How to Disable Notifications for a Specific App

Edited 3 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Notifications are alerts that apps send to inform you about various events, updates, or activities. While notifications can be helpful, they can also be overwhelming or distracting, especially when you get a lot of them. Fortunately, you have the option to disable notifications for specific apps. In this guide, we will cover different ways to turn off notifications for individual apps on different platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. We will also discuss the corresponding programming interfaces for developers who want to manage notifications within their apps.

Disable notifications on Android

Android devices allow you to manage notifications on a per-app basis. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to disable notifications for a specific app on Android:

Method 1: Using the Settings app

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps & notifications.
3. Tap See all apps to view a list of installed apps.
4. Find and tap the app you want to disable notifications for.
5. Tap Notifications.
6. Turn off the 'Show notifications' switch.

By following these steps, you will disable all notifications for the selected app. If you want to customize the types of notifications you receive from an app, you can do so by toggling specific categories instead of notifications for the entire app.

Method 2: Using the notification shade

1. When you receive a notification from an app, pull down the notification shade by swiping down from the top of the screen.
2. Long press on a notification received from an app.
3. Tap the App info or Info icon (ⓘ).
4. You'll be taken to the app's notification settings. Toggle off the Show Notifications switch.

This method provides a quick way to disable notifications for an app directly from the notification it sends.

Disable notifications on iOS (iPhone and iPad)

On iOS devices, you can control app notifications through the Settings app. Below are the steps to disable notifications for a specific app on an iPhone or iPad:

Method 1: Using the Settings app

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
2. Scroll down and tap Notifications.
3. You will see a list of all the apps that can send notifications. Find and tap the app you want to disable notifications for.
4. Turn off the switch next to Allow Notifications.

By turning off the 'Allow Notifications' switch, you will prevent all notifications from the selected app from appearing on your device.

Method 2: Using Notification Center

1. When you get a notification from the app, swipe left on it.
2. Tap Manage.
3. Tap Turn Off to disable notifications from the app.

This method provides a quick and convenient way to turn off notifications for an app directly from the notification bar itself.

Disable notifications on Windows

If you're using a Windows computer, you can manage app notifications through the Settings app. Follow these steps to disable notifications for a specific app on Windows:

Method: Using the Settings app

1. Open the Settings app on your Windows computer by pressing Win + I
2. Click on System.
3. In the left pane, click Notifications & actions.
4. Scroll down to the Get notifications from these senders section.
5. Find the app you want to disable notifications for and toggle the switch off.

By doing this, you will turn off notifications for the selected apps and prevent them from appearing on your Windows computer.

Disabling notifications on macOS

macOS allows you to control notifications for individual apps through System Preferences. Below are the steps to disable notifications for a specific app on macOS:

Method: Using System Preferences

1. Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and select System Preferences.
2. Click on the notification.
3. You will see a list of all the apps that can send notifications. Find and click on the app you want to disable notifications for.
4. Uncheck the box next to Allow notifications.

This will disable all notifications from the selected app on your macOS device.

Programmatic approach to managing notifications

For developers, it is necessary to manage notifications programmatically. Depending on the platform, different APIs can be used to control notifications within an application. Below are examples for Android and iOS:

Android (Java/Kotlin)

In Android, you can programmatically manage notification channels to control notifications:

Example in Java:

        

if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
    String channelId = "example_channel_id";
    CharSequence name = "Example Channel";
    String description = "This is an example channel";
    int importance = NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_DEFAULT;
    NotificationChannel channel = new NotificationChannel(channelId, name, importance);
    channel.setDescription(description);
    // Disable the notification channel
    channel.setImportance(NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_NONE);
    NotificationManager notificationManager = getSystemService(NotificationManager.class);
    notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(channel);
}
        
    

In this example, a notification channel is created with its importance set to NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_NONE, which effectively disables notifications for that channel.

Example in Kotlin:

        

if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
    val channelId = "example_channel_id"
    val name = "Example Channel"
    val description = "This is an example channel"
    val importance = NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_DEFAULT
    val channel = NotificationChannel(channelId, name, importance).apply {
        this.description = description
        // Disable the notification channel
        importance = NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_NONE
    }
    val notificationManager: NotificationManager = getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager
    notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(channel)
}
        
    

The Kotlin example achieves the same result as the Java example, by creating a notification channel and setting its importance to NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_NONE.

iOS (Swift)

In iOS, you can manage notifications using the UserNotifications framework:

Example in Swift:

        

import UserNotifications

UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]) { granted, error in 
    // Check if permission granted
    if granted {
        // Schedule notification
        let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
        content.title = "Example Notification"
        content.body = "This is the body of the example notification"
        let trigger = UNTimeIntervalNotificationTrigger(timeInterval: 5, repeats: false)
        let request = UNNotificationRequest(identifier: "exampleNotification", content: content, trigger: trigger)
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request)
    }
}

// Disable Notifications
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().getNotificationSettings { settings in
    if settings.authorizationStatus == .authorized {
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().removeAllPendingNotificationRequests()
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().removeAllDeliveredNotifications()
    }
}
        
    

In the Swift example, first, notification authorization is requested. Then, notifications are scheduled using UNUserNotificationCenter. To disable notifications, pending and delivered notifications are deleted.

Conclusion

Managing notifications is important to maintain productivity and minimize distractions. Whether you are a user trying to disable notifications for specific apps or a developer looking to programmatically manage notifications, the methods described in this guide will help you achieve your goal. By following the steps and using the code examples provided, you can control notifications on your Android, iOS, Windows, or macOS device.

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