Where to find push notification settings on your iPhone
Push notifications on iPhone are controlled through the Settings app, not through individual apps themselves. You'll find the master controls in one place, and then you can customize which apps send you notifications and how they arrive.
Open Settings on your home screen — it's the gray icon with white gears. Scroll down and tap Notifications. This screen shows every app installed on your phone that can send you notifications, listed alphabetically. The apps at the top of the list are the ones currently allowed to send notifications; apps lower down may have notifications turned off.
Key Takeaways
- Push notifications are turned on or off in Settings > Notifications, not in the apps themselves.
- You can allow notifications for some apps and block them for others — each app has its own toggle.
- Turning on notifications for an app does not mean you'll see every type of notification; you can choose whether to see badges, sounds, or banners for each one.
- If an app is not listed in Notifications, it either does not send notifications or you have not opened it yet on this phone.
How to turn on notifications for a specific app
Find the app in your Notifications list and tap its name. At the top of the screen, you'll see a toggle next to Allow Notifications. If the toggle is gray, notifications are off for that app. Tap the toggle to turn it green — this turns notifications on.
Once you've turned on Allow Notifications, the rest of the options on that screen become active. You can now choose how you want to be notified: whether you see a banner at the top of your screen, a badge (a red number) on the app icon, or a sound when the notification arrives. Most apps come set to show all three by default, but you can turn any of them off if you want the app to notify you quietly.
The difference between notification types
After you turn on Allow Notifications, you'll see options for how notifications appear. Banners are the pop-up messages that slide down from the top of your screen and disappear after a few seconds. Badges are the small red circles with numbers on your app icon that show how many unread notifications you have. Sounds are the audio alerts that play when a notification arrives.
You can turn each of these on or off independently. For example, you might want a badge and a sound from your email app but no banner, so the notification does not interrupt what you're doing. Or you might want a banner from your messaging app but no sound, so you see it but do not hear a noise. Scroll down on the app's notification settings page to find these toggles.
What to do if an app is not in your Notifications list
If you're looking for an app and it does not appear in Settings > Notifications, the app either does not send push notifications or you have not opened it yet on this phone. Some apps, especially older or very simple ones, do not have notification features built in.
If you just installed the app, open it once and use it briefly. Then go back to Settings > Notifications and scroll to the bottom of the list — newly opened apps sometimes appear there. If the app still does not show up after you've used it, it simply does not support push notifications.
Turning notifications back off
If an app is sending too many notifications and you want to stop them, go back to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and tap its name. Toggle off Allow Notifications. The toggle will turn gray, and that app will stop sending you notifications entirely.
You do not have to delete the app or change any other settings. The app will continue to work normally — it just will not alert you when something happens. You can turn notifications back on for that app at any time by following the same steps.
Why your notifications might not be working even after you turn them on
If you've turned on Allow Notifications but you're still not seeing alerts, check a few things. First, make sure your iPhone is not in Do Not Disturb mode — swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to see the Control Center. If the moon icon is highlighted, Do Not Disturb is on and blocking notifications. Tap the moon icon to turn it off.
Second, check that Focus modes are not blocking the app. Focus modes are similar to Do Not Disturb but can be customized to block specific apps. Go to Settings > Focus and look at which Focus is currently active. Tap it and scroll down to see which apps are blocked. If the app you want notifications from is listed there, tap the minus sign next to it to remove it from the blocked list.
Third, make sure your iPhone has enough storage space. When storage is very low, some background features including notifications can stop working. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much space you have left. If the bar is mostly red, you may need to delete photos, videos, or apps to free up space.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get notifications from an app without seeing a banner?
Yes. Turn on Allow Notifications for the app, then scroll down and turn off the toggle next to Banners. You can keep badges and sounds on so you still know the notification arrived, but you won't see a pop-up on your screen.
What's the difference between banners and lock screen notifications?
Banners appear at the top of your screen when you're using your phone. Lock screen notifications appear on your lock screen when your phone is locked or you're not actively using it. Both are controlled by the same Allow Notifications toggle, and you can turn either one off separately in the app's settings.
If I turn off notifications for an app, will it still work?
Yes, completely. The app will function normally — it just won't send you alerts. You can still open the app and use it whenever you want. Turning off notifications only stops the alerts; it does not affect the app's other features.
Why does an app keep asking for permission to send notifications?
Some apps ask for permission the first time you open them, even if you've already allowed notifications in Settings. This is normal. You can tap Allow or Don't Allow in the pop-up. Your choice in the pop-up and your choice in Settings work together — if either one is off, you won't get notifications.
Can I set different notification sounds for different apps?
Yes. Open Settings > Notifications, tap the app's name, and scroll down to Sounds. Tap it and you'll see a list of available notification sounds for that app. Choose the one you want. Different apps may have different sound options available, depending on how the app was designed.