How to Turn Off Text Message Notifications on Your IPhone
If notifications from a particularly active group chat or an overly impatient friend are getting on your nerves, it’s easy to turn them off on iPhone and give yourself a break. Of course, you can turn off notifications system-wide by turning on Do Not Disturb , but you can also selectively turn off text notifications from certain people.
Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that your contact won’t be notified that they’re muted, and you won’t receive any message notifications from that person until you unmute them.
How to turn off message notifications from one person
To mute notifications from a specific person, there are two ways to do it. First, open the Messages app on your iPhone. Then tap the contact’s profile picture or icon and a pop-up window will appear with their contact details. There should be a toggle for Hide Alerts . Turning this switch on will prevent you from receiving push notifications when that specific person sends you an iMessage or text message.
Another way to mute someone is to go back into the Messages app, then find a recent chat with them and swipe left on the conversation. You should see a purple bell icon and a red trash can icon. The purple bell button will turn off message notifications from that person.
How to turn off message notifications in a group chat
Disabling notifications from a group chat in Messages works in a similar way. Go to Messages and find the group you want to mute. Open the chat and click on the group chat name at the top with all your profile photos. You’ll be taken to the settings for that group chat, and if you scroll down, you’ll see a toggle for Hide Alerts . Tap the switch and tap Done .
You can also mute a group chat by going to the Messages app, finding your group, and swiping left on it to see a purple bell button and a red trash can button. Clicking the purple button will turn off notifications.
How to turn off message notifications using the Contacts app
Another way to mute notifications from someone is to use the Contacts app. Open the Contacts app on your phone and find the person you want to mute. Click Edit and scroll down to Text Tone . Tap Text Tone and select None to turn off the notification sound when someone sends you a message. Your iPhone can still vibrate when notifications arrive, but you can also turn it off in the Message Tone menu for that contact.
How to Turn Off Notifications on Your iPhone in Focus Mode
Back in 2022, Apple introduced Focus Modes to reduce distractions like notifications. To create a new focus mode, go to Settings on your iPhone. Then scroll down until you see Focus , which should be just above Screen Time and below Sounds & Haptics. Apple’s Do Not Disturb mode is enabled by default, but they also have Personal, Sleep, and Work modes ready to customize. You can also create your own by clicking the + icon in the top right corner.
When you create your own, after choosing a name for the new focus mode, you should see a button at the bottom that says Adjust Focus . Tap the + icon next to People and choose which contacts you want to mute notifications from. You can also choose to allow notifications from specific people, such as your immediate family, etc. Tap Done to save your settings.
To enable the focus mode you just created, go to the Home screen and swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center . Then press and hold the Focus button and you’ll see all the available focus modes, such as Do Not Disturb. Click on the new focus mode you created to turn it on.