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How to Hide Notification Icons on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

By Freedom251 Team · · 7 min read

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On a Galaxy phone running One UI 7, open Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Show notification icons, then choose whether the status bar displays a notification count or app icons. To hide status-bar alerts from only certain apps, use Settings > Notifications > Hide notifications instead. These controls affect the status bar; lock-screen previews and notification pop-ups use separate settings.

What “hide notification icons” changes

Notification icons are the small symbols shown in the status bar when apps have alerts waiting. Samsung’s One UI 7 guidance describes two status-bar display styles: the bar can show the number of notifications or an app’s icon. Choosing the number keeps an indication that alerts exist without displaying a separate icon for every app.

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This setting does not delete notifications, mute an app, turn off vibration, or stop an app from delivering alerts. It changes how pending notifications are represented at the top of the screen. If your goal is to prevent alerts from specific apps appearing there, use the separate app-selection control described below.

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Samsung also notes that a dot may appear in the status bar instead of a notification icon on devices running One UI 7 or later. The exact icon behavior can vary by Galaxy model, software version, carrier, and active features.

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Hide or condense all status-bar notification icons on One UI 7

The documented One UI 7 route is the most direct way to change the overall status-bar display.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Tap Advanced settings.
  4. Tap Show notification icons.
  5. Select the display option offered on your phone. Samsung describes the available behavior as either showing a notification count or showing app icons.

The change normally applies as soon as you select an option. Return to the Home screen and create or wait for a test notification to confirm how your status bar now represents it.

Choose a number when you want a cleaner status bar

The number style replaces a row of individual app symbols with a count. This is useful when several apps are generating alerts and you want to preserve a quick indication without identifying every source at a glance. Tapping or expanding the notification area still lets you inspect the pending alerts through the notification panel.

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Choose app icons when you need the source at a glance

The icon style keeps an app symbol visible for pending notifications. It is useful when you routinely decide whether to open an alert based on which app sent it. It is not a “hide” mode for individual apps; it is the phone-wide alternative to the notification-count display.

Why the wording may not match exactly

Samsung states that available features and icon behavior vary by model and software version. A carrier-customized build or a Galaxy model with a different One UI release may show slightly different labels, choices, or icon treatment. If you do not see the documented path, use the Settings search field for Show notification icons and open the matching result, then check the One UI version under your phone’s software-information screen.

Hide status-bar alerts from selected apps

If you want icons hidden only for certain apps while keeping other app icons visible, do not change the overall display style. Samsung documents a separate Hide notifications control for selecting apps whose alerts are hidden from the status bar.

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  1. Open Settings.
  2. Open Notifications.
  3. Tap Hide notifications.
  4. Select the apps whose alerts you do not want represented in the status bar.
  5. Leave other apps unselected if their status-bar alerts should remain visible.

This is a scope decision: the One UI 7 Show notification icons menu changes the status-bar treatment for notifications generally, while Hide notifications targets the apps you choose. The selected app’s notification can still exist in the notification system even though its status-bar alert is hidden; review the notification panel and the app’s own notification settings if you need to control delivery rather than appearance.

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When app-level hiding is the better choice

  • Use the overall display setting when every notification should be represented as a count or when you want all app icons handled consistently.
  • Use Hide notifications when only a few noisy or low-priority apps should disappear from the status bar.
  • Use both carefully when you want a global count plus additional control over which apps can contribute visible status-bar alerts. The exact interaction can depend on the phone’s software version.

If you meant notification previews on the lock screen

Status-bar icons and lock-screen content are separate. Hiding an icon at the top of the screen does not automatically hide the text or sender shown while the phone is locked.

Samsung’s One UI 8 guidance places the lock-screen privacy control at Settings > Notifications > Hide content while locked. That setting hides notification content while the device is locked. For per-app content behavior, use the App notifications controls available from notification settings and adjust the relevant app.

