The common advice is to disable all phone notifications. I tried it. It’s not quite right.
Apps That Actually Need Notifications
Some apps genuinely require notification access to function properly:
- Banking apps for balance updates and payment confirmations
- Calendar reminders for scheduled events
- Two-factor authentication for login security
- Delivery services for order tracking
Blanket notification blocking breaks these.
My Approach
For messaging, I have 8 social media apps on my phone with usage capped at 5–15 minutes daily. I’ve restricted notifications to one primary communication channel (Facebook Messenger) and limited the senders to roughly 10 contacts.
For games, I disable about 90% of notifications. The remaining 10% are for things I’d actually act on.
How to Create a Silent Notification Sound on Android
If you want certain apps to “notify” without making noise:
- Download or create a silent audio file
- Place it in the device’s Notifications folder using a file manager
- Select this file as the notification sound in the app’s settings
Now the app can badge your icon and add to the notification shade without interrupting you.
The Philosophy
“I don’t want to be a slave to my phone.”
But I also don’t want to miss a 2FA code or a calendar reminder because I went nuclear on notifications. The answer is discipline and selectivity, not a blanket ban.