How to disable unnecessary messages on Android: 7 proven methods

Every owner of a Androidsmartphone sooner or later faces a stream of unnecessary messages: these can be advertising SMS from the operator, notifications from little-used applications, system notifications about updates or spam from unknown numbers. According to research Kaspersky for 2023, the average user receives up to 47 unnecessary notifications per day, which is not only distracting, but also reduces phone performance.

The problem is compounded by the fact that many messages arrive indirectly: for example, system alerts low battery or advertising push notifications from installed games may appear even when the Internet is turned off. In this article we will analyze all possible sources of unnecessary messages on Android and show how to disable them once and for all - from standard SMS to hidden notifications from the manufacturer (Samsung Knox, MIUI Optimizations, Huawei Mobile Services).

We will pay special attention hidden notification channels, which many users do not notice: for example, some applications (like Facebook or AliExpress) create up to 10 separate categories of alerts, each of which must be disabled manually. spam numbers at the operator level and why the standard “Black List” in Android often does not work.

1 How to disable SMS spam from operators and banks

Most unnecessary SMS come from mobile operators (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, Tele2) and banks (SberBank, Tinkoff, VTBThese messages are often disguised as “useful information”, but in fact they contain advertisements for tariffs, loans or promotions. You can disable them in several ways:

• 📱 Through the operator’s personal account: go to website or application of your provider (for example, My MTS or MegaFon-Personal Account) and find the “Manage mailings” section. Usually there is an option “Opt out of advertising SMS”.
• 💬 Using the USSD command: send a special code (each operator has its own):
  • MTS: *111*244# → select “Unsubscribe from mailings”
  • Beeline: *110*180# → "Advertising messages" item
  • MegaFon: *105*008# → "Disable advertising"
  • Tele2: *225# → "Service management"
• 📵 Through the "Messages" application: open spam SMS, click on the three dots in the upper corner → "Details" → "Spam and blocking" → "Block number."

⚠️ Attention: some operators (for example, MegaFon) can ignore USSD commands if you have a service package with “mandatory notifications” activated. In this case, you will have to call support or use alternative methods (see the section about third-party applications).

2. Blocking notifications from applications

Applications on Android can send notifications even when you are not using them. For example, Instagram reminds you of new stories, Wildberries discounts, and Google Play about updates. You can disable them globally or selectively.

Method 1: Disable all notifications for the application

1. Go to Settings → Applications.
2. Select the desired application (for example, VK or AliExpress).
3. Click “Notifications” → switch the slider to the “Off” position.

Method 2: Setting up individual notification categories

Many applications (especially social networks) divide notifications into categories. For example, in Facebook you can turn off birthday notifications, but leave messages from friends. To do this:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → [Application name] → Notifications Settings → Applications → [Application name] → Notifications.
2. Tap on a category (for example, "Recommendations" or "Promotions").
3. Disable the slider or set the priority to "Low".

⚠️ Attention: some applications (for example, TikTok or Likee) ignore system settings and continue to send notifications through their own servers. In this case, only completely deleting the application or will help. use blockers (see section 5).

Open Settings → Applications

Select an application with frequent notifications

Check notification categories

Disable unnecessary ones or reduce their priority

Restart the phone to apply the changes-->

3. System notifications: what can be disabled without risk

Android generates dozens of system notifications - from low battery batteries before security updates. Many of them can be safely disabled without disrupting the operation of the phone. Here is a list of the most annoying ones:

• 🔋 Battery notifications (for example, “15% charge”, “Fully charged”) Disabled in Settings → Device care → Battery → Settings → Battery notifications.
• 🔄 Software updates: Settings → Software update → Settings (⚙️) → Auto download → turn off.
• 📶 Change network (Wi-Fi/mobile data): Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi → Advanced → Network notifications → disable.
• 📱 Notifications from Google Play Services: Settings → Applications → Google Play Services → Notifications → disable unnecessary categories (for example, “Device Recommendations”).

Profile: Spam filter
Event: SMS received
Condition: %SMSRB contains "winning"
Task:
1. Delete SMS (Number: %SMSRN)
2. Write to the log (Text: "Deleted spam SMS from %SMSRN")