What Does Notifications Silenced Mean?

Have you been wondering what "Notifications Silenced" means? Sometimes, when you text someone via Messages, you might notice that it says the person has notifications silenced. Don't panic! It means exactly what it says: the user has their notifications silenced. It doesn't mean you're blocked. You can usually choose to notify the person anyway. Here's how it works.

What Does It Mean When Someone Has Their Notifications Silenced

If you're wondering, "Why does it say notifications silenced?" it's usually because someone has entered Do Not Disturb or another Focus mode that disables their notifications. It's also possible that the person has silenced notifications just for Messages, or turned off all notifications with the Ring/Silent switch.

People do this for different reasons, especially for work and sleep. Disabling notifications allows people to focus on other things without the notifications on their phones interrupting them. Most notably, seeing the "Notifications Silenced" message does not mean that you are blocked. Once the person switches off DND or whichever Focus they've engaged that silences notifications, you will be able to resume normal communication.

How to Notify a Person Anyway When Notifications Are Silenced

When someone has their notifications silenced, you can usually still notify them anyway with the Notify Anyway feature. However, if they have turned off Messages notifications in Settings, or have turned off the Ring/Silent switch on the side of their phone, the Notify Anyway feature won't be available.

If the Notify Anyway feature is available, think twice before using it. The person who has notifications silenced may not want to be disturbed, or, they may not be able to respond. Here's how to use the Notify Anyway feature.

1. On your iPhone, go ahead and text someone even if their notifications are silenced.
2. Tap the purple text that says Notify Anyway.

Once you do this, the message will do a little animation to emphasize that it has been sent with a notification to the recipient.

How to Resume Notifications on iPhone

What if you're the one who has notifications silenced? If you're wondering, "Why does it say I have notifications silenced," you might also want to know how to turn them back on. Notifications are usually silenced via Focus, especially Do Not Disturb. Follow the steps below to resume notifications on your iPhone.

1. On your iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Press and hold the Focus button.
3. Tap Do Not Disturb or the Focus mode that has been enabled to turn it off.
4. Or, tap another Focus you've created or customized that allows notifications, like Personal.

And that's what notifications silenced means, why it says you have notifications silenced, and how to turn them back on again. Good luck, and happy texting! If your iPhone still shows that notifications are silenced, you might want to try turning your iPhone off and back on again. You can also make sure your iPhone is up to date with the latest iOS to fix any bugs and glitches. If this doesn't work, take your iPhone to the Apple store, or email Apple Support.

Next, find out how to put iPhone on silent, and how to set up DND or other focus modes. Be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day to learn more tips about your iPhone!