Android · Apps
Control notification categories for a single app
This app-level screen lets you fine-tune notifications for one specific app, toggling individual notification channels such as promotions, messages, or reminders, and setting importance levels without affecting notifications from any other app.
How to open Notifications Per App
- Open Settings
- Tap Apps, then select the specific app
- Tap Notifications
- Review the list of channels and adjust importance for each
What you should know
- Lists individual notification channels defined by the app
- Each channel can be silenced, minimized, or set to alert with sound and pop-up
- Shows recent notification history for that app
- Includes shortcuts to app-specific settings like badge dots and lock screen visibility
Why it matters
Blanket notification blocking loses useful alerts along with the annoying ones, while per-app channel control lets you silence promotional pings from a shopping app while keeping order updates or delivery alerts active. This granularity is what makes it possible to keep dozens of apps installed without a constantly buzzing phone, since most notification fatigue comes from a small number of noisy channels within otherwise useful apps.
Best practices
- Review new apps' notification channels shortly after install rather than letting default settings run unchecked
- Downgrade promotional or marketing channels to silent instead of disabling all notifications from useful apps
- Use per-channel importance levels rather than app-wide mute when only one type of alert is unwanted
- Periodically audit apps with the most notification history to catch chronic over-notifiers
Common problems and fixes
- An app still sends unwanted alerts after muting
- Check whether the alert comes from a different channel within the app, since apps can have many separate channels
- Important alerts are being missed
- Confirm the relevant channel is not set to Silent or minimized and that Do Not Disturb isn't blocking it
- Notification history is empty
- Enable notification history from the main Notifications settings screen, since it's off by default
Tips and tricks
- Long-press a notification in the shade to jump directly to that channel's settings
- Set marketing or promotional channels to 'Silent' instead of off so they still appear in the notification shade without alerting
Frequently asked questions
What is a notification channel?
It's a category an app defines for its notifications, such as 'Messages' or 'Promotions', each independently controllable.
Can I set a custom sound per channel?
Yes, most channels allow assigning a distinct sound and vibration pattern.
Does this override Do Not Disturb?
No, Do Not Disturb rules still apply on top of these per-app settings.
Related settings
- NotificationsNotification settings let you decide which apps can alert you, how those alerts look, and where they show up — from the lock screen to the status bar. You can manage this globally or app by app, and choose which notifications are urgent enough to break through Do Not Disturb.
- App InfoApp info is the dedicated settings page for a single installed app, showing its permissions, storage and cache usage, notification controls, battery behavior, and options to force stop, uninstall, or disable it.
- Do Not Disturb / Focus ModeDo Not Disturb silences calls, texts, and notifications while still letting you choose specific exceptions, like starred contacts or repeat callers. Android's broader Modes system extends this with presets like Bedtime and Driving, plus fully custom modes for work or focus time.
More Apps guides for Android
- Apps & Default AppsThe Apps settings page lists every installed app along with its permissions, storage use, and battery impact, and lets you set which app opens automatically for tasks like browsing, messaging, or phone calls when more than one option is installed. This is also where you uninstall, disable, or force-stop an app directly.
- Special App AccessSpecial app access holds a set of sensitive, less-common permissions — like displaying over other apps, device admin access, or usage access — that aren't part of the normal runtime permission prompts.
- Unused AppsAndroid automatically detects apps you haven't opened in months and can revoke their runtime permissions or archive them — removing most of the app's files while keeping its icon and data so it can be quickly restored.
- Dual AppsDual apps (branded Dual Messenger on Samsung, App Cloner or Parallel Space on others) creates a second, independent instance of a supported app so you can stay signed into two accounts — like two WhatsApp numbers — on one phone at once.
- Permission ManagerPermission Manager organizes app permissions by category, such as Camera, Location, Microphone, and Contacts, so you can see and revoke access across all apps at once instead of checking each app individually.
- Adaptive Battery / App Battery UsageAdaptive Battery uses on-device machine learning to predict which apps you'll use next and restricts battery and background activity for apps you rarely open, while App Battery Usage shows a breakdown of exactly which apps are consuming the most power.