How to Turn off Notifications on Any Device

22-Nov-2023

In the digital age, our mobile devices are constantly with us, helping us to stay connected and keep up-to-date on all the latest goings on. But with so many different apps installed on our devices nowadays, each vying for our attention, it’s easy to feel that we’re being bombarded with push notifications. In this guide, we’ll provide some context on push notifications and provide step-by-step guidance on how to turn them off in different scenarios.

What are push notifications and why disable them?

A push notification is an alert message that appears on the home screen or desktop of a mobile device. Its purpose is to keep the user updated on notable events that occur on certain apps. In many ways, push notifications are very convenient, as they enable users to stay informed without necessarily needing to open each relevant app to check for updates.

The issue with push notifications occurs when they reach higher volumes. When a user is receiving a continuous stream of push notifications, they can become an intrusive distraction that is stressful to manage and disrupts daily productivity. In such cases, when push notifications cease to serve their intended function of making the user experience more convenient, it may be preferable to turn them off.

How to disable notifications by operating system and browser

Disabling notifications is a relatively simple task, but the process involved varies depending on the app or device in question:

How to disable Safari notifications

To disable notifications in Safari, you can do the following:

1. In the browser window, click “Safari” on the left of the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click on “Settings” in the drop-down menu.
2. In the “Settings” tab, scroll down the left-hand menu and select “Notifications”. This will open a list of websites that can send notifications through Safari.
3. Toggle off the option that says “Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications”. This will block all notifications through Safari.

How to disable Firefox notifications

To disable notifications in Mozilla Firefox, you can follow these steps:

1. Click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of the Firefox browser window, then click on “Options” in the drop-down menu.
2. In the settings section, click on “Privacy & Security” on the left side of the screen.
3. Scroll down through the “Privacy & Security” section to find the “Permissions” settings. Click on “Notifications”.
4. Toggle on the option that says “Block new requests asking to allow notifications”. This will disable all notifications through Firefox.

How to disable Chrome notifications

You can do the following to disable notifications in Google Chrome:

1. Click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the browser window, then click “Settings” in the drop-down menu.
2. In the settings menu, click on “Privacy and Security” on the left side of the window.
3. Click “Site settings”, then scroll down to the “Permissions” section to find “Notifications”.
4. In the “Notifications” section, find the “Don’t allow sites to send notifications” setting and toggle it on. This will block all notifications through Chrome.

How to turn off/silence notifications on iPhone apps

To disable notifications on iPhone, you can do the following:

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone, then scroll down to find “Notifications” in the second settings group.
2. Scroll down and click on the name of an app that you no longer want notifications from. This will take you to the notification settings for that specific app.
3. Toggle off the “Allow Notifications” option to disable all notifications for that application.
4. Repeat the process for any other apps you wish to block.

How to turn off notifications on Android apps

To disable notifications on an Android device, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the “Settings” application on your Android device, then open the “Notifications” section.
2. In the “Notifications” menu, select “App Notifications”. Here, you will see all of the applications currently installed on your device.
3. Select the apps that you want to block, then toggle off the notification option to stop receiving notifications from that app.
4. Repeat the process for any other apps you wish to block.

How to turn off notifications on AirPods

To disable notification announcements when using AirPods with an Apple device, you can do the following:

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone, then scroll down to find “Notifications” in the second settings group.
2. Tap “Announce Notifications” under the “SIRI” section, then toggle off the button next to “Headphones”. This will stop Siri from announcing your notifications over your AirPods during media playback.

To disable notification announcements when using Airpods with a non-Apple device, follow these steps:

1. Connect your AirPods to your device, then open the Bluetooth settings on that device.
2. In the Bluetooth menu, locate and select your AirPods from the list of connected devices.
3. You should see an option labeled “Play Announcements” or similar. Toggle this option to block notifications on your AirPods during media playback.

Concluding

In an increasingly digital world, push notifications offer a useful way to manage all of our applications effectively. However, the benefits of push notifications quickly diminish when we receive them in high volumes, turning a useful alert feature into an annoyance. When notifications become too much, it pays to know how to switch them off, regardless of what devices, apps, or browsers you’re using. Using this guide, you’ll be able to do exactly that to ensure that you maintain full control over how you interact with your device.