What Does Hide Alerts Mean On iOS?

What Does Hide Alerts Mean

The “Hide Alerts” feature on your iPhone or iPad helps you mute notifications from certain chats or group messages. It's useful for reducing distractions without turning off all notifications. 

It allows you to decide which messages you want to receive notifications for and which ones you don't.

What does Hide Alerts mean?

The feature ‘Hide Alerts' on iPhone gives you control in the following ways:

  1. Unlike Do Not Disturb or Focus, it only silences chosen chats.
  2. Skipped alerts show up in the Notification Center.
  3. Red badge icons still appear for unread messages.

Turning on ‘Hide Alerts' helps manage screen time and keep iPhone use private.

What Happens When Hide Alerts is turned on?

Turning on ‘Hide Alerts' for iMessage or SMS chats applies to all your Apple devices linked with the same Apple ID. 

A crescent moon icon shows up next to the chat on iPhone 13, iPad, or Mac, indicating it's muted. iMessage syncs this setting across devices, ensuring privacy remains consistent no matter which device you use.

  • On iPhone 13, muted conversations show a crescent moon icon.
  • On iPad, muted conversations display similar icons on message threads.
  • On Mac, settings stay the same when using the Messages app.

How to Keep Alerts Hidden?

How to Keep Alerts Hidden

Here's how you can hide alerts for a conversation:

  1. Open the Messages app on your device.
  2. Find the conversation you want to silence.
  3. Swipe left on the conversation.
  4. Tap the bell icon that appears.

How to Show Alerts Again?

How to Show Alerts Again

To unhide alerts, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Locate the conversation with hidden alerts.
  3. Swipe left on the conversation.
  4. Tap the bell icon again.

Difference Between Hide Alerts With Do Not Disturb

FeatureDo Not DisturbHide Alerts
ScopeApplies to the entire deviceApplies to specific chats or group messages
NotificationsBlocks all notificationsNotifications appear silently in the Notification Center
Badge IconsBadge icons may be hidden depending on the settingsBadge icons still show

“Hide Alerts” lets you keep important messages while managing interruptions effectively.