How to Turn Off Deliver Quietly on iPhone: A Comprehensive Guide
In the ever-connected world we live in, notifications are a constant companion. While they keep us informed, they can also become overwhelming and disruptive. Apple introduced the “Deliver Quietly” feature to help users manage notification clutter, allowing them to send less important notifications directly to the Notification Center without causing an immediate alert. However, sometimes you might want to revert these settings and ensure that all notifications from specific apps or contacts are delivered prominently. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of turning off “Deliver Quietly” on your iPhone, covering various scenarios and providing detailed, step-by-step instructions.
## Understanding “Deliver Quietly”
Before diving into the instructions, let’s briefly understand what “Deliver Quietly” does and why you might want to turn it off.
* **What it Does:** When enabled, “Deliver Quietly” sends notifications directly to your Notification Center without displaying them on your Lock Screen or playing a sound. This prevents interruptions and reduces distractions.
* **Why Turn it Off:** While helpful for less critical notifications, you might want to disable “Deliver Quietly” for important apps or contacts to ensure you don’t miss urgent messages, time-sensitive updates, or critical alerts. For example, you likely want notifications from your family members, banking apps, or emergency services to be delivered immediately.
## Turning Off Deliver Quietly: General Method
The most straightforward method to disable “Deliver Quietly” is through the Notification Center. Here’s how:
1. **Access the Notification Center:**
* On iPhones with Face ID: Swipe down from the top-left corner of your screen.
* On iPhones with a Home button: Swipe down from the top edge of your screen.
2. **Locate the Notification:** Find a notification from the app or contact for which you want to disable “Deliver Quietly.” If you’ve cleared your notifications, you’ll need to wait for a new notification from that source to appear.
3. **Access Notification Options:**
* **Long Press (Haptic Touch):** Press and hold the notification (a slightly longer press than a simple tap). On older iPhones without Haptic Touch, a simple long press will suffice.
* **Swipe Left:** Alternatively, swipe left on the notification. This will reveal options.
4. **Tap “Deliver Prominently”:** From the options that appear, tap “Deliver Prominently.” This will immediately disable “Deliver Quietly” for future notifications from that specific app or contact.
5. **Confirm the Change:** You should now receive regular notifications (banners, sounds, and badges) from that app or contact.
## Turning Off Deliver Quietly: From Notification Settings
Another method to disable “Deliver Quietly” involves navigating through your iPhone’s Notification settings. This method is particularly useful if you want to change the settings for multiple apps at once.
1. **Open the Settings App:** Locate and tap the “Settings” app icon on your Home Screen.
2. **Tap “Notifications”:** Scroll down and tap on “Notifications.”
3. **Select the App:** In the list of apps, find and tap the app for which you want to disable “Deliver Quietly.”
4. **Check the “Deliver Quietly” Setting (if applicable):**
* If “Deliver Quietly” is enabled for this app, you will typically see it mentioned within the app’s notification settings screen. The exact location and wording might vary slightly depending on the iOS version.
* If you don’t see an explicit “Deliver Quietly” toggle here, it means that the app’s overall notification settings are likely set to “Deliver Prominently,” and the “Deliver Quietly” setting was likely applied directly to specific conversation threads or groups within the app (see the next section for instructions on handling those scenarios).
5. **Modify Notification Options:**
* **If an explicit “Deliver Quietly” toggle is present:** Disable the toggle. Ensure that the “Allow Notifications” toggle is enabled (green). Also, configure the desired alert style (Banners, Lock Screen, Notification Center) and sound settings.
* **If no explicit “Deliver Quietly” toggle is present (but you still want to ensure prominent delivery):** Confirm that “Allow Notifications” is enabled. Review and adjust the Banners style (choose “Persistent” if you want banners to remain on screen until dismissed), Lock Screen settings, and Notification Center settings to ensure they meet your needs.
6. **Repeat for Other Apps:** Repeat steps 3-5 for any other apps for which you want to disable “Deliver Quietly.”
