What are time sensitive notifications, and how to turn them off?

27-Nov-2023

What are time sensitive notifications, and how to turn them off?

Time-sensitive notifications are yet another new notification feature developed by Apple. They are time-sensitive, as the name implies, and hence can avoid the constraints of Focus and the Notification Summary. However, concerns surround this latest feature – How do you make notifications time-sensitive, and how do you prevent apps from abusing their permissions?

Whether you’ve just bought an Apple device or have been using iOS for years, it’s necessary to understand the various notifications you’ll receive. This blog will look at Time-Sensitive Notifications and what they mean.

What are Time-Sensitive notifications?

Apple presently has four separate notification categories:

• Passive
• Active
• Critical
• Time-Sensitive
  

The most minor “important” notifications are passive notifications. When you receive a passive notification, you will not hear, see, or feel anything from your iPhone. In contrast to other sorts of notifications that include vibration or sound, you will only see the notification when you go to use your phone.

The most prevalent sort of notification is an active notification. This is the most common sort of notification and the one with which most people are familiar. Your phone will vibrate or ding, and the screen will light up when you receive an active notification.

Critical notifications are uncommon and were initially implemented with iOS 14. This notification type differs from the others in that it can ignore the silent switch. Weather alerts and safety warnings are two examples of critical notifications. We can think of them as more urgent alerts. Apps must obtain particular permission from Apple to send users essential notifications.

Apple’s Focus feature

In 2021, Apple released the Focus feature accompanying iOS 15, allowing you to control who can contact you and which applications can send notifications at any moment. It’s a valuable tool for blocking out background noise so you can focus on the activity at hand, such as working, sleeping, studying, or driving.

While filtering noise is beneficial, not all notifications must be silenced. Some notifications, such as a transaction alert from your bank, have a direct impact on you and should be acted on right away. That’s where Time-Sensitive Notifications come in, allowing you to stop notifications while still receiving important information.

Focus mode effectively allows you to create unique Do Not Disturb modes for various scenarios. This is when Time-Sensitive notifications are showcased the most. You can restrict as many apps as you wish without worrying about missing something important.

Time to turn off?

Time-sensitive notifications are a catch-22. They might be bothersome, like Pop-Ups, since they interrupt your Focus modes and cause interruptions. However, they can provide you with important information you want to take advantage of.

As previously stated, Apple’s earlier Do Not Disturb function on mobile devices was the Focus function’s foundation. It gives you the ability to customize notifications based on the time of day or what you’re doing. The feature is designed to help you stay present in order to concentrate or spend time away from your electronics. You may alter the settings and choose which applications and persons will send you alerts – and which will be kept for later.

However, sometimes an app will label your notifications as “Time-Sensitive,” and you might disagree. Perhaps an app is abusing its power to bombard you with constant unwanted notifications. Any app’s Time-Sensitive alerts can be switched off.

You can evaluate the Time-Sensitive notifications as they happen. A Time-Sensitive notification will occasionally ask if you want to continue receiving it or turn it off.

For a more extensive overhaul, you can easily change your iPhone notifications settings if you no longer want to receive Time-Sensitive notifications or if you wish to limit which apps can send them to you. It is a tad time-consuming as you must turn off Time-Sensitive notifications for each app; however, if you want to avoid receiving notifications that may interrupt you, the effort is worth it.

How to turn off Time-Sensitive Notifications?

1. Open “Settings” on your iPhone
2. Tap “Notifications”
3. In the “Notification Style” section, select an app that sends Time-Sensitive Notifications, such as Calendar.
4. Under “Always Deliver Immediately,” toggle off Time-Sensitive Notifications (from green to gray.)

Go through your apps and toggle Time-Sensitive Notifications off depending on your needs. Most third-party apps lack Time-Sensitive Notifications, but the app developer can enable them, so it’s worth checking through your installed apps.

Final words

Time-Sensitive notifications are excellent if the app uses them correctly. They may be convenient for certain apps but bothersome for others. The more you optimize which apps may use them, the better your experience. However, if you do not want to receive Time-Sensitive Notifications at all, you can switch them off in your settings. 

Oh, if you don’t use an iPhone or Mac, you can learn how to disable notifications on any device here.