How to Set up iPhone Notifications on iOS

Notifications on an iPhone can be somewhat confusing, especially if you come from an Android mobile where these elements are managed in a totally different way. However, in this article we will help you to learn more about the iOS notification and notification system, so that you can configure it to your liking and not miss any news, messages or other important announcements that reach your device.

It is the same operation on iPhone and iPad

Of everything that we are going to explain regarding notifications, it works for both iOS and iPadOS. These operating systems, despite being different in many aspects, start from the same base and in this sense the way to configure the warnings and notifications is exactly the same.

 Set up iPhone Notifications on iOS

Where to see notifications

Either on an iPhone or iPad, there is a notification screen that appears by sliding your finger from the top of the screen down with a curtain effect. In the past, this panel was typical of notifications, but in the latest software versions it is the same as the lock screen, hence it has the same background and the time and date also appear.

IOS and iPadOS notification panel

The notification panel automatically groups applications by age and grouped by applications. They can also be grouped based on their person of origin. If, for example, you have received several messages from different Messaging chats, you will see that the contacts who have sent them appear separate, but that their respective messages appear grouped together. If you click on any of these, you will see that they are ungrouped and you can see all the notifications.

panel notificaciones iphone ipad

Interaction with notifications

There are several ways to interact with a notification from the aforementioned panel, having the following possibilities with each of them:

  • See the notification: if you want to open the application from which you received the notice, you can click directly on the notification to open it, although you can also slide it to the right.
  • Delete the notification: to make it disappear completely, you just have to swipe the notification completely to the left or, failing that, swipe just a little and click on the “Delete” option.
  • Manage the notification: if you click on the three points that appear at the top of the notification, you will see that various management options appear.
    • Notify discreetly (so that notices are not so intrusive)
    • Deactivate (deactivate the possibility of that app sending you notifications)
    • Settings (direct access to the app’s notification settings)
  • Reply to a message: this function is exclusive to messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Apple‘s own Messages. If you keep your finger pressed for several seconds on the notification, the keyboard will appear to send a quick reply.

notificaciones iphone

Existing notice styles

Going to Settings you can find all the applications at the bottom and by clicking on them you can access their settings, among which we find the notifications part. It is also possible to access these from Settings> Notifications and choosing the app in question.

Each app allows you to have notifications of different types, if they have the permission enabled to send them to you:

  • Notifications on locked screen: if this function is enabled, notifications may appear when the iPhone or iPad is locked. If it is deactivated, they may continue to appear, but always after having unlocked the device using the code or Touch ID / Face ID.
  • Notifications in the notification center: add or deactivate the possibility of seeing the notification in the aforementioned panel in which the notifications are grouped.
  • Strips: If a notification arrives while you’re using your iPhone or iPad, you’ll see what’s known as a push notification at the top of the screen. You can choose whether you want it to appear only for a few seconds or to stay permanently until it is interacted with.

estilo notificacion iphone

Notification sounds and balloons

In the same settings panel mentioned in the previous section, there are also the options with which you can choose if you want the notifications to appear with sound and if you want a balloon to appear on the app icon each time a notification is registered. The latter will be red and will have a number in the center that will vary depending on the number of notices of said app that you have pending to review.

Grouping and lock screen notifications

In the final part of the settings that we have been commenting on, you can establish the type of grouping that the notifications of this app can carry, being able to discard this functionality completely or order them automatically or by type of app.

Regarding hiding content from notifications on the locked screen, there is also a section, although for this you will have to enable the notifications on the locked screen. The options that appear below are used to show or not the notification message.

notificaciones ipad pantalla bloqueada

  • Always: always show the content of notifications.
  • If it is unlocked: if you receive a message, for example, you can see the contact who sent it to you but not what they tell you until you unlock the device.
  • Never: the content of the notification will never appear until you enter it.

Can Siri read the notifications?

A simple “Hey Siri, read me the notifications” with the unlocked iPhone or iPad will help the assistant to read you pending notifications. If you want to go further and that the assistant narrates the notifications as they arrive when you have the AirPods on, you will have to enable the option “Announce messages with Siri” in Settings> Notifications. It must be said that this is only valid with AirPods 2 or later, the ‘Pro’ and the ‘Max’ also being valid. Beats headphones also serve this function.

notificaciones siri iphone

Activate or deactivate the sound of notifications

In addition to the visual notifications themselves, an important element to know when a notification arrives is the sound that is emitted. To do this, not only must you be sure that the sound is activated in the corresponding notification settings of the apps, but you also have to make sure that the iPhone or iPad has the sound active. You can go to Settings> Sounds and vibrations to check it, as well as verify that you do not have the mute switch activated (in the case of the iPhone it is in the upper left).

Choose your own sounds for each notification

In the aforementioned Settings> Sounds and vibrations panel you can configure what you want the sounds of the notifications to be at a general level, but if you want one or more specific apps to have another alert sound, you can change it whenever they allow it. Unfortunately, it is not possible to change it at all, but some such as WhatsApp or Telegram have a series of settings within the apps themselves that allow you to change that sound.

How to stop receiving notifications temporarily

Whether it is to avoid distractions when you are busy or want to disconnect from everything, there is the possibility to silence all notifications temporarily. For this there is the Do Not Disturb Mode , which allows you to temporarily deactivate the audible warnings. There is a quick shortcut by pressing the moon icon from the control center, but if you want to configure it more completely it is necessary to go to Settings> Do not disturb.

no molestar iphone

Once you are in that panel, you can not only activate or deactivate this mode, but you can also choose other settings such as programming in a certain time slot, always being able to silence the iPhone / iPad or only when it is locked, which phone calls if you want receive, etc.

Internet connection is essential

You should know that most of the notifications you receive come from services with an internet connection. Whether they are instant messaging apps, social networks or notices of promotions of some apps. Therefore, if you do not receive notifications or you see that they take longer to arrive, it may be due to having a bad connection or not being connected directly. Therefore, it should always be a point to review before any problem with notifications.

Something important to know if you have an Apple Watch

If you are the owner of an Apple Watch and you have notifications configured on it, you have to bear in mind that if you receive notifications on the watch, you will not be able to see them later on the iPhone. Or you may see them, depending on what you have configured, but the sound alert will only be made on the watch without the iPhone communicating it to you.

notificaciones apple watch

If you open the Watch application on the iPhone, you go to the My Watch tab and then to Notifications you can find the configuration options. There are certain notifications that you can receive on both devices, although always taking into account the comments that at the sound level they will not reach the iPhone if it is blocked. You should also bear in mind that if you activate Do Not Disturb mode on one of the two devices it is possible that it will be duplicated on the other and to change this setting you must go back to the Watch app, My Watch tab and then to General> Do not disturb.