How to stop Chrome notifications on Android

Where do Chrome notifications come from?

Most of the notifications that show up “from Chrome” are really from websites. News sites, shops, recipe blogs, and video sites ask to send you notifications, and at some point you tapped Allow. Chrome keeps that permission until you take it back, so the site can keep pinging you long after you stopped visiting.

Google’s Chrome notification help says Chrome alerts you by default whenever a site wants to send notifications, and that you can change this at any time. A few other things are worth knowing:

• Chrome blocks some abusive sites for you. When a site sends intrusive or misleading notifications, Chrome may block them automatically.
• Chrome may clean up old permissions. It can remove notification permission from sites you have not visited in a while, and tells you when it does.
• Incognito tabs do not get notifications. If you browse privately, sites cannot send them.

Chrome itself also sends a few notifications, like download progress. Those are separate from site notifications, which is why there are two places to turn things off.

How do you block Chrome notifications from every site?

This is the one most people want. Per Google’s Chrome help:

1. Open Chrome on your Android phone.
2. Tap More, the three dots to the right of the address bar, then Settings.
3. Tap Site settings, then Notifications.
4. Turn off the switch at the top. Sites can no longer send notifications or ask to.

Turning that switch off blocks sites from asking. If you have sites listed under Allowed on the same page, check them too, and turn off any you no longer want to hear from.

How do you turn off notifications from one website?

If one site is the problem and you want to keep the rest, there are three ways:

• From the site. Open the site in Chrome, tap Page info to the left of the address bar, tap Permissions, and turn off Notifications.
• From Chrome settings. Go to More → Settings → Site settings → Notifications, find the site under Allowed, tap it, and block its notifications.
• From the notification. Touch and hold a notification from the site, or swipe it slightly and tap the settings icon, to get to its notification settings. If Chrome flags a notification as possible spam, it may show Unsubscribe right on it.

Notifications from Chrome apps you installed from a site, like a shop or news app added to your home screen, can also show up as their own app. Turn those off the same way as any app, under Settings → Notifications → App notifications. More on that in how to turn off notifications for specific apps.

How do you stop the “Get notifications?” pop-ups?

Sometimes the notifications are fine and it is the asking that drives you up the wall. Two options:

• Block all prompts. Turn off the switch at the top of Site settings → Notifications, as above. Sites cannot ask at all.
• Make prompts quieter. Leave the switch on and turn on Use quieter messaging. Google says a site can still ask, but no pop-up shows. You only see a small message under the address bar.

And when a prompt does show, you do not have to choose Allow. Tap the settings option on the prompt and choose Don’t allow.

How do you turn off Chrome notifications in Android settings?

If you want Chrome to send nothing at all, use Android’s own app notification settings, per Google’s Android notification help:

1. Open Settings and tap Apps (or Notifications → App notifications).
2. Tap Chrome, then Notifications.
3. Turn off All Chrome notifications, or turn off only the categories you do not want.

This is the bluntest option. It silences download alerts and other Chrome messages along with every site. On many phones, Chrome lists its notification categories here, so you can leave downloads on and turn off the rest.

Which option should you pick?

For most people, blocking all sites in Chrome is enough. Website notifications are rarely things you need in the moment, and each one is a small invitation to open the phone and keep going. For quiet hours across every app, use Do Not Disturb, and for the lock screen, see how to hide notifications on the lock screen.

What if Chrome notifications keep coming back?

I blocked them, but a site still notifies me

• Check whether it is really Chrome. Pull down the shade, touch and hold the notification, and see which app it names. It might be another browser, like Samsung Internet or Firefox, or a web app installed on your home screen.
• Check the Allowed list under Site settings → Notifications again, and remove the site.

I get scary pop-ups about viruses or prizes

• These usually come from a site you allowed to send notifications. Remove its permission in Site settings → Notifications, and do not tap the notification itself.
• If Chrome warns that a notification may be spam, you can unsubscribe from the warning and report it.

I cannot find Site settings

• Update Chrome from Google Play, then look again. On some versions, the option is under Settings → Permissions or called Site permissions.

Where ReClaim fits

ReClaim is the Android launcher we build. It does not read or change your notifications, and it does not touch Chrome’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 a distracting app opens, ReClaim asks how long you intend to use it, then nudges you when that time is up.
• Daily and weekly limits. Give an app 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 apps with 4 levels of hiding and 10+ unlock challenges.

If you want to try it, see how to change the default launcher on Android; switching back is the same setting.

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