Android is a great mobile operating system that keeps me constantly in the know. With a notification system that ensures I don’t miss a beat, I can be sure that very little slips by me. However, I do not need notifications from every single app I have installed. In fact, the more apps that send notifications to me, the more likely it will be that I’ll miss out on something important.
To that end, what do you do?
Well, recent releases of Android do make it much easier for you to curtail some of those notifications to ease up on the chaos.
By taking control of that, you can be certain you’re only receiving notifications that you actually want, thereby clearing away the things you don’t need.
But how do you take care of this?
Also: How to view your Android notification history, and why you might want to
How to control what apps send notifications to your Android
It’s quite easy. Let me show you.
Requirements
The only thing you’ll need to make this work is an Android device running an updated version of the operating system. To be more specific, you’ll need a device running Android 13. You can also do this on Android 12, but it’s done in a very different manner (and done through the notification shade itself). With Android 13 the process is not only easier but more reliable.
And now, let’s calm those notifications down.
Swipe the notification shade down twice and then tap the gear icon to open the Settings app.
From the Settings app, you should see an entry labeled, Notifications. Tap that entry.
Accessing the Notifications settings from Android 13.
Image: Jack Wallen
Also: How to stop apps from the notification shade on Android 13
In the Notifications settings page, you’ll see the App settings entry. Tap it.
App settings is where you’ll find the necessary options to pare down your notifications.
Image: Jack Wallen
At this point, you’ll see a long list of installed apps. Most of these apps should have notifications enabled. The only reason an app might have notifications disabled is that you were allowed to disable them during the app installation.
However, in such a case where you transferred to a new phone, those settings may not hold. In that case, you’ll find every application has notifications enabled.
To disable notifications for an app, tap the associated ON/OFF slider until it’s in the OFF position. Continuing going through the list until you’ve disabled all app notifications you do not want clogging up your notification shade.
After taking care of this, back out of the Settings app and you should now enjoy a much less busy notification shade in Android.
Disable all the notifications you don’t want here.
Image: Jack Wallen
Also: How to configure conversations as Priority in Android (and why you should)
One thing to keep in mind about this is that if you find yourself missing out on certain notifications, you can always go back and re-enable any app necessary. I tend to go with only the apps I know I absolutely need to receive notifications from. If it’s not a necessity, it’s disabled. Don’t hesitate to play around with this to find the sweet spot for you.
Congratulations, you’ve just made your mobile life a bit less chaotic.
