How to turn off Facebook notifications on Android

What does Facebook send notifications about?

Facebook’s help on choosing notifications says you can’t turn notifications off entirely, but you can choose what you’re notified about and how. Push notifications land on your phone when you’re not in the app. In-app ones show as dots and numbers inside Facebook. Typical categories include:

• People and activity. Comments, tags, friend requests, birthdays, and reminders.
• Groups, Pages, and Marketplace. Posts and messages from places you follow or sell in.
• Suggestions. People you may know, videos, and other prompts meant to pull you back in.

Most of these are optional. You can keep the few that matter (say, friend requests) and cut the rest. Chats and calls live in Messenger, which is covered below.

How do you turn off notification categories in the Facebook app?

Start here if you still want some alerts. Per Facebook’s Android settings help and push notification help:

1. Open Facebook and tap Menu (☰) at the top left.
2. Tap Settings & privacy, then Settings.
3. Tap Notifications under Preferences.
4. Tap each category and turn off Push (and Email or SMS if you do not want those either).

There is no master “off” switch inside Facebook. Work through the noisy categories. Settings belong to the account, so if you switch profiles in the app, repeat for each one you use on this phone.

Is Messenger included?

No. Messenger is a separate Meta app. Turning Facebook push off does not stop Messenger message alerts or call rings. To quiet Messenger:

1. Open Messenger, tap your profile picture, then Notifications & sounds (wording varies by version).
2. Or open your phone’s Settings → Notifications → App notifications → Messenger and turn notifications off, or leave only the categories you want.

If a “Facebook” ping is really a chat, check which app name appears when you touch and hold the notification.

How do you turn off Facebook notifications in Android settings?

If you want the Facebook app silent on this phone, use Android’s own controls, per Google’s Android notification help:

1. Open Settings and tap Notifications, then App notifications (on some phones, Apps).
2. Select All apps if needed, and find Facebook.
3. Turn off its notifications, or tap in and turn off only the channels you do not want.

Shortcut: touch and hold a Facebook notification in the shade and jump to its settings. This holds no matter what you leave on inside the app. You can still open Facebook and read the in-app notification list. For the general version for any app, see how to turn off notifications for specific apps.

How do you mute Facebook for a while?

You do not have to go permanent:

• Snooze one notification. Touch and hold it in the shade and snooze if your phone offers that. See how to snooze notifications on Android.
• Do Not Disturb. Quiet hours across every app. See how to turn on Do Not Disturb.
• Focus mode / Digital Wellbeing. Pause Facebook (and other apps you pick) for a stretch. Per Google’s Focus mode help and Digital Wellbeing help, open Digital Wellbeing, add Facebook to Focus mode or set an app timer, and start the pause when you need it. More detail: Focus mode and Digital Wellbeing.

These options pause the noise without deleting Facebook or changing every category by hand.

Which option should you pick?

A good default: keep friend requests and direct mentions, turn off Groups, Marketplace, and suggestions, and use Do Not Disturb at night. If you keep opening Facebook from a ping and lose twenty minutes, turn the app off in Android settings. To keep previews off the lock screen, see how to hide notifications on the lock screen.

What if Facebook notifications keep coming back?

I turned them off, but I still get some

• Check the app name. Touch and hold the notification. Messenger, Instagram, and Threads are separate.
• Check the account. Settings are per Facebook account.
• Check Android. If Facebook is still allowed in App notifications, any Push category you left on still comes through.

I want messages, but not the feed

• Quiet Facebook categories or the Facebook app in Android settings, and leave Messenger (or only its message channel) on.

I cannot find the setting

• Update Facebook from Google Play, then look again under Menu → Settings & privacy → Settings → Notifications. Meta moves menus between versions.

Where ReClaim fits

ReClaim is the Android launcher we build. It does not read or change your notifications, and it does not touch Facebook’s settings, so everything above keeps working as described. What ReClaim changes is what you see when you unlock: a home screen with a clock and the few apps you choose, and a plain alphabetical list of names for everything else. On top of that:

• App reminders. Before Facebook opens, ReClaim asks how long you intend to use it, then nudges you when that time is up.
• Daily and weekly limits. Give Facebook a budget. When it is up, ReClaim can close it.
• Blocking and scheduled blocking. Block an app for a set time, or set recurring windows, like bedtime, when selected apps are not available.
• Hidden apps with friction. Hide an app with four levels of hiding, and put one of 10+ unlock challenges in front of it.

If you want to try it, see how to change the default launcher on Android; switching back is the same setting. If the real problem is the endless feed, see how to stop doomscrolling on Android.

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