GoKawiilRyan Haines / Android Authority
One of the best things about Android compared to iOS is the notification system, and it’s easy to see why. Between features like notification cooldown, notification groups, and other granular controls, Android phones make it easy to cut out the noise. We’ve even uncovered an upcoming notification rules feature in Android 17.
However, my favorite notification-related feature is notification history, and it was introduced in Android 11 way back in 2020. I just wish that Google enabled it by default on new phones. Here’s why.
Do you use notification history on your phone? 192 votes Yes, all the time 30 % Yes, now and again 39 % No, but I will now that I know about it 19 % No, and I don't plan to use it 11 %
My biggest issue with notification history
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
As the name implies, the notification history feature lets you view a log of recent notifications displayed on your phone. This log goes back roughly 24 hours and shows the notification as you saw it, along with the timestamp.
It’s a fantastic feature, and I’ve often used it when I’ve accidentally swiped away an alert. In the past, dismissing a notification meant you lost it forever. But now, I simply need to visit the notification history page to view it. This can be accessed by tapping Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Notification history on Samsung phones. Meanwhile, Pixel owners can find it via Settings > Notifications > Notification history.
This feature is also useful if you’re suffering from notification overload and would like to reduce alerts from unnecessary apps. The notification history page neatly groups alerts from the same app into a single section, giving you a good idea of the most offending apps so you can decide whether to keep their permission or not. After all, do you really need yet another reminder to sign up for Uber One?
Notification history remains a big feather in Android’s cap compared to iOS, as Apple’s operating system lacks this feature altogether. Unfortunately, my biggest annoyance with this tool is that it isn’t enabled by default.
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