- Apple is changing how notifications work in iOS 12.
- You get more control over when your phone alerts you and for what apps.
- Notifications will also be grouped, so you can swipe a bunch away at once.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the 2018 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at the San Jose Convention Center on June 4, 2018 in San Jose, California.
New software that Apple will launch for the iPhone and iPad in the coming months will make managing notifications and alerts much less annoying.
It means that you won't be constantly bombarded with alerts that you have new email or that someone sent you a message on Facebook -- unless you really want those alerts.
The changes will be included in iOS 12, which Apple announced recently. It will be available for iPhones and iPads in the coming months.
Here's a look at what will change.
Instead of having a notification for every alert you've received, they'll be grouped.
If you tap a group you can see individual notifications from a specific app. Here I've expanded every notification from CNBC in Apple News.
If you swipe left across a notification you can clear it, view it, or manage it.
Manage lets you set new rules for specific apps. You can "deliver quietly" which means the notification will appear in the Notification Center but you won't see it on your lock screen, get a sound when it comes in, or receive a banner alert.
You can also turn off notifications from each app entirely. Currently, you need to dig into the settings menu and find a specific app to manage.
Combined, these changes should make it easier to cut back the number of alerts you're getting. Combined with another new iOS 12 feature, Screen Time, it should make it easier to cut down on how often you're picking up the phone, too.