How to make notifications on Android similar to iPhone: 7 working methods

Notifications on iPhone have long become the standard of convenience: neat groupings, uniform design, intuitive gestures. Owners of Androidsmartphones often envy such laconicism - especially when their screen is littered with motley banners from each application. The good news: from 2022 Google is actively adopting the best features of Apple, and third-party developers offer even more flexibility.

In this article - 7 proven methods bring notifications closer to Android k iOS-standards: from hidden system settings to specialized applications. We will look at:

• 🔹 How to enable grouping of notifications by application (as in iPhone)
• 🔹 Why notification channels in Android is both a plus and a minus
• 🔹 Top 3 applications for complete imitation of iOS style (including animations)
• 🔹 How to remove intrusive banners from system applications (Google Play, Chrome, etc.)

All methods have been tested on Android 12–15 (including One UI, MIUI, ColorOS). If you have an old version, update the firmware to at least Android 10, otherwise some of the functions will be unavailable. data-i="60">1. Grouping notifications by application (as in iOS) update the firmware to at least Android 10, otherwise some functions will not be available.

1. Grouping notifications by application (as in iOS)

The main difference iPhone from Android is that notifications are automatically collected in stacks by application. On Android this function exists, but is often disabled by default. Here's how to activate it:

Open Settings → Notifications → Advanced → Grouping notifications and select:

• 📌 Automatic —the system will decide which notifications to group (recommended)
• 📌 By application —all alerts from one application will be in one stack (as in iOS)
• 📌 Disabled —notifications will be displayed separately (not recommended)

On Samsung One UI the path is different: Settings → Notifications → Advanced settings → Grouping notifications. Here you can also enable the option "Show application icons" - this will add icons to the left of notifications, as in iPhone.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (for example MIUI 14 and below) grouping is unstable. If notifications are not combined, check the settings of a specific application in the section Notifications → Channels.

2. Setting up notification channels: why it is more important than it seems

There is a unique feature - Android there is a unique feature - notification channels. Unlike iOS, where all alerts from the application are managed centrally, here you can configure each type of notification separately. For example, for Telegram you can:

• 🔔 Turn off the sound for channel "Messages", but leave it for "Calls"
• 🔔 Remove vibration for channel "Mentions", but save for "Replies to messages"
• 🔔 Full disable channel"Recommendations" (which often spams)

How to set this up:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Channels notifications.
2. Select an application (for example, WhatsApp).
3. Disable unnecessary channels or change their priority (for example, set "Low" for advertising notifications).

This allows you to notifications as clean as on iPhone, but with more flexibility. For example, you can leave only important alerts (calls, messages from loved ones) and remove all garbage.

Notification type	Recommended channel in Android	Analog in iOS
Messages from people	Channel "Messages" (high priority)	Notifications from contacts
System alerts	Update channel (medium priority)	System alerts
Advertising/promotion	Recommendations channel (disable)	No analogue (in iOS there is almost no advertising in notifications)
Calls	Channel "Incoming calls" (maximum priority)	Call notifications

3. Applications for complete imitation. iOS notifications

If standard settings are not enough, use third-party applications. They will not only change the appearance of notifications, but also add features characteristic of iOS : animations, swipes, application icons on the left.

Top 3 proven solutions:

📱 iNoty OS (free, with purchases)

• ✅ Complete imitation iOS 16/17: stacks of notifications, animations, application icons
• ✅ Works on Android 8+ (but required for full functionality Android 12+)
• ✅ Support dark theme and color customization
• ❌ Requires permission overlay (may conflict with some banking applications)

📱 Notification History Log (for notification logs)

• ✅ Saves history of all notifications (as in iOS)
• ✅ Allows you to restore deleted notifications
• ✅ Works without root
• ❌ Does not change appearance, only functionality

📱 Noto – Notification Styler (paid, $2.99)

• ✅ Most exact imitation of iOS (including swipes and gestures)
• ✅ Support dynamic islands (as on iPhone 14 Pro)
• ✅ Minimum battery consumption
• ❌ No free version

Is the "Overlay" permission enabled in Settings → Accessibility|

Are battery optimizations disabled for the application|

Is the firmware updated to the latest version|

Has a backup of the current notification settings been made? data-i="166">conflict with banking apps

⚠️ Attention: Applications for customizing notifications may conflict with banking apps (Sberbank, Tinkoff, etc.). If after installation you stop receiving SMS or push notifications, temporarily disable the overlay.

4. How to remove system notifications (Google Play, Chrome, Gmail)

One of the main problems Android — intrusive system notifications and other services They cannot be disabled by standard means, but there are workarounds. way. Google Play, Chrome, Gmail and other services. They cannot be disabled using standard means, but there are workarounds.

Method 1: Disable via ADB (for experienced users)

1. Install ADB to the computer and connect the phone via USB (with USB debugging enabled USB debugging).
2. Run the command:

   adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.vending

   (this will disable updates Google Playbut will not remove it completely).

3. For other applications, replace com.android.vending with their package names (for example, com.android.chrome for Chrome).

