How to Disable Notifications on Android 15

Let’s face it: notifications have become the biggest enemy of focus. Your phone rings, vibrates, flashes… and suddenly you can’t remember what you were about to do. If you have Android 15 and want to take back control, you are in the right place. I’m going to explain exactly how to disable notifications on Android 15 in every possible way, from silencing a single app to shutting everything off at once.

Table of contents

How to disable notifications on Android 15 for a specific app

This is, by far, the most useful option. You don’t want to live in total silence, you just want a certain app to stop bothering you. Well, Android 15 makes it quite easy.

Steps:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon).
2. Go to Notifications -> App notifications.
3. Find the app you want to silence (you can use the search bar at the top).
4. Tap on it and toggle off the switch that says Allow notifications.

And that’s it. Simple as that. The app will continue to work normally, but it will stop interrupting you.

That said, if you don’t want to disable them completely but just want to mute the sound, on that same screen you can select the specific notification channel (for example, “Mentions” or “Direct messages”) and adjust the behavior separately. It’s a feature that many people don’t use and it makes a huge difference.

The shortcut right from the notification

Spoiler: you don’t even have to go to Settings. When you get a notification you are already tired of, long-press that notification in the drop-down panel. Two options will appear: disable it directly or go to that app’s settings. 90% of the time, this is all you need.

How to disable all notifications on Android 15

Heads up: this option silences practically everything. Ideal for when you need to really concentrate, sleep, or simply disconnect.

Steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Notifications.
3. At the top, you will see a summary of the number of apps with active notifications. Below you will find Mute all notifications or a similar option depending on the manufacturer.
4. Turn it on.

Here comes the important part: if your phone is a Samsung, Xiaomi, or OnePlus, the menu might be named differently or be in a different section within Notifications. The base system of Android 15 is the same, but each manufacturer reorganizes the menus to their liking. If you don’t find exactly that name, look for “Mute,” “Do Not Disturb,” or “Block notifications” inside Settings.

Do Not Disturb on Android 15: the smartest choice

In my experience, Do Not Disturb (or DND) is better than completely disabling notifications. Why? Because you can set up exceptions. This way you don’t miss a call from your mom or an important alarm while blocking the rest.

How to turn it on:

1. Swipe down the notification panel from the top.
2. Look for the Do Not Disturb icon (usually a moon or a circle with a dash).
3. Tap to activate it.

Or if you prefer to configure it thoroughly:

1. Go to Settings -> Notifications -> Do Not Disturb.
2. Here you can define:
   • People: who you let through (favorite contacts, everyone, no one).
   • Apps: which applications can interrupt you.
   • Alarms: whether you want them to keep ringing or not.
   • Automatic schedules: so it activates only while you sleep, for example.

That said, Do Not Disturb has a behavior that confuses many people at first: notifications don’t disappear, they just don’t make noise or turn on the screen. When you turn off the mode, you will see them all accumulated. Not gonna lie, this can be a bit confusing at first, but in two days you get used to it.

Differences between mute, disable, and Do Not Disturb

How to disable notifications on Android 15 according to the manufacturer

This is where things get a bit complicated. Option B is better for the majority, full stop: use the standard Android menu. But if your phone is from one of these manufacturers, take note:

• Samsung (One UI 7): Settings -> Notifications -> Advanced settings. Here you also have the option to group notifications by app.
• Xiaomi / Redmi (MIUI 14 or HyperOS): Settings -> Notifications and status bar. More customization options but the exact same result.
• OnePlus (OxygenOS 15): Settings -> Notifications. Very similar to stock Android, few changes.
• Google Pixel: It is pure Android, so the steps exactly match what I described above.

The weird part is that they all have the same foundation but the menu design changes quite a bit. If you get lost, the foolproof trick is to open Settings and use the internal search engine: explicitly type “notifications” and it will take you right there.

Notification categories in Android 15: granular control

Android 15 has significantly improved the notification category system. Now each app can have multiple notification channels with different behaviors, giving you very fine control without having to silence the entire app.

Practical example with WhatsApp:

• Messages: Sound + vibration (you want to know when someone writes you).
• Calls: Loud sound + screen wake.
• Muted groups: No sound, just badge on the icon.
• Status updates: No notification (you don’t care who posted a story).

To adjust these categories, go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications > [App] > Notification channels. Each channel will appear with its name and you can adjust sound, vibration, priority, and visibility separately.

This is especially useful in apps like Instagram or Facebook, where notifications like “so-and-so posted a story” are much less important than a direct message.

Pro-tip: Spend 15 minutes on a weekend reviewing notification channels for your most-used apps. It’s a time investment that pays back every day with fewer interruptions and more focus.

Notification history: never miss anything important

A little-known feature of Android 15 is notification history. If you’ve ever accidentally swiped away a notification and then couldn’t remember what it was, this feature is for you.

How to enable it:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
2. Look for Notification history.
3. Toggle it on.

Once enabled, Android saves notifications from the last 24 hours. You can view them all from Settings > Notifications > History. It’s useful when:

• You accidentally swipe away a notification and want to recover it.
• You want to review which apps notified you during the day.
• You need to check if you saw an important message.

If your phone doesn’t have this feature natively (some manufacturers remove it), you can install the free Notification History Log app from the Play Store, which does the same thing with more detail.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I disable notifications only during certain hours?

Yes. Use the Do Not Disturb feature with scheduled times. Go to Settings -> Notifications -> Do Not Disturb -> Add schedule. You can create rules so it activates automatically at night, in meetings, or when you are at home.

If I disable WhatsApp notifications, will I stop receiving messages?

No, don’t worry. Messages still arrive in the app, they just won’t notify you in real time. When you open WhatsApp, you will see them all. Disabling notifications does not affect receiving messages.

Is there a way to disable notifications only when the phone is face down?

Android 15 does not include this feature natively, but some manufacturers like Samsung do offer it in their gesture settings. Look for it in Settings -> Advanced features -> Motions and gestures.

Notifications turn themselves back on after a while, why?

This can happen if you have the adaptive notifications channel enabled, which in Android 15 can revive notifications that the system considers important. To avoid this, go into the settings of the app in question and also disable the “Notification suggestions” or “Adaptive notifications” option.

Conclusion

Disabling notifications on Android 15 shouldn’t be an odyssey, and now you know exactly where to look. My recommendation: start by muting app by app instead of shutting everything down at once; this way you keep the alerts that truly matter and eliminate the background noise. If you need total focus occasionally, Do Not Disturb is your best ally.

Do you have a specific manufacturer and can’t find the option? Leave a comment specifying the model and I will help you find it.