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How to turn off Priority Notifications on iPhone

To stop priority ordering, open Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and turn it off. This changes which notifications are promoted, not whether an app can notify you. If your goal is silence, choose the separate app notification or Focus settings below.

Warden editorial3 minute readPublished
Warden: set the limit
In this guide

Turn off prioritization for all apps

Apple’s iOS 27 instructions put the switch in Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications. Turning it off stops this priority treatment. If you only want one app excluded, change that app’s switch in the same list instead of disabling the feature everywhere.

Use the Settings route when the difference matters. A Lock Screen menu can also offer to turn off all notifications from an app, which is a broader change than removing its priority status.

Reference: Apple: Priority Notifications

If the option is missing

Priority Notifications relies on Apple Intelligence. Availability depends on a supported device, language, region and software. Apple’s current guide names Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 models or later; not every feature is available everywhere.

Do not assume a missing switch means Screen Time is broken. If you simply want one app quiet, its ordinary notification settings are the relevant starting point even without an intelligence feature.

Reference: Apple: Priority Notifications

Choose the control that matches the problem

Priority ordering, Summarize Notifications and Scheduled Summary are different choices. The first promotes selected alerts; the second condenses text; the third batches selected deliveries. A scheduled Focus defines a quiet window. Turning off one does not mean you turned off the others.

For no notifications from one app, go to Settings > Notifications, choose the app and turn off Allow Notifications. For work hours only, review the apps and people in your scheduled Focus. Preserve the contacts and alerts you actually need.

Reference: Apple: notification settings

Warden: limits your way

Example: a shopping alert above your messages

Suppose a sale notification keeps appearing prominently, but you still want delivery updates from the store. First remove that app from prioritization. Keep its normal notifications enabled and inspect which notification categories the store itself offers. Make one change at a time so you know what caused the result.

Check the next ordinary store notification and a message from a willing contact. Decide whether the issue was ordering or the number of alerts. If the store still interrupts you, address its notification settings rather than repeatedly changing priority ordering.

If alerts still interrupt a Focus

Priority ordering is not the same as permission to interrupt. In the active Focus, inspect allowed or silenced apps and people, repeated calls, and Time Sensitive Notifications. Supported devices can also have Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing. Test routine alerts and necessary contact separately.

An app remaining openable is another issue again. Warden’s access rules do not switch off Apple’s Priority Notifications or rewrite a Focus. Keep notification tests separate from app-access tests.

How to turn off notifications for certain apps on iPhone

Silence selected iPhone apps on a schedule

Reference: Apple: Focus notification exceptions

Set it up without adding unnecessary rules

Daily limits, schedules and focus sessions

Install Warden and connect Screen Time when iOS asks. Then open Rules and tap the plus button.

Choose the apps or scope involved in this particular interruption. Use an allowance for total use, a schedule for recurring hours, or a session for a one-off task.

Editing a schedule that blocks apps from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM every day
Editing a schedule that blocks apps from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM every day

What Standard, Warden and Lockdown do

Choose Standard when you want to manage the limit yourself. Choose Warden when a person you trust should review early-access requests. Choose Lockdown to keep ordinary early unlocks off until the block ends.

Choose the access mode, then hold the save button to set the rule. Try a short block before using a long one. Emergency access remains separate from ordinary unlock requests.

The block screen with Ask your Warden and Keep app closed buttons
The block screen with Ask your Warden and Keep app closed buttons

How Warden approval works

Choose how many minutes you need, add a note and hold to send. If nobody answers within 30 minutes, the request expires and the app stays locked.

An approval applies to the scope and time shown in the app. A declined or unanswered request does not lift the block. Emergency access remains a separate option on your device.

Warden: request extra time from your Warden
Warden: temporary access after approval

Common questions

Does turning off Priority Notifications silence every app?
No. It changes prioritization. Use Allow Notifications for an app or a scheduled Focus when your aim is fewer interruptions.
Is Priority Notifications the same as Time Sensitive Notifications?
No. Priority ordering and time-sensitive delivery are different controls. Review the relevant app and Focus settings if an alert arrives during a quiet window.
Screen Time

Turn off notifications for certain iPhone apps, or on a schedule

Stop one iPhone app’s alerts in Settings, silence selected apps at certain times with Focus, or keep notifications for later. Compare the controls.

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Silence selected iPhone apps on a schedule

Use a scheduled Focus to silence selected iPhone apps during work or at night. Choose exceptions, test the schedule, and fix alerts that still get through.

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iPhone Focus modes versus app blockers

Use Focus to manage interruptions and app blocking to manage access. They work together, but changing notifications is not the same boundary as a limit.

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