, reading news, or using another app entirely. This is why they can feel more intrusive: they interrupt what you're doing right now.
Key Takeaways
- Push notifications appear on your device screen outside the Facebook app, alerting you to messages, comments, tags, and friend activity.
- You can turn off push notifications entirely or customize which types of activity trigger them in your Facebook settings.
- On iPhone, you control push notifications through both Facebook's settings and your phone's Settings app under Notifications.
- On Android, Facebook's notification settings work alongside your phone's notification controls, and you can silence specific notification types without deleting the app.
- Turning off push notifications does not affect your ability to see activity when you open Facebook — it only stops the alerts from reaching you.
Where push notifications come from on Facebook
Facebook decides what counts as important enough to send you a push notification based on your settings and past behavior. By default, Facebook sends notifications for messages, friend requests, comments on your posts, tags, and when someone you follow goes live. It also sends notifications about your own activity — reminders to finish a post you started, suggestions to reconnect with old friends, or alerts about your birthday coming up.
You don't control which events Facebook considers notification-worthy at a global level. Instead, you control specific categories. For example, you can turn off notifications when friends post, but keep notifications for direct messages. You can silence birthday reminders but stay alerted to comments on your own content.
How to turn off push notifications on iPhone
On iPhone, you have two places where push notifications are controlled, and both matter. First, open the Facebook app and go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings. Scroll down to Notifications and tap it. You'll see a list of notification types: Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Tags, and others. Each one has a toggle. Turn off any category you don't want to receive alerts for.
However, even if you turn off a notification type in Facebook's settings, your iPhone can still block it at the system level. Go to your iPhone's Settings app, scroll to Facebook, and tap Notifications. Here you can turn off notifications entirely, or customize how they appear — whether they show on your lock screen, in your notification center, or with sound and badges. If Facebook's settings say "on" but your iPhone's settings say "off," you won't receive the notification.
How to turn off push notifications on Android
Android's process is similar but the menu names differ slightly. Open the Facebook app, tap the three horizontal lines (menu), go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings. Find Notifications and tap it. You'll see the same categories as iPhone: Messages, Friend Requests, Comments, Tags, and more. Toggle off the ones you don't want.
Like iPhone, your Android phone also has system-level notification controls. Go to your phone's Settings app, find Apps or Application Manager, select Facebook, and tap Notifications. From here you can turn off all Facebook notifications or customize individual notification channels. Some Android phones also let you long-press the Facebook app icon and tap Notification Settings to reach the same controls faster.
The difference between turning off notifications and muting them
Turning off a notification type means you won't get any alert when that event happens. Muting is different — it's a temporary pause. On Facebook, you can mute notifications from a specific person or group for a set time (usually 15 minutes to 8 hours). When you mute, you still get the notification, but it won't make a sound or vibration, and it won't show a badge on your app icon.
To mute notifications from one person, open a conversation with them, tap their name at the top, and look for a Mute option. To mute a group, go to the group, tap the three dots, and select Mute Notifications. This is useful when you want to stay in the conversation but don't want constant alerts — for example, during a group chat that's very active.
What happens when you turn off push notifications
Turning off push notifications does not delete your account, hide your activity, or change what Facebook knows about you. It only stops the alerts from reaching your device. When you open Facebook later, you'll still see all your messages, comments, and activity — nothing is hidden or lost. You simply won't be interrupted by notifications while you're doing something else.
Some people worry that turning off notifications will make them miss important messages. In practice, if someone sends you a direct message, you'll see it the next time you open Facebook. If it's truly urgent, they can call or text you instead. Turning off notifications is a way to set boundaries on when Facebook gets your attention, not a way to disconnect entirely.
Why Facebook sends notifications you didn't ask for
Facebook sometimes sends notifications for things you didn't explicitly turn on. This happens because Facebook's default settings are designed to keep you engaged. When you first install the app, notifications are usually on for most categories. Facebook also sends what it calls "recommended" notifications — suggestions to reconnect with friends, reminders about events you're interested in, or alerts about activity in groups you follow.
These recommended notifications are separate from the main notification categories. To turn them off, go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings, then Notifications. Look for a section called "Other Notifications" or "Recommended Notifications" (the exact name varies by device and app version). You can toggle these off individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know if I turn off notifications from them?
No. Turning off notifications is invisible to other people. They won't see that you've muted them or turned off alerts. You can still message them, see their posts, and interact normally — you just won't get alerts when they do something.
Can I turn off notifications for one person but keep them for everyone else?
Yes. Open a conversation with that person, tap their name at the top, and select Mute Notifications. You can choose how long to mute them (15 minutes to 8 hours) or mute them indefinitely. This is different from turning off a notification category, which affects everyone.
If I turn off all notifications, will I still get messages?
You'll still receive messages — they just won't trigger an alert. The next time you open Facebook, you'll see them in your inbox. If you want to receive alerts for messages but not for other things, keep Messages turned on in your notification settings and turn off the other categories.
Why do I get notifications even though I turned them off?
Check both your Facebook settings and your phone's settings. If Facebook says "on" but your phone's notification settings say "off," you won't get alerts. Also check whether you muted a conversation instead of turning off the notification type — muting only silences alerts temporarily.
Can I schedule quiet hours so notifications stop at night?
Facebook doesn't have a built-in quiet hours feature, but your phone does. On iPhone, use Focus modes (Settings > Focus) to silence all notifications during certain times. On Android, use Do Not Disturb (Settings > Sound & Vibration > Do Not Disturb). These affect all apps, not just Facebook.