Published: October 15th, 2026 at 08:00 UTC+02:00


How do I change notification settings for one app?

Daniel van Dorp

Reading time: 7 minutes

TL;DR

  • Samsung phones let you manage notifications for each app separately, so you can silence one app without changing others.
  • Go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications, or long-press a notification, to turn off or customize that app's alerts.
  • If alerts still appear, check for multiple notification categories or a recent app update, and use Do Not Disturb for broader control.

Yes, you can absolutely change notification settings for just one app on your Samsung phone, without affecting any other apps. Samsung's Android notification system lets you control each app individually, so you can silence one noisy app while keeping all your other alerts exactly as they are. Below, we walk through the most common questions people have about managing notifications for a single app.

Can you change notifications for just one app on Samsung?

Yes, Samsung phones let you control notifications on a per-app basis. You can go into your phone's settings and adjust notifications for any single app without touching the settings for anything else. This works on all modern Samsung Galaxy smartphones running Android with One UI, which covers the vast majority of devices in use today.

To get there, open the Settings app on your Samsung phone, then tap Notifications. From there, tap App notifications and you will see a full list of every app installed on your device. Tap any app in the list to open its individual notification settings. Alternatively, you can press and hold a notification when it appears on your screen and tap the settings icon that appears, which takes you directly to that app's notification options.

This per-app control is one of the most useful features of Android notifications on Samsung devices, because it means you are always in charge of what gets your attention and what does not.

How do you turn off notifications for one app on a Samsung phone?

To turn off notifications for a single app on a Samsung phone, go to Settings, tap Notifications, then App notifications, and find the app you want to silence. Tap the app name and toggle off the main switch at the top of the screen. This completely stops that app from sending you any alerts.

There is also a quicker method if you have already received a notification from the app. Pull down your notification shade, find a notification from that app, and press and hold it. A small menu will appear with an option to turn off notifications for that app entirely. This shortcut saves you from having to dig through settings manually.

If you use your phone for work or family life and certain apps are constantly interrupting you, turning them off individually this way is far more practical than switching your whole phone to silent mode.

What notification options can you change for a single app?

For most apps, Samsung gives you several individual notification options beyond simply turning them on or off. Inside an app's notification settings, you can typically control the alert sound, whether the screen lights up, whether the notification shows on your lock screen, and whether it makes your phone vibrate.

Many apps also use notification categories, sometimes called channels. For example, a shopping app might have separate categories for order updates, promotional offers, and delivery alerts. You can switch each category on or off independently, so you only receive the notifications that are actually useful to you.

Here is a summary of the options you will commonly find:

  • Allow notifications: the main on/off toggle for the entire app
  • Notification categories: individual toggles for different types of alerts within the app
  • Sound: choose a specific alert tone or set it to silent
  • Vibration: turn vibration on or off for that app's alerts
  • Lock screen: control whether notifications from this app appear when your phone is locked
  • Pop-up notifications: decide if alerts appear as banners across the top of your screen

Not every app offers all of these options. The choices available depend on how the app itself is built, but Samsung's One UI exposes as many controls as the app allows.

Why are notifications from one app still showing after turning them off?

If notifications from an app keep appearing after you have turned them off in Settings, the most likely reason is that the app has more than one notification category, and you only disabled one of them rather than the main toggle. Check the app's notification settings again and make sure the top-level switch is off, not just an individual category.

A few other reasons this can happen:

  • The app was updated: some app updates reset notification permissions back to their defaults. After a major update, it is worth checking the settings again.
  • The app uses multiple channels: as mentioned above, disabling one channel does not disable others. Scroll through all the listed categories and turn off each one, or use the main toggle to disable them all at once.
  • System notifications: some alerts come from Android itself rather than the app, such as battery warnings or software update reminders. These are managed separately under Settings and cannot be turned off through the app's own notification page.
  • The app bypasses standard notifications: a small number of apps, particularly alarm or calendar apps, use system-level alerts that are not affected by the standard notification toggle.

If you have checked everything and notifications are still coming through, try restarting your phone after making the changes, as settings occasionally need a fresh start to take effect.

Should you silence or fully disable notifications for an app?

Whether you should silence or fully disable notifications depends on whether you ever want to hear from that app at all. Silencing keeps notifications active but removes the sound and vibration, so they appear quietly in your notification shade. Fully disabling means the app cannot send you any alerts whatsoever, and you will only see updates if you open the app yourself.

A good rule of thumb is to silence an app when the information it sends is still useful but does not need to interrupt you, such as social media likes or newsletter emails. Fully disable notifications when an app sends alerts you genuinely never want to see, such as promotional offers from a store app you rarely use.

For apps that are important but only at certain times of day, Samsung's Do Not Disturb mode is another option worth exploring. You can schedule it to silence all non-urgent notifications during specific hours, such as overnight, while still allowing calls from important contacts to come through. This way, you do not have to individually manage every app, and you can still receive the alerts that matter most when you need them.

How SamMobile helps with Samsung notification settings

Managing Android notifications on a Samsung phone can feel confusing, especially when settings menus look different depending on which Galaxy model you own or which version of One UI is installed. That is exactly where we come in. At SamMobile, we cover Samsung devices in plain, accessible language so that everyday users can get the most out of their phone without needing a technical background.

  • We publish practical how-to guides for common Samsung settings questions, written for real users rather than tech experts
  • We keep our content up to date as One UI evolves, so the steps you follow actually match what you see on your screen
  • We cover the full range of Samsung Galaxy devices, from flagship models to budget options, so you can find advice that applies to your specific phone
  • Our latest Samsung news keeps you informed about software updates that may affect how your notifications work

If you have a question about your Samsung device that you cannot find a clear answer to, visit SamMobile or get in touch with us directly. We are here to help you get straightforward answers without the technical jargon.