## Turning Off Deliver Quietly: For Messages (iMessage and SMS)
For the Messages app, “Deliver Quietly” can be applied to individual conversations or group chats. This means you might be receiving prominent notifications from some contacts but silent notifications from others. Here’s how to manage “Deliver Quietly” within the Messages app:
1. **Open the Messages App:** Locate and tap the “Messages” app icon on your Home Screen.
2. **Select the Conversation:** Open the specific conversation (individual or group) for which you want to disable “Deliver Quietly.”
3. **Tap the Contact’s Name or Group Name:** At the top of the conversation, tap on the contact’s name (for individual chats) or the group name (for group chats).
4. **Tap “Info”:** In the menu that appears, tap “Info” (or the “i” icon).
5. **Locate “Hide Alerts”:** Scroll down and look for the “Hide Alerts” toggle. This is essentially the same as “Deliver Quietly” but specific to the Messages app.
6. **Disable “Hide Alerts”:** If the “Hide Alerts” toggle is enabled (green), tap it to disable it (grey). This will ensure that you receive regular notifications (banners, sounds) for new messages in that conversation.
7. **Repeat for Other Conversations:** Repeat steps 2-6 for any other conversations for which you want to disable “Hide Alerts” (Deliver Quietly).
## Troubleshooting: If Notifications Still Arrive Quietly
Even after following the above steps, you might still encounter situations where notifications continue to arrive quietly. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
* **Double-Check Notification Settings:** Verify that “Allow Notifications” is enabled for the app in Settings > Notifications. Also, check the alert style (Banners, Lock Screen, Notification Center) and sound settings.
* **Focus Mode:** Ensure that Focus mode (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, etc.) is not active or that the app in question is allowed within the active Focus mode. Go to Settings > Focus and review the settings for each Focus mode.
* **Scheduled Summary:** Apple offers a “Scheduled Summary” feature that can deliver a collection of less urgent notifications at specific times. Check if the app’s notifications are included in a Scheduled Summary. To check and modify this, go to Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary.
* **App-Specific Settings:** Some apps have their own internal notification settings that can override the system-level settings. Open the app and look for a “Notifications” section in its settings menu.
* **Bluetooth Device Interference:** Sometimes, connected Bluetooth devices (like smartwatches or headphones) can influence how notifications are delivered. Disconnect any Bluetooth devices and see if the issue persists.
* **Restart Your iPhone:** A simple restart can often resolve temporary glitches. Turn off your iPhone, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
* **Update iOS:** Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS. Software updates often include bug fixes that can address notification issues. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for updates.
* **Reset Notification Settings:** As a last resort, you can try resetting all notification settings. This will revert all notification settings to their default values. Be aware that you will need to reconfigure your notification preferences after doing this. To reset notification settings, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. While this option mentions Location & Privacy, it also resets notification settings.
## Preventing “Deliver Quietly” from Being Re-Enabled
To prevent “Deliver Quietly” from being accidentally re-enabled in the future, consider the following:
* **Be Mindful of Notification Prompts:** Pay attention to prompts that appear when you receive a notification. Avoid accidentally tapping options that might enable “Deliver Quietly.”
* **Customize Notification Styles:** Customize the notification styles (banners, sounds) for important apps to make them easily distinguishable and less likely to be ignored.
* **Regularly Review Notification Settings:** Periodically review your notification settings for important apps to ensure they are configured to your preferences.
## Conclusion
Managing notifications effectively is crucial for maintaining focus and productivity in today’s digital world. By understanding how to turn off “Deliver Quietly” on your iPhone, you can ensure that you receive timely and prominent notifications from the apps and contacts that matter most. By following the detailed steps and troubleshooting tips outlined in this guide, you can customize your notification experience to suit your individual needs and preferences.
Remember to regularly review your notification settings and adjust them as needed to maintain a balanced and productive digital life.