Android Notification Privacy: Lock Screen Settings

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Lock screen notification settings

The main control for lock screen notifications is in Settings:

Settings > Notifications > Notifications on lock screen
"Show all notification content" (default): all messages visible without unlocking
"Hide sensitive content": recommended, shows that a notification arrived, but hides the content until you unlock
"Don't show notifications at all": most private, notifications only appear after unlocking
Recommended setting: "Hide sensitive content": you still know notifications have arrived

5 steps

Per-app notification content settings

You can override the global setting for individual apps that contain particularly sensitive information:

Settings > Apps > [App name] > Notifications
Toggle off "Show on lock screen" for banking, email, and messaging apps
Alternatively: long-press any notification and tap the settings icon to access that app's notification settings quickly
Banking apps often have their own notification content controls in their app settings as well

4 steps

One-time password (OTP) notifications

Two-factor authentication codes sent by SMS are particularly sensitive: if someone can see them on your lock screen, they do not need your password:

Check your Messages app notification settings: Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications > on lock screen
Set Messages to show only the sender, not the full text, on the lock screen
Using an authenticator app instead of SMS avoids this issue entirely: codes are only visible inside the app
If you use a banking app that sends codes, check whether the codes appear in notifications and adjust accordingly

4 steps

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Notification privacy on Android

Lock screen notification settings

Per-app notification content settings

One-time password (OTP) notifications