Customize Notification History & Controls on Pixel

This guide shows you how to take control of your Pixel phone’s notification system, including turning on notification history so you can see alerts you may have accidentally dismissed, pinning important conversations so they stay at the top, and customizing how notifications appear and behave for each app. You’ll need a Pixel phone running a recent version of Android (typically Android 12 or later) and about five minutes to follow along.

What You’ll Need

A Pixel phone (Pixel 3 or newer recommended)
Android 12 or later (most features work on Android 13 and 14 as well)
Your Google account signed in (for some notification sync features)

Step-by-Step

Open Settings. Swipe down from the top of your screen to see the notification shade, then tap the gear icon in the top-right corner. Alternatively, find the Settings app in your app drawer.
Go to Notifications. Scroll down and tap “Notifications.” This is where you’ll manage most notification-related settings.
Turn on Notification History. In the Notifications menu, tap “Notification history.” Toggle on “Use notification history.” You’ll now be able to see notifications you’ve dismissed or swiped away in the past 24 hours. You can also tap “History” at any time to view them.
Adjust Notification Controls. Back in the Notifications menu, you’ll see options like “Notifications on lock screen” and “Notification sound.” Tap “Notifications on lock screen” to choose whether to show all, hide sensitive content, or show none on your lock screen. Use “Notification sound” to change the default alert sound.
Customize App Notifications. Scroll down and tap “App notifications.” You’ll see a list of all your apps. Tap on any app to customize its notification settings. Here you can:
- Turn notifications on or off entirely.
- Choose the alert style: sound, vibration, or pop-up.
- Set importance levels: Urgent (makes sound and appears at top), High (makes sound), Medium (no sound), or Low (no sound, no pop-up).
- Toggle “Show notifications” on or off.
Pin Important Notifications. To keep a notification at the top of your shade, swipe down to see your notifications, then long-press the notification you want to pin. Tap the “Pin” icon (a pushpin) that appears. The notification will stay at the top until you unpin it or it expires.
Use Notification Snoozing. If you want to temporarily silence a notification but not dismiss it, swipe the notification slightly to the left or right, then tap the clock icon (Snooze). Choose a snooze duration (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours). The notification will reappear after that time.
Manage Notification Categories. Some apps have sub-categories (e.g., Messages might have “Conversations” and “Other notifications”). In the app’s notification settings, you can tap “Categories” to adjust each category independently.

Common Mistakes

Not turning on Notification History before dismissing notifications. If you dismiss a notification before enabling history, it won’t be recoverable. Enable history first, then you can retrieve future dismissed notifications.
Setting all apps to “Urgent.” This defeats the purpose of prioritization. Reserve Urgent for truly important apps like messaging or calendar alerts.
Turning off notifications for an app entirely when you just want to reduce noise. Instead, lower the importance level to “Low” or “Medium” to keep the notification but without sound or pop-ups.
Forgetting to check the lock screen setting. If you set “Show all” on lock screen, sensitive content from apps like banking or email may be visible to others.

Tips

Use “Notification history” to catch up on missed alerts. If you accidentally swipe away a message, you can find it in History for up to 24 hours.
Pin a conversation you’re actively chatting in. This keeps it at the top of your notification shade, making it easy to respond quickly.
Set app-specific sounds. In the app’s notification settings, you can change the sound for that app only, so you know what’s important without looking at your phone.
Use “Do Not Disturb” schedules. Go to Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb to set automatic schedules (e.g., during meetings or at night) to silence notifications except from starred contacts or specific apps.
Take advantage of “Notification categories.” For apps like Gmail, you can set different sounds for “Primary” vs. “Promotions” to filter noise.

Troubleshooting

Notification history is grayed out. This is normal if you haven’t enabled it yet. Tap on “Notification history” and toggle it on. If it’s still grayed out, restart your phone and try again.
Notifications still appear after turning them off for an app. Some apps have multiple categories. Go to the app’s notification settings and make sure all categories are toggled off. Also, check if the app has its own in-app notification settings that might override the system.
Pinned notifications disappear after a reboot. This is a known behavior on some Android versions. You’ll need to re-pin them after restarting your phone.
Notification history doesn’t show all notifications. History only stores notifications that are dismissible and not from apps that explicitly mark them as sensitive. Also, notifications that are auto-dismissed by the app may not appear.
Can’t find “Notification history” on older Pixel models. This feature was introduced in Android 11. If you’re on Android 10 or earlier, update your phone to the latest software via Settings > System > System update.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does notification history keep notifications?

Notification history stores notifications for the last 24 hours. After that, they are automatically deleted.

Can I recover a notification I dismissed before enabling history?

No. Notification history only saves notifications that are dismissed after the feature is turned on. If you dismissed it before, it’s gone.

Why do some apps not appear in notification history?

Apps can mark notifications as “sensitive” or “non-dismissible,” which prevents them from being stored in history. Also, notifications that are automatically cleared by the app (like weather updates) may not appear.

How do I stop a specific app from showing notifications on my lock screen?

Go to Settings > Notifications > Notifications on lock screen and select “Hide sensitive content.” Then, in the app’s notification settings, ensure that the notification category is marked as “Sensitive” if available. Alternatively, you can turn off lock screen notifications entirely for that app by setting its importance to “Low” which typically hides them from the lock screen.

Can I customize notification sounds for individual apps?

Yes. Go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications, select the app, then tap “Sound” to choose a specific sound for that app.

What is the difference between “High” and “Urgent” importance?

High importance makes a sound and appears as a pop-up, but doesn’t stay at the top of the shade. Urgent importance makes a sound, appears as a pop-up, and is pinned to the top of the notification shade until you dismiss it.

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