Control notifications

Use iOS 12’s new options to tame noisy apps in an instant

Notifications can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how many pop up on your device and where they come from. They’re often welcome when letting you know about a message from a friend, but how many times have you installed an app or game and been bombarded with intrusive alerts that seem intent on taking up most of your precious free time?

You’ve been able to quash interruptions in iOS for years. However, until recently that meant digging down into the Settings app. When you’re in the middle of something else, that’s not always convenient. Apple has addressed this in iOS 12 with new controls that enable you to silence, on the spot, any app that’s getting on your nerves.

The Do Not Disturb feature for silencing notifications and calls is smarter in iOS 12. It recognizes when you’re busy, based on events in your calendar, but that you won’t always remember to turn it off afterwards — so it can do that for you. And for uncertain meeting lengths, it’s possible to delay turning off until you leave the location.