Have you ever accidentally swiped away an important notification or deleted a message and realized you needed that information? Android’s notification history feature helps you recover those dismissed notifications up to 24 hours later. This is especially helpful when you dismiss alerts without checking them properly. This tutorial will explore the methods to access and turn on the Notification History feature on Android via device settings and ADB commands.
What is Android Notification History
Android’s notification history works like a digital diary that keeps track of all your notifications in one place. This feature is built into Android 11 and newer versions. It creates a timeline of every alert your device gets. Your Android device stores notifications in a well-laid-out way. The system keeps detailed records of notifications for exactly 24 hours.
Notification history helps you recover notifications you accidentally deleted, check if specific notifications came through, and see how many of them you get each day. Android takes privacy seriously when storing notifications. You can only see your notification history through your device’s settings menu. The system also respects how you’ve set up your apps. If you’ve turned off notifications for certain apps, they won’t show up in your history.
Your notification log is a timeline of notifications that helps you track:
- Notifications you accidentally dismissed
- Alerts you snoozed
- Missing notification issues
- Daily alert patterns
- Messages you deleted
The notification history feature lets you check past alerts by going to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings> Notification History.
How to Turn on Notification History
The notification history feature runs in the background and keeps a detailed log of your alerts. You can interact with past notifications from the history page just like current ones. This lets you open apps or messages directly from the history view. Here is how to turn on this feature.
Via Device Settings
Most Android smartphones have Notification History turned on by default. However, if the feature is disabled on your device, you can easily turn it on from settings.
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone and tap Notifications.
- Now, open Advanced Settings.
- Select the Notification History option on the next screen and tap the toggle to turn on the feature.
You can now check all your recent, snoozed, or deleted notifications in one place.
Using ADB Command
Some OEMs keep the Notification History disabled by default. The user has to turn it on manually.
If you don’t see the toggle to enable the feature under advanced notifications settings, ADB can help you.
- Download and set up the latest Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer. If you don’t have a PC, use the aShell app to run ADB commands on your Android phone.
- Launch a command window with the ADB path. You can do so by right-clicking in the ‘platform-tools‘ folder and selecting the ‘Open in Terminal‘ option.
- Extend the Screen Timeout duration to 5 minutes on your Android phone and connect it to your PC via a USB cable.
- Type the following command and hit the Enter key.
adb devices
- You’ll need to Allow USB Debugging on your device when prompted. The terminal will display the serial number of your phone under the List of devices attached.
- Now execute the following command.
adb shell
- Finally, type or paste the following command after the $ sign and press Enter to enable the Notification History on your device.
settings put secure notification_history_enabled 1
Once the Notification History feature is turned on, it starts recording notifications right after activation. Dismissed notifications stay available for 24 hours.
Turning Off Notification History on Android
Android’s Notification History is a very useful feature. I don’t know why anybody would want to disable it. However, if you are an avid privacy seeker, you can easily turn off notification history on your phone via device settings and using ADB. Note that turning off the feature deletes all stored history items automatically.
Via Device Settings
To turn off notification history, do the following.
- Navigate to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings on your device.
- Select Notification History and tap the toggle on the next screen to disable the feature.
Using ADB Command
Alternatively, you can turn off Notification History on your Android using the following command
adb shell settings put secure notification_history_enabled 0
FAQs
Q1. How do I enable notification history on my Android device?
To enable notification history, go to Settings > Notifications > Notification History and tap the toggle. On some devices, you may need to tap “Advanced settings” first.
Q2. How long does Android keep notification history?
Android keeps notification history for exactly 24 hours. After this period, older notifications are automatically deleted to preserve storage space on your device.
Q3. Can I recover notifications I accidentally dismissed?
Yes, once notification history is enabled, you can recover notifications you accidentally dismissed within the last 24 hours.
Q4. Are there any privacy concerns with notification history?
The notification history feature doesn’t have biometric protection, so anyone with access to your unlocked device can view your past 24 hours of notifications. Consider disabling the feature for apps containing sensitive information or adjusting individual app notification settings for better privacy.
Q5. Does enabling notification history affect battery life? Enabling notification history has minimal impact on battery life. The feature uses the existing notification system to log alerts, so it doesn’t significantly increase power consumption compared to normal device operation.
