Lesson 10
Stay on Top of Notifications
Notifications are the little messages and alerts that pop up on your screen. Once you know how they work, they help you instead of overwhelming you.
First, tell us which phone you have
Not sure which you have?
If your phone has an apple on the back, it’s an iPhone. If it has anything else, it’s almost certainly an Android.
Step 1 of 6
Understand what a notification is
A notification is a short alert that tells you something happened, like a new text, a missed call, or a reminder. They appear at the top of your screen and wait for you.
A notification is just a heads-up. Nothing bad happens if you don't tap it right away.
Step 2 of 6
Open your notifications
On your iPhone: On iPhone, swipe down from the top-left corner, or simply pick up your phone to see recent notifications on the Lock Screen.
On your Android: On Android, swipe down from the very top of the screen to see all your notifications in one list.
This pull-down list is like your phone's message board. Check it whenever you like.
Step 3 of 6
Tap a notification to open it
Tap any notification to jump straight to what it's about, like opening the new text message it's telling you about.
Tapping takes you right there, so you don't have to go hunting for the app yourself.
Step 4 of 6
Clear a notification you're done with
To tidy up, you can swipe a notification off the screen once you've read it.
On your iPhone: On iPhone, swipe the notification to the left, then tap Clear.
On your Android: On Android, swipe the notification to the left or right to clear it.
Clearing a notification does not delete the message itself. It just removes the little reminder.
Step 5 of 6
Quiet a noisy app
If one app alerts you far too often, you can turn its notifications down.
On your iPhone: On iPhone, open Settings, tap Notifications, tap the app, and turn off Allow Notifications.
On your Android: On Android, open Settings, tap Notifications, tap the app, and turn its notifications off.
This is a great way to silence a chatty app without deleting it.
Step 6 of 6
Set quiet hours while you sleep
You can tell your phone to stay quiet at night so it won't wake you.
On your iPhone: On iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap Focus, and choose Do Not Disturb.
On your Android: On Android, swipe down from the top and tap 'Do Not Disturb' to silence alerts until you turn it off.
You can still let calls and alarms come through if you want. You won't miss anything urgent.