How to Turn on Push Notifications on an iPhone or iPad

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Allow notifications for apps and emergency alerts

Co-authored by Bryzz Tortello and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: November 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Enabling Push Notifications for Apps

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Enabling Government and Emergency Notifications

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Tips

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, which includes tips from Phone Repair Specialist Bryzz Tortello, 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.

Enabling Alerts on iOS

Open the Settings app and tap “Notifications.”
Tap an app and press the “Allow Notifications” switch.
Select the types of alerts you want to receive for the app.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Enabling Push Notifications for Apps

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According to phone repair expert Bryzz Tortello, you can easily enable notifications from the Settings app. You'll find this gray gear icon on your Home screen, in your App Library, or by searching.
This option has a red icon with a white bell. Depending on your version of iOS, you'll see it in the second or third group of settings.

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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 Show 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.
- You can also adjust the preview settings for individual apps by scrolling down and selecting the app, then scrolling down to the Lock Screen Appearance header and tapping Show Previews.
Once you’ve adjusted your preview settings, tap Back at the top left corner of the screen to return to the main Notifications menu. Scroll down to find a list of apps. Each app on your iPhone has its own push notification settings.
According to Tortello, as long as this switch is enabled, you'll receive push notifications for this app.
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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).
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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.
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.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Enabling Government and Emergency Notifications

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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.^{[4]
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- Some regions do not allow you to disable government alerts.
This option has a red icon with a white bell. You'll see it in the second group of settings.^{[5]
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The last section of the Notifications panel is the "Government Alerts" section.^{[6]
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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 Alerts on if you want to be notified of missing children.
- You can also toggle on Test Alerts if you want to get notifications for government alert tests.
You'll find additional options in this section.
This option allows you to enable or disable emergency alerts from government leaders, state, and local authorities.^{[7]
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This will allow Apple to deliver more timely and accurate alerts based on your location.
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.

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Tips

If you're not receiving notifications, make sure you haven't enabled a Focus Mode. Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right of the screen (or swiping up from the bottom), and then tap the moon icon to disable the current Focus Mode.

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Some apps have additional push notification settings within the app itself. For example, there are many ways to customize your Twitter/X notification in the Twitter/X app that you won't be able to manage in your iPhone or iPad's Settings app.

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Depending on your Focus Mode preferences, you may not receive notifications while you're in Sleep, Driving, or other Focus Modes.

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