Method 2: Using Shizuku + AppOps (without root)

• Install Shizuku and AppOps from Google Play.
• In AppOps find the desired application (for example, Google Play Services) and disable permission "Show notifications".
• Restart your phone.

What happens if you disable notifications from Google Play?

Without notifications, you will not see application updates, promotions and recommendations. However, auto-update of applications will continue to work (if it is enabled in the settings).

Method 3: Hide via "Do not disturb"

If you do not want to delete notifications completely, you can hide them in the mode Do not disturb:

1. Open Settings → Sound and vibration → Do not disturb.
2. Select "Settings" → "Hidden notifications".
3. Add unnecessary applications to the list (for example, Google Play Books or Google Podcasts).

5. Gestures and animations like on iPhone

In iOS notifications support intuitive gestures: swipe left to delete, swipe right for actions. On Android it works differently, but you can configure it:

How to enable swipes for notifications:

1. Open Settings → System → Gestures (on some firmware the path may differ).
2. Find section "Notifications" or "Notification panel".
3. Enable the options:
   • 👉 "Swipe left to delete"
   • 👉 "Swipe right for actions" (if available)

On Samsung One UI you can additionally enable "Animation when opening" (analogous to the smooth appearance of notifications in iOS):

1. Go to Settings → Features → Advanced.
2. Enable "Smooth animations".

For complete simulation iOS-gestures app Fluid Navigation Gestures (requires Android 10+). It adds:

• 🔘 Swipe down to open the notification panel (like on iPhone)
• 🔘 Swipe up to return to the main page screen
• 🔘 Vibration response when interacting

6. Application icons in notifications (as in iOS)

In iOS an application icon is displayed to the left of each notification - this helps you quickly navigate. data-i="244">this feature can be enabled in two ways: Android This feature can be enabled in two ways:

Method 1: Through system settings

1. Open Settings → Notifications → Advanced.
2. Find the option "Show application icons" and turn it on.
3. If there is no option, try method 2.

Method 2: Using the application Niagara Launcher

• 📌 Install Niagara Launcher from Google Play.
• 📌 In the launcher settings, enable "iOS notification style".
• 📌 Select the option "Icons on the left".

On Samsung One UI icons are turned on like this:

1. Settings → Notifications → Advanced settings.
2. Enable "Icons applications" and "Colored icons".

💡

Application icons in notifications not only improve visual perception, but also speed up navigation. According to user experiments, the time to search for the desired notification is reduced by 30–40%.

7. Problems and solutions: why notifications do not work as they should

Even after all the settings, notifications may behave incorrectly. Let's look at the problems and their solutions:

Problem	Possible reason	Solution
Notifications are not grouped	Disabled grouping in settings	Enable Settings → Notifications → Grouping
No application icons	Firmware does not support this function	Use Niagara Launcher or update Android
Notifications disappear after reboot	Notification history is disabled	Enable in Settings → Notifications → Notification history
Swipes do not work	Conflict with another gesture application	Disable other launchers or navigation applications
Notifications from banking applications do not arrive	Conflict with applications for customization	Disable overlay for iNoty OS or similar apps

If none of the methods helped, check:

• 🔋 Battery optimization: some applications (for example, Telegram) stop sending notifications if optimization is enabled for them. Disable it in Settings → Applications → [Select an application] → Battery.
• 🔋 Permissions: make sure the application has access to notifications (Settings → Applications → Permissions).
• 🔋 Background activity: on Xiaomi and some other firmware you need to manually allow the application to run in the background.

⚠️ Attention: On Android 14+ Google has tightened the rules for notifications. Now applications must request separate permission to send alerts. If after the update, notifications stop coming, check the permissions in Settings → Notifications → Application permissions.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to make notifications on Android completely identical iOS?

100% repeat iOS It will not work due to architectural differences between systems. However, with the help of applications like iNoty OS or Noto can be achieved 90% similarities (appearance, grouping, gestures). The main difference is that Android notifications are more flexible in configuration.

Why did notifications begin to lag or slow down after setting up?

This is a typical problem when using applications for customization (especially iNoty OS or Fluid Navigation). Solutions:

1. Disable animations in the application settings.
2. Add the application to battery optimization exceptions.
3. If the lags remain, try an alternative (for example, Noto instead iNoty).

Is it possible to return standard notifications if you don’t like it?

Yes, all changes are reversible:

• If used system settings —just return them to their original state.
• If installed third-party applications —delete them and reboot the phone.
• If changed something via ADB —run the command:

  adb shell pm install-existing com.android.vending

  (to restore Google Play).

Will these settings work on Android Go or weak smartphones?

On Android Go and devices with less than 2 GB of RAM some applications (for example, iNoty OS) may be unstable or not launch at all. Recommendations:

• Use only standard settings (grouping, icons).
• Refuse animations - they heavily load weak processors.
• Try it Notification History Log —it is easier than the alternatives.

How to make notifications not reset after a reboot?

B Android by default, notifications are cleared on reboot. To avoid this:

1. Enable notification history:

   Settings → Notifications → Notification history

2. Use the application Notification History Log —it saves all notifications in the database.
3. On some firmware (for example, ColorOS) there is an option "Save notifications after reboot" —enable it.