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Use the lock-screen control when the concern is privacy in a visible environment, such as message previews appearing on a locked phone. Use Show notification icons or Hide notifications when the concern is the status bar after the phone is being used.

Notification pop-ups are controlled elsewhere

Changing status-bar icons does not determine whether a banner appears over the current app. One UI 8 guidance places the Brief and Detailed notification pop-up styles inside app notification settings. If you want to change on-screen banners, open notification settings for the relevant app and adjust its pop-up style rather than changing the status-bar icon option.

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Why a dot may still appear

On devices running One UI 7 or later, Samsung says a dot may be displayed in place of a notification icon. A dot therefore does not necessarily mean the icon-hiding setting failed; it can be the phone’s chosen indicator for pending alerts. The precise behavior is model- and software-dependent, so two Galaxy phones on related One UI versions may not represent pending notifications identically.

If you need to identify which app generated the alert, open the notification panel. The panel is the detailed list; the status bar is only the compact indicator.

One UI 8 and other version differences

The One UI 7 support instructions establish the Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Show notification icons path for that software generation. Samsung’s One UI 8 guidance documents lock-screen and pop-up controls, but it does not establish one replacement status-bar path that applies to every One UI 8 device.

For that reason, do not assume that every current Galaxy phone uses the same menu sequence. On a One UI 8 phone, first check Settings > Notifications for a similarly named status-bar option. If the option is not visible, search Settings for Show notification icons or Hide notifications. The result and available choices can depend on the model, installed software, carrier configuration, and active features.

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Troubleshooting when icons are still visible

The “Show notification icons” option is missing

  • Confirm the phone’s One UI release and look for the option under Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings.
  • Use Settings search for the exact phrase Show notification icons.
  • Check whether your model or carrier software uses different notification labels. Samsung warns that menu availability varies by model and software version.

You selected a count but still see notification symbols

  • Check whether what you are seeing is a dot rather than an app icon. One UI 7 or later may use a dot as its indicator.
  • Look at the notification panel to determine whether the symbol belongs to a system feature rather than a pending app notification.
  • Verify that the setting was changed on the phone profile you are currently using, particularly if the device has multiple users or a work profile.

Only one app’s icon needs to disappear

Return to Settings > Notifications > Hide notifications and select that app. Changing the global display style is broader than necessary when the problem is limited to one or two apps.

The lock screen still shows message text

That is expected if you changed only the status-bar setting. Open Settings > Notifications > Hide content while locked for a phone-wide lock-screen privacy change, or use the app-notification controls for per-app content behavior.

A banner still appears while using another app

Status-bar icon settings do not control pop-up banners. Open the relevant app’s notification settings and adjust its Brief or Detailed pop-up behavior where those options are available.

Which setting should you use?

What you want Control to use Scope
Replace individual status-bar icons with a compact count Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Show notification icons General status-bar display; documented for One UI 7
Keep icons for most apps but hide selected apps’ status-bar alerts Settings > Notifications > Hide notifications Selected apps
Hide notification text while the phone is locked Settings > Notifications > Hide content while locked All apps on supported One UI 8 devices
Change banners that appear over the current app App notification settings, including Brief or Detailed pop-up options where available Per app and separate from status-bar icons

Important limitations

  • Changing the status-bar display does not erase notifications from the notification panel.
  • Hiding an app’s status-bar alert is not the same as blocking that app’s notifications entirely.
  • Lock-screen privacy and pop-up appearance require their own controls.
  • Menu names, icon behavior, and available features can differ by Galaxy model, One UI version, carrier, and active phone features.

Bottom line

For a One UI 7 Galaxy phone, start at Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Show notification icons and choose the status-bar style you prefer. Use Hide notifications when only selected apps should be removed from the status bar. If the real issue is lock-screen text or pop-up banners, change those separate notification controls instead.

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Android settingsNotificationsOne UI 7PrivacySamsung Galaxy

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