What to Know
- When Messages says Contact has Notifications Silenced, the person is in Do Not Disturb/Focus that disables notifications.
- Notifications silenced does not mean that you are blocked.
- Tap Notify Anyway to alert the person of your text even if their notifications are silenced.
Have you been wondering what "Notifications Silenced" means? Sometimes, when you text someone via Messages, you might notice that it says the person has notifications silenced. Don't panic! It means exactly what it says: the user has their notifications silenced. It doesn't mean you're blocked. You can usually choose to notify the person anyway. Here's how it works.
Jump To:
- What Does It Mean When Someone Has Their Notifications Silenced
- How to Notify a Person Anyway When Notifications Are Silenced
- How to Resume Notifications on iPhone
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Does It Mean When Someone Has Their Notifications Silenced
If you're wondering, "Why does it say notifications silenced?" it's usually because someone has entered Do Not Disturb or another Focus mode that disables their notifications. People do this for all different types of reasons, especially for work and sleep. Disabling notifications allows people to focus on other things without the notifications on their phones interrupting them. Most notably, seeing the "Notifications Silenced" message does not mean that you are blocked. Once the person switches off DND or whichever Focus they've engaged that silences notifications, you will be able to resume normal communication. Learn how to set up DND or other focus modes, and sign up for our free Tip of the Day to learn more tips about your iPhone!
How to Notify a Person Anyway When Notifications Are Silenced
When someone has their notifications silenced, you can usually still notify them anyway with the Notify Anyway feature. However, if someone has their iPhone silenced for whatever reason, they may be upset that they're being disturbed. Additionally, they may not be able to respond. Here's what it looks like:
- On your iPhone, go ahead and text someone even if their notifications are silenced.
![notifications silenced]()
- Tap the purple text that says Notify Anyway.
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Once you do this, the message will do a little animation to emphasize that it has been sent with a notification to the recipient.
How to Resume Notifications on iPhone
What if you're the one who has notifications silenced? If you're wondering, "Why does it say I have notifications silenced," you might also want to know how to turn them back on. Notifications are usually silenced via Focus, especially Do Not Disturb. Follow the steps below to resume notifications on your iPhone.
- On your iPhone, swipe down from the top left screen.
![what does it mean when someone has notifications silenced]()
- Press and hold the Focus button.
![does notifications silenced mean blocked]()
- Tap the Focus mode that has been enabled to turn it off.
![why are my notifications silenced]()
- Or tap another Focus that allows notifications, like Personal.
![what does it mean when someone has their notifications silenced]()
And that's how you resume notifications! If your iPhone still shows that notifications are silenced, you might want to try turning your iPhone off and back on again. Additionally, some people have been reporting a glitch. If that's the case, then make sure that you're keeping your iPhone up to date with the latest iOS to fix any bugs and glitches. Otherwise, you can always take your iPhone to the Apple store or email Apple Support. And that's what notifications silenced means, why it says you have notifications silenced, and how to turn them back on again. Good luck, and happy texting! Next, find out how to put iPhone on silent.
FAQ
- Does Notifications Silenced mean blocked? No, "Notifications Silenced" does not mean that you are blocked. It means that someone has enabled a Focus that silences all incoming notifications.
- How can you tell if someone silenced you on iMessage? If you're simply muted, you will not be able to tell. If you've been blocked on iMessage, you will not get a delivery notification for your text messages, and if you were chatting with an iPhone user, the texts will turn green. If the person has all notifications silenced and chosen to enable the setting that alerts their contacts, you will see it when you open their message thread.
- Can notifications be silenced for one person? The easiest way to silence notifications from one person is by muting them in the Messages app. You can also set up a Focus where one or a few specific people are muted or silenced while in that mode. And blocking someone is always an option when other things don't seem to work.
