If you don’t want anyone to see a text message on your iPhone, you may be wondering if you can block or hide the text messages. Maybe you are throwing a surprise party, planning a vacation, or have no good plans. Whatever your reason, you may be hoping that there is some way to prevent someone from viewing text messages on your iPhone. Locking your iPhone to prevent someone who does not know your password from accessing it is very easy.
But how can you prevent notifications from appearing on the lock screen that reveal the game and can only hide certain messages? We take a look at some scenarios below that can help you hide and block text messages on your iPhone.
- First, make sure you have a password set on your iPhone.
- You most likely already have this as it is a default setting on newer iPhones. Otherwise, go to Settings> Touch ID & Passcode> Enable Passcode.
- If you already have a passcode, but the person you are trying to keep out of your messages knows about it, change it.
- To do this, go to Settings> Touch ID (or Face ID) and passcode> Change passcode. You will need to enter your old password before you can develop a new one. Make sure the passcode you choose isn’t entirely obvious because despite Apple’s claims about Touch ID and Face ID security, the only real protection you have is your passcode.
- And if that’s easy to guess, EVERYONE can access your iPhone. You can choose from six numbers. This will prevent someone else from unlocking your iPhone, but it will not prevent them from being alerted if you receive a new text message.
How can I turn off new message alerts?
- Scroll down until you locate Messages under Settings > Notifications.
- Scroll down to Show Previews under the Messages section. This will be set to Always by default. Select Never by tapping on it. This means that even if your iPhone isn’t locked, you should keep the alert private. (Another option is to choose When Unlocked.)
- You’ll still get an alert, but the text’s content will be kept private. Instead than showing you a preview of the message, it will just say “iMessage.”
How can I turn off text message notifications?
- Deselect Allow Notifications under Settings > Notifications > Messages.
- There will no longer be an alert when a message comes. There will also be no red bubble on your Messages app icon to indicate that new Messages have arrived.
- You’ll need to check Messages to see whether you have any new messages. Then, beneath any chats with updates, you’ll notice a blue dot.
- The drawback with this technique is that it prevents you from receiving new Message notifications. This might result in you missing out on vital information. Fortunately, you have the option of turning off alerts from a single person or a single group message chain.
