This Android 16 Feature Finally Saves Me From Notification Overload - How To Try It

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This useful caller Android characteristic saves maine from notification overload - really to effort it
Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Have you ever been relaxing when, retired of nowhere, your telephone blows up pinch notifications?

I've been location excessively galore times, which led maine to support my telephone connected silent mode 24/7. Then Google teased a caller characteristic successful Android 15 called Notification Cooldown that promised to alteration everything. Notification Cooldown didn't precisely deed nan people successful Android 15, but it has made a comeback successful nan latest loop (Android 16) to guarantee that it useful precisely arsenic expected.

Also: How to clear your Android telephone cache (and why you should do it earlier installing Android 16)

Notification Cooldown manages really often notifications tin beryllium posted by an exertion complete time. This characteristic is designed specifically to forestall apps from overwhelming users pinch excessively galore notifications astatine once.

What I for illustration astir Notification Cooldown is that it helps guarantee I don't miss important notifications because my telephone was connected silent (which has happened rather a bit).

The caller characteristic primitively arrived pinch nan March 2025 update to thief minimize nan interruptions that often travel notifications. Once this characteristic is enabled, it automatically lowers nan measurement and minimizes alerts (for up to 2 minutes) erstwhile respective notifications get successful a short magnitude of time.

Also: I changed 12 settings connected my Android telephone to importantly amended nan artillery life

For example, a friend of yours discovers a caller diner you must effort and starts texting you many times to rave astir really bully it is. With Notification Cooldown enabled, that barrage of texts happens silently, truthful you don't person to suffer done nan "dings" aliases put your telephone connected silent mode.

Even erstwhile Notification Cooldown is activated, you tin still propulsion down nan Notification Shade and position that deluge of texts.

The caveat to utilizing Notification Cooldown is that it cannot beryllium customized truthful far. You tin alteration aliases disable nan feature, and that's it. The characteristic first appeared connected Pixel devices but should trickle down to others complete time.

Notification Cooldown besides does not use to alarms, emergency alerts, and privilege conversations.

How to alteration Notification Cooldown

What you need: To usage Notification Cooldown, you'll request an Android Pixel telephone moving astatine slightest nan March 2025 update. Hopefully nan characteristic will get connected different devices soon.

From wrong Settings, find nan Notifications introduction and pat it.

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Under nan General category, you'll spot a listing for Notification Cooldown. Tap that entry.

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The 'Notification cooldown' introduction successful Settings > Notifications.

You tin besides enable/disable flash notifications, which will flash nan phone's LED erstwhile a notification comes in.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Tap nan On/Off slider until it's successful nan On position to alteration Notification Cooldown. You mightiness observe that nan characteristic is enabled by default. If so, you're already enjoying Notification Cooldown, truthful you tin unmute your device.

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The Android Notification Cooldown page.

You mightiness find nan characteristic is enabled by default.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Now that Notification Cooldown has had a chance to gestate, I've recovered nan characteristic useful arsenic it was intended, which intends those changeless interruptions person dramatically lessened.

Also: How to move connected Android's Private DNS mode - and why turning it disconnected is simply a large mistake

And that, my Android-loving friends, is each location is to Notification Cooldown. Enjoy that newfound peace.

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