How to Enable Push Notifications on iOS

Written by Bryzz Tortello | Edited by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: May 19, 2022 Tested

Want to receive instant push notifications from apps on your iPhone or iPad? Turning on notifications is super easy, and you can even customize how they appear on the screen. This wikiHow article will teach you how to enable notifications for apps like Mail, Messages, and social media apps, as well as emergency notifications from your local authorities.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Enabling Push Notifications for Apps

1
Open your iPhone's Settings app
. You'll find this gray gear icon on your Home screen, in your App Library, or by searching.
2
Tap Notifications. This option has a red icon with a white bell. You'll see it in the second group of settings.

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3
Choose whether to show notification previews. By default, your iPhone or iPad will display a preview of the notification, such as the first few lines of a text message or the phone number from a missed call.^{[1]
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Research source} Tap Previews to adjust these settings:
- Select Always to allow all notifications to show previews.
- Select When unlocked to only show notification previews when your screen is unlocked. This is a good option if you don't want people to see your notifications on your locked phone screen.
- Select Never if you just want to see the name of the app that has a notification available without any identifying details.
4
Tap the app you want to manage. Each app on your iPhone has its own push notification settings.
5
Toggle the "Allow Notifications" switch to On
. As long as this switch is enabled, you'll receive push notifications for this app.
6
Choose your alert preferences. By default, all three alert types are enabled. You can use the checkmarks below each option to control the alerts you see.^{[2]
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- Check Lock Screen to see push notifications on the lock screen.
- Check Notification Center to see notifications when you pull down the Notification Center from the top of your iPhone's or iPad's screen.
- Check "Banners" to see pop-up notifications each time the app wants to notify you.
- Tap Banner Style to choose Persistent notifications (notifications that stay on the screen until you swipe them away or Temporary (notifications go away after displaying for a few seconds on the screen).
7
Choose whether to hear notification sounds. Depending on the app, you may be able to turn on notification sounds. Toggle the "Sounds" switch to allow that app to play your default notification sound when a new notification is received.
- You can choose custom notification sounds for many Apple apps, including FaceTime and Messages.
8
Choose whether to show notification badges. Depending on the app, you might see a "Badges" switch. Toggling this switch to On (green) displays the number of new notifications for that app on its Home screen icon.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Enabling Government and Emergency Notifications

1
Open your iPhone's Settings app
. You'll find this gray gear icon on your Home screen, in your App Library, or by searching.
- Depending on your region, you may be able to enable or disable notifications that can alert you to emergencies, such as extreme weather and conditions or imminent threats to your safety. These notifications are enabled by default, but you can turn them on or off as needed.^{[3]
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  Research source}
- Some regions do not allow you to disable government alerts.
2
Tap Notifications. This option has a red icon with a white bell. You'll see it in the second group of settings.
3
Scroll all the way down to the bottom. The last section of the Notifications panel is the "Government Alerts" section.
4
Use the toggle switches to enable notifications
. For example, if you're in the United States, you can toggle the Amber Alerts and/or Public Safety notifications on if you want to be notified of missing children.
5
Tap Emergency Alerts. You'll find additional options in this section.
6
Toggle "Emergency Alerts" to On
. This option allows you to enable or disable emergency alerts from government leaders, state, and local authorities.^{[4]
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7
Choose whether to always play a sound. If you toggle "Always Play Sound" to On (green), you will hear an alert tone even if your iPhone is in silent mode or focus mode.