You can clear notifications from Notification Center on your iPhone without changing whether an app is allowed to send future alerts. Swipe left on one notification to clear it, or use the Clear button to remove a group or all notifications that can currently be cleared.
How to Clear One Notification on iPhone
- Open Notification Center. From the Lock Screen, swipe up from the middle of the screen. From another screen, swipe down from the top center.
- Find the notification you want to remove.
- Swipe left on the notification.
- Tap Clear.
How to Clear a Group of Notifications
- Open Notification Center.
- Find the notification group you want to remove.
- Tap the Clear button for that group when it is available.
How to Clear All Notifications
- Open Notification Center.
- Tap the Clear button near the notification list.
- Confirm that you want to clear the notifications.
Some current or persistent notifications may behave differently, so clearing the list does not guarantee that every active item disappears permanently.
Clearing a Notification Does Not Turn Notifications Off
Clearing removes an alert from Notification Center. It does not stop the app from sending another notification later. To change future alerts, open Settings > Notifications, choose the app, and adjust its notification options.
What About the Red Number on an App Icon?
The red number on an app icon is a badge. Clearing Notification Center does not necessarily clear an app’s badge because the badge can represent unread or outstanding items inside the app. You can control whether an app may show badges from that app’s notification settings.
Can You Clear a Notification Without Opening It?
Yes. Use the Clear action instead of tapping the notification itself. Tapping an alert normally opens the related app or content.
Summary
Open Notification Center and swipe left on an alert to clear it, or use the available Clear control for a group or the notification list. Clearing old alerts does not disable future notifications or necessarily remove an app-icon badge.