Notification Center is the list of notifications your iPhone has received and you haven’t cleared yet. To open it, swipe down from the top-left corner of the screen. On the Lock Screen, swipe up from the middle of the screen instead.
These steps cover iPhones running iOS 27, the current version, and the same gestures work in iOS 16 through iOS 26. They follow Apple Support’s Use notifications on your iPhone or iPad and the iPhone User Guide page View and respond to notifications on iPhone.
How to Open Notification Center
- From the Lock Screen: wake your iPhone, put your finger in the middle of the screen below the clock, and swipe up. Older notifications slide into view.
- From the Home Screen or inside an app: swipe down from the top-left corner of the screen. The Notification Center list covers the screen.
- Scroll up through the list to see older notifications.
- To close it, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen, or press the Home button on an iPhone that has one.
Notifications are grouped by app, with the newest on top. On an iPhone with a Home button, you can swipe down from anywhere along the top edge.
Which corner opens what
On iPhones with Face ID, the top edge of the screen is split into zones, so where your finger starts matters:
| Where you swipe down | What opens |
|---|---|
| Top-left corner | Notification Center |
| Top-right corner | Control Center |
| Top center | Notification Center, or the new Siri on iPhones where it’s turned on in iOS 27 |
If a swipe from the top center brings up Siri, start your swipe further to the left. The top-left corner opens Notification Center either way.
If the top of a large screen is hard to reach with one hand, turn on Reachability on iPhone to lower it first, then swipe down from the left side of the lowered screen.
How to Manage Notifications There
Apple lists these actions for Notification Center and the Lock Screen:
- Expand a stack: tap the group. Tap Show Less to collapse it again.
- Open the app: tap the notification. It opens the email, message, or item it’s about.
- Use quick actions: touch and hold the notification to use actions the app offers, such as replying to a message.
- Clear one: swipe left on the notification, then tap Clear (or Clear All on a stack).
- Mute an app: swipe left, tap Options, and choose Mute for 1 Hour or Mute for Today.
- Change that app’s settings: swipe left, tap Options, then View Settings.
- Stop the app’s notifications: swipe left, tap Options, then Turn Off.
Muted notifications go straight to Notification Center without sounds, banners, or lighting up the screen. To clear the whole list, tap the Close button (the X) at the top of Notification Center, then tap Clear. Clearing removes the notification only. The message, email, or missed call stays in its app.
If you keep missing new texts, you can also get repeat text message alerts on iPhone so Messages reminds you every two minutes.
If new alerts keep arriving here without a sound or banner, learn how to fix notifications silenced on iPhone.
Can You See Notifications You Already Cleared?
No. Once you tap Clear or Clear All, the notification is gone. iPhone has no trash folder, archive, or search for cleared notifications.
If a banner disappeared before you read it, it’s usually still in Notification Center, so open it with the gestures above. If you cleared it, open the app that sent it. The text, missed call, or order update is still there.
Change How Notifications Look on the Lock Screen
- Open Settings and tap Notifications.
- Under Display As, tap Count, Stack, or List.
Count shows only a number at the bottom of the Lock Screen, which is handy in public. Stack piles notifications with the newest on top, and List shows each one. You can also pinch the notifications on the Lock Screen to switch layouts.
To hide message text until your iPhone is unlocked, go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews and choose When Unlocked. For more privacy options, read about showing or hiding notifications on the Lock Screen.
Choose Which Apps Appear in Notification Center
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Tap the app under Notification Style.
- Make sure Allow Notifications is on.
- Under Alerts, check Notification Center. Uncheck it if you don’t want that app’s notifications saved there.
On the same screen you can turn Banners, Sounds, and Badges on or off, and choose Notification Grouping (Automatic, By App, or Off). Apple’s Change notification settings page goes through every option. If you’re not sure about the red numbers on app icons, read what badges on iPhone mean.
Get Fewer Interruptions With a Summary
Scheduled Summary collects less urgent notifications and delivers them together at times you pick. Turn it on in Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary, choose the apps, and set the times. On iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, Apple also offers Summarize Notifications and Priority Notifications on the same Notifications screen. Priority notifications appear at the top of the list.
Prevent Notification Center Access While iPhone Is Locked
Open Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode), enter your passcode, and under Allow Access When Locked, turn Notification Center off. Apple’s Lock Screen access page has the details on these controls. To test it, lock the phone, look away so Face ID doesn’t unlock it, and swipe up. This only blocks opening the list while locked. To hide message previews, use Show Previews instead.
Troubleshooting
Swiping up on the Lock Screen does nothing
Lock Screen access to Notification Center is turned off. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode), enter your passcode, and turn on Notification Center under Allow Access When Locked.
Swiping down opens the wrong panel
You started too far right (Control Center) or in the top center with the new Siri turned on. Begin your swipe at the very top-left corner.
Notification Center is empty or a notification never showed up
- Check whether a Focus, such as Do Not Disturb, is on. A Focus can silence notifications as they arrive.
- Open Settings > Notifications > the app and confirm Allow Notifications is on and Notification Center is checked.
- Check Scheduled Summary. The app may be waiting for the next summary.
- Restart your iPhone if notifications stopped for every app.
FAQs
What’s the difference between Notification Center and Control Center?
Notification Center holds your notifications. Control Center holds quick switches like Wi-Fi, Flashlight, and Focus. On iPhones with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner for Control Center.
Can I search my notifications?
No. Notification Center has no search box. Scroll through the list, or search inside the app that sent the notification.
Can I see notifications on the Lock Screen without opening Notification Center?
Yes. Recent notifications appear on the Lock Screen when you wake your iPhone. On iOS 17 and later, you can also see them in StandBy while the iPhone is charging on its side.
Does opening Notification Center mark messages as read?
No. Viewing the list doesn’t change anything in the app. Tapping a notification opens the app, and the app decides whether that counts as read.
Next step: if you’d rather hear your notifications, set up Siri announcing notifications on AirPods.
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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