Android lets you decide which apps may alert you. For a permanent choice, open Settings > Notifications > App notifications, select an app, and turn its notifications on or off. If your phone shows notification categories, you can allow some types of alerts while blocking others. For a temporary rule that applies only during Do Not Disturb or another mode, use that mode’s app filter instead.
The labels and available controls differ among manufacturers and Android versions. The methods below identify the scope of each setting so you do not accidentally create a temporary quiet period when you meant to block an app permanently.
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Choose the type of control you need
Android has three separate ways to decide which apps can interrupt you. They are not interchangeable:
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Control | Where it applies | What it changes | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| App notifications | All the time | Turns an app’s notifications on or off | A standing decision about one app |
| Notification categories | All the time, for the selected categories | Allows some notification types from an app and blocks others, when the phone exposes categories | Keeping important alerts while silencing less useful ones |
| Modes or Do Not Disturb app filters | Only while the selected mode is active | Determines which apps may send notifications during that mode | Quiet hours, meetings, sleep, driving, or another temporary context |
If you want an app to remain silent even when no mode is active, use the app-level setting. If you only want it silent during a schedule or mode, change the mode filter instead.
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Turn all notifications from an app on or off
This is the general Android route for a permanent app-level choice. The wording can differ on your phone, but the Notifications section is the right starting point.
- Open the phone’s Settings app.
- Tap Notifications.
- Tap App notifications.
- Find the app under Most recent. If it is not listed there, change the list to All apps and select it.
- Use the app’s notification switch to turn notifications on or off.
Turning the switch off blocks that app’s notifications under the normal notification settings. Turning it back on restores the app’s notification permission at the app level; any category choices you previously made may still be shown, depending on the phone.
Do not assume that an app appearing under “Most recent” means it is currently allowed to notify you. That list is a way to find apps that have recently interacted with notifications. Use the app’s own settings page to see and change its current control.
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Change settings directly from a notification
If an alert is already on screen, you can often reach the same app controls without navigating through the Settings app.
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- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade.
- Find the notification from the app you want to change.
- Touch and hold that notification.
- Tap its notification-settings control.
- Turn off all notifications for the app, or adjust the notification types that the phone presents.
This shortcut is useful when menu names do not match the instructions, or when you are responding to an unwanted alert as it arrives. It takes you to controls for the app that generated that notification, so check the app name before changing anything.
Allow some notification types but block others
Some Android phones and apps divide notifications into categories. A category might represent a particular kind of alert, such as a message type or account activity, but the names and number of categories are controlled by the app and the phone.
To use categories, open Settings > Notifications > App notifications, select the app, and look for its individual notification types or categories. Switch only the categories you want to receive. Leave the categories you do not want disabled.
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Categories are optional, not a universal Android feature exposed in the same way on every device. If the app page shows only one overall switch, your phone is not offering a finer-grained control there. Do not turn off the entire app if your goal is to suppress just one kind of alert; first check whether a category list is available.
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When categories are the right choice
- Keep security or direct-message alerts while suppressing promotional or low-priority alerts, if the app separates them.
- Silence one noisy workflow without losing every notification from the same app.
- Change a narrow type of alert while leaving the app’s other categories enabled.
When categories are not available
If no categories appear, Android gives you the app-level switch shown on that device. You can still allow or block the entire app, or use a mode filter for a temporary change. Category availability can also differ between apps on the same phone.
Choose which apps may notify you during a mode
Modes and Do Not Disturb provide a conditional filter. The app choices made there apply while the selected mode is active; they do not replace the app’s permanent notification setting.
On Android 14 and later, the general route is:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Modes.
- Select the mode you want to configure.
- Open Notification filters.
- Tap Apps.
- Choose which apps can send notifications while that mode is active.
For example, you might allow selected communication apps during a sleep mode while keeping other apps blocked. When the mode ends, the ordinary app-level and category settings apply again.
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Use the right scope for common situations
You never want alerts from an app
Use Settings > Notifications > App notifications, select the app, and turn its notifications off. This is the standing app-level decision.
You want the app’s alerts except during quiet hours
Leave the app-level setting on and configure the relevant mode’s Notification filters > Apps list. The restriction will apply only while that mode is active.
You need one type of alert but not another
Open the app’s notification page and adjust individual categories if they are displayed. Do not disable the whole app unless no category-level control exists or you truly want every alert blocked.
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Touch and hold the notification and open its settings. This is the quickest route to the generating app’s controls.
What to do when the menu does not match
Android’s settings are not identical across phones. Google’s Android Help states: “Settings can vary by phone.” Manufacturer software, Android version, and the app itself can change the wording, order, and controls.
Search Settings for notifications
Open Settings and use its search field for notifications. Select the result that leads to app notification controls, then look for the app in the list. Search is a practical fallback when the visible menu path differs from the general route.
Use the notification shortcut
If the app has produced an alert recently, swipe down, touch and hold that notification, and open its settings. This avoids relying on the exact menu names used by your phone.
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The app is missing from “Most recent”
Change the app list to All apps. “Most recent” is only a filtered view and may not include an app that has not generated a recent notification.
No category list appears
The phone or app may not expose categories for that app. Use the overall app switch, or configure a mode filter if you need the restriction only during a specific mode. Do not infer that every Android app must provide category controls.
The app still alerts during a mode
Check that you edited the correct mode and that the mode is currently active. Then review its Notification filters > Apps selection. Mode rules are conditional, so they do not explain behavior outside the active mode.
The app is silent outside the mode too
Open the app’s permanent notification page and verify that its app-level switch is on. A mode filter cannot make an app notify when its ordinary app-level notifications are disabled.
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Device and version limits to keep in mind
- Phone manufacturer: The same Android release can present different labels and screen layouts on different phones.
- Android version: Mode and Do Not Disturb app-filter instructions described by Google include an Android 14-and-up qualification.
- App design: Categories exist only when the phone and app expose them. Their names and purpose are not standardized across all apps.
- Setting scope: App-level switches are persistent; mode filters operate only during the selected mode.
- Existing notifications: The touch-and-hold shortcut works from an alert already displayed in the notification shade and leads to that alert’s app controls.
A quick decision checklist
- Decide whether the change should apply all the time or only during a mode.
- For an all-the-time choice, open Settings > Notifications > App notifications.
- Choose Most recent or switch to All apps to find the app.
- If you want every alert blocked or allowed, change the app-level switch.
- If you want only selected alert types, use the categories shown on that app’s page.
- For Android 14-and-up mode-specific filtering, open Settings > Modes, select the mode, then use Notification filters > Apps.
- If the labels differ, search Settings for “notifications” or touch and hold an existing notification to reach its controls.
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