Notifications are a great way to keep your users informed of important events and changes in your app. However, they can also be used to drive engagement and encourage users to continue using your app. To improve notifications on Android, you first need to understand how they work. Notifications are sent through the system’s messaging service, which is known as SMS. When a user sends a message that includes an address (like “notification for new message”), the SMS service will send the notification to the user’s phone number that is associated with their account. Once the notification has been sent, it will stay in the user’s phone’s memory for up to 24 hours. After that, it will be deleted and won’t be shown again until the next time someone tries to send a message with an address that includes an SMS number (like “notification for new message”). To get started, you can create a simple Notifications action in your app’s settings: 1) Add an action called “Notification” 2) Set up how notifications are sent 3) Set up when notifications are shown 4) Set up how notifications are deleted
View Your Notification History
One of the most frustrating things about notifications is accidentally dismissing them. What app was it from? Did you miss something important? How can you find it again? That’s where Notification History comes in.
The Notification History is a log of all the notifications that have appeared on your device in the last 24 hours. It’s not enabled by default for some reason, so you’ll need to turn it on first.
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Hide Notification Icons From the Status Bar
The crown jewel of Android notifications is the status bar and “notification shade.” You can easily see which notifications you have and swipe down to read them. However, you may not want every app to put an icon up there.
For those apps that aren’t as important, you can simply hide the notification icon from the status bar. The notification is still there when you swipe down, but now it’s a lower priority.
RELATED: How to Hide Notifications Icons from the Status Bar on Android
Stop Notifications from Popping Up
By default, most Android notifications will “pop” on the screen. These notifications can get in the way, and it’s especially annoying for unimportant apps. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to toggle this off.
When you turn off “Pop on screen,” the notification will only appear as an icon in the status bar. You won’t see the full pop-up with the contents of the notification. This is a great option for low-priority notifications.
RELATED: How to Stop Android Notifications from Popping up on Your Screen
Fix Missing Notifications
Some Android devices are notorious for making battery “optimizations” that go too far. This can have the unintended consequence of killing apps in the background and preventing you from getting their notifications.
There are a few things you can adjust to fix this problem. If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced this annoying “feature.” There are a few things you can adjust to fix this problem.
RELATED: Why Am I Missing Notifications on Android?
Hide Sensitive Notifications on the Lock Screen
The lock screen is the window into your Android phone. Even if it’s locked, people can still see the notifications. The good news is you can hide the content and still see the notification.
Android gives you two options for this. You can choose to hide all “Sensitive Notifications,” which are determined by Android, so there’s not much control. Alternatively, you can turn this on or off for individual apps.
RELATED: How to Hide Sensitive Notifications on Android
Get Reminders for Notifications
What if your goal isn’t to reduce or remove notifications, but to remember them for later? Android allows you to “snooze” notifications—just like emails in Gmail—so you can be reminded of them at a later time.
Snoozing a notification simply hides it for the selected period of time and then delivers it to your phone again. This way, you won’t accidentally remove the notification or forget about it sitting in your status bar.
RELATED: How to Get Reminders for Android Notifications
Block Notifications for Focus Time
When notifications become too much of a distraction, Focus Mode is your best friend. This feature allows you to choose specific apps that you find distracting, then block them temporarily.
Focus Mode is similar to Do Not Disturb, but it’s intended to be used more on demand. Also, Focus Mode only blocks apps, it doesn’t have the ability to block calls or texts from specific people.
RELATED: How to Use Focus Mode on Android
Android notifications are generally pretty good, and all these options are part of why that is. You have a lot of controls at your disposal, so make sure you’re taking advantage of them. Don’t let your phone become a point of constant distraction.
RELATED: What Are Android Notification Channels?
