To show text messages on your iPhone 11 Lock Screen, open Settings > Notifications > Messages, make sure Allow Notifications is on and Lock Screen is checked under Alerts, then tap Show Previews and choose Always. New texts then appear on the Lock Screen with the sender’s name and the message text, before you unlock the phone.
These steps are written for iOS 27 and also match iOS 26. Apple’s iOS 27 support list includes the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, every newer iPhone, and the iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), so all of them see the same menus. Apple describes these settings in its article on using notifications on iPhone.
Why Message Text Is Hidden on Face ID iPhones
On an iPhone 11 or any other iPhone with Face ID, Show Previews is set to When Unlocked by default. A new text arrives on the Lock Screen as just “Messages” and the sender’s name, and the text only appears once Face ID recognizes you. If someone else picks up the phone, they see that you got a message but not what it says.
That’s why many people think their Lock Screen messages have stopped working. They haven’t. Face ID reveals the preview the moment you look at the phone. If you want the text visible without looking, or you want to see it on a phone sitting on a desk, change the preview setting. On an iPhone SE, which uses Touch ID, When Unlocked shows the text after you unlock with your fingerprint.
Before you choose Always, think about where the phone sits. Anyone who can see the screen can read your texts, including verification codes that banks and other services send by text.
Show Message Previews on the Lock Screen
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Notifications.
- Scroll down to the app list under Notification Style and tap Messages. You can also reach the same screen from Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications.
- Make sure Allow Notifications is turned on. The switch is green when it’s on.
- Under Alerts, make sure Lock Screen has a check mark. You can leave Notification Center and Banners checked too.
- Scroll down to Lock Screen Appearance and tap Show Previews.
- Choose Always. The check mark moves to Always, and the change applies right away.
To confirm it worked, lock the iPhone, turn it face up without looking at it, and have someone send you a text. The notification should now show the message itself, not just the sender. Keep the Messages app closed during the test, because you don’t get a notification for each new message while Messages is open on screen.
This setting only affects Messages. Every other app keeps its own preview setting.
Show Previews for Every App Instead
If you want all apps, including Mail, WhatsApp, and Calendar, to show their content on the Lock Screen, change the main setting.
- Open Settings and tap Notifications.
- Tap Show Previews at the top of the screen.
- Choose Always.
Here’s what each choice does:
- Always: Notification text is visible on the Lock Screen to anyone who can see the screen.
- When Unlocked: You see who the alert is from, and the text appears after Face ID or your passcode unlocks the phone.
- Never: The text stays hidden even after you unlock.
The app-level setting from the previous section overrides this one. For example, you can set all apps to When Unlocked and set only Messages to Always. Some apps, such as WhatsApp, also have a preview switch inside their own settings, so check there if one app still hides its text.
Choose How Messages Look on the Lock Screen
Under Settings > Notifications, the Display As setting controls how alerts pile up at the bottom of the Lock Screen:
- Count shows only the number of waiting notifications. Tap the number to see them.
- Stack groups them into a stack, with the newest on top.
- List shows each notification separately.
If you choose Count, it can look as if your messages aren’t on the Lock Screen at all. Switch to List to see every text at a glance. You can also pinch the notifications on the Lock Screen to switch between these layouts.
To reply without unlocking, touch and hold a Messages notification and type your answer. This needs Reply with Message turned on under Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked.
If Messages Still Don’t Show on the Lock Screen
- A Focus is on. Do Not Disturb, Sleep, and other Focus modes silence notifications and can hide them from the Lock Screen. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and turn off the Focus, or add the people you want to hear from to its allowed list in Settings > Focus. For more detail, read about fixing notifications silenced on iPhone.
- The conversation is muted. A crossed-out bell next to a conversation means Hide Alerts is on. Texts from that person still arrive but don’t create notifications. Open the conversation, tap the name or picture at the top, and turn off Hide Alerts, or swipe left on the conversation and tap the bell. The steps for muting a text conversation cover both directions.
- Unknown senders are screened. In iOS 26 and later, Screen Unknown Senders in Settings > Apps > Messages sorts texts from people who aren’t in your contacts into a separate list. Time-sensitive texts such as verification codes still notify you by default, and in the US you can choose other kinds under Allow Notifications in the same section. To find those texts, read about the Unknown Senders folder in Messages.
- Scheduled Summary holds them. If Messages is part of a Scheduled Summary in Settings > Notifications, alerts wait for the summary time. Remove Messages from the summary.
- You see a summary instead of the text. On iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence (the iPhone 11 does not), Summarize Notifications in Settings > Notifications can show a short summary in place of the message. Turn it off for Messages if you want the full text.
- Alerts go to your Apple Watch. Notifications appear on your iPhone or your Apple Watch, not both. While your iPhone is locked and you wear an unlocked watch, they go to the watch. To change that, adjust your Messages notifications on Apple Watch.
- Older alerts are hidden. On the Lock Screen, swipe up from the middle of the screen to see earlier notifications in Notification Center.
- Notification Center is blocked while locked. If swiping up shows nothing, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, and turn on Notification Center under Allow Access When Locked.
Apple’s guide for when you don’t receive Messages notifications covers the same checks.
Keep Your Messages Private Instead
To go the other way, follow the same steps and choose When Unlocked or Never in Show Previews. To hide Messages from the Lock Screen entirely, uncheck Lock Screen under Alerts. You still get banners while using the phone, and the alerts still collect in Notification Center.
For extra privacy, turn off Reply with Message under Allow Access When Locked so nobody can answer a text from the Lock Screen.
To keep faces out of view inside the app too, you can hide contact pictures next to text messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my iPhone 11 only show “Messages” on the Lock Screen?
Show Previews is set to When Unlocked, which is the default on Face ID iPhones. Look at the phone to reveal the text, or set Show Previews to Always in Settings > Notifications > Messages.
Does showing previews work for iMessage and SMS texts?
Yes. Both blue iMessages and green SMS or RCS texts come through the Messages app, so they follow the same notification settings.
Can I see messages in StandBy?
Yes. On iOS 17 and later, notifications appear in StandBy mode while the iPhone is charging on its side. Your preview setting still controls whether the text is shown.
Can I show previews only for certain people?
Not directly. Show Previews applies to the whole Messages app. You can use a Focus to let only certain people’s notifications through, or mute conversations you don’t want to see.
Is there an iPad version of these steps?
Yes, iPad uses the same Notifications settings. Follow the steps for showing text messages on the iPad Lock Screen.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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