How to Disable All App Notifications on Android

This guide shows you how to turn off every app notification on your Android phone in one go, giving you a completely quiet device. You’ll learn the quickest method using the system settings, plus how to re-enable notifications later if you change your mind. No special apps or root access are needed—just a few taps in the Settings menu.

What You’ll Need

An Android phone or tablet (any recent version, roughly Android 8.0 or newer).
Access to the Settings app (the gear icon in your app drawer or notification shade).
A few minutes of time—the process takes less than a minute once you’re in the right menu.

Step-by-Step

Open Settings. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the notification shade, then tap the gear icon. Alternatively, find the Settings app in your app drawer.
Go to Apps or Notifications. The exact label varies by manufacturer. On stock Android (Pixel), tap Apps. On Samsung, it’s Apps under the main Settings list. On some devices, you’ll see Notifications directly—tap that instead.
Find the “All apps” list. If you tapped Apps, you’ll see a list of your installed apps. If you tapped Notifications, look for a section called App notifications or Recently sent—tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the corner and choose Show all apps or All apps.
Tap the first app in the list. This opens that app’s notification settings page. You’ll see a toggle at the top labeled All notifications or Show notifications.
Turn off the toggle. Tap the switch so it turns gray/off. This disables every notification category for that app—alerts, sounds, badges, everything.
Return to the app list. Use the back arrow (top-left) to go back to the full list of apps. Do not exit Settings entirely.
Repeat for each app. Go through the list one by one, turning off the toggle for each app. This is the only method that works on all Androids without using a third-party tool. It’s tedious but reliable.
Optional: Use “Do Not Disturb” for a temporary mute. If you want to silence all notifications without permanently disabling them, swipe down twice from the top to open Quick Settings, then tap Do Not Disturb. This blocks all sounds and alerts until you turn it off.

Common Mistakes

Turning off notifications for system apps. Apps like Phone, Messages, and Settings are essential. Disabling their notifications can prevent you from seeing missed calls or texts. Only disable apps you truly don’t want to hear from.
Using the per-app “Pause” feature. Some Androids offer a “Pause notifications” option for a set time (like 1 hour). This is temporary—it doesn’t permanently disable anything.
Forgetting to check “Show all apps.” By default, the notification settings list often shows only “Recently sent” apps. If you skip the “Show all” step, you’ll miss many apps that haven’t notified you recently.
Assuming the toggle is global. Each app has its own toggle. There’s no single “disable all” switch in stock Android (except for Do Not Disturb, which is temporary).

Tips

Use “Do Not Disturb” for a quick mute. If you need silence for a meeting or sleep, schedule Do Not Disturb in Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb. You can set it to turn on automatically at certain times.
Disable only “Categories” you don’t want. Instead of turning off all notifications for an app, tap the app name and you’ll see categories like “Messages” or “Promotions.” Turn off just the noisy ones.
Check for “Notification history.” If you later want to see what you missed, go to Settings > Apps > Notifications > Notification history and enable it. This logs recent notifications even after they’re dismissed.
Consider using “Focus mode” or “Digital Wellbeing.” These features let you pause distracting apps temporarily without changing their permanent settings.

Troubleshooting

Notifications still appear after disabling. Some apps (especially system apps or those with “overlay” permissions) may re-enable themselves or have a separate “Notification access” setting. Go to Settings > Apps > Special app access > Notification access and revoke it for any app you don’t want to send notifications.

You can’t find the toggle for a specific app. If an app’s notification settings page doesn’t show a master toggle, it may be because the app uses “channels” that are individually controlled. Tap each channel (e.g., “General,” “Alerts”) and turn off each one.

The list of apps is too long. On some Samsung devices, you can tap the three-dot menu and select “Sort by” to arrange apps alphabetically or by size, making it easier to work through.

You accidentally disabled a critical app. If you turned off notifications for Phone or Messages and now miss calls, go back to that app’s settings and re-enable the toggle. It’s a simple flip back on.

Do Not Disturb is on but you still hear sounds. Check if “Alarms & media” are allowed in Do Not Disturb settings. Also, some apps (like alarm clocks) can bypass Do Not Disturb if you’ve given them “Can bypass DND” permission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a way to disable all notifications at once? No, stock Android doesn’t have a single “disable all” button. The closest is enabling Do Not Disturb, which silences everything temporarily. To permanently disable, you must toggle each app individually.

Will this affect system updates or security alerts? Disabling notifications for system apps like “Google Play services” may prevent you from seeing update prompts or security warnings. It’s generally safe to leave those on.

Can I re-enable notifications later? Yes, simply go back to the same settings and turn the toggles back on. It’s fully reversible.

Does this save battery? Slightly, because fewer background tasks are triggered by notifications. But the impact is minimal on modern phones.

Will apps still run in the background? Yes, disabling notifications only stops the alerts. Apps continue to run normally, but they may use less battery if they were waking up to send notifications.

What about “Notification access” apps like smartwatches? If you have a companion app for a smartwatch, disabling its notifications may stop it from syncing. You can revoke “Notification access” separately in Settings > Apps > Special app access.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →