How to hide message previews on your lock screen

A locked phone sitting face-up on a desk is still talking. Every message that arrives can show who it’s from, the first lines of what they wrote and sometimes a picture. Anyone nearby can read it without touching the phone. Most people only notice this the day the wrong message lights up in front of the wrong person. It takes a minute to fix.

What a notification preview shows

A preview is the content part of a notification: the text of a message, an email’s subject line, a thumbnail of a photo someone sent, a code from your bank. Without a preview, the notification still appears, but only says which app it’s from.

You still know something has arrived. You just read it after unlocking.

On iPhone

For all apps:

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. Tap Show Previews.
3. Choose one:
   • Always: content shows on the lock screen for anyone to see.
   • When Unlocked: content shows only once the phone recognizes you or you unlock it.
   • Never: content never shows in notifications, even when unlocked.

When Unlocked is the best balance. With face unlock, the preview appears as soon as you look at the phone, and stays hidden for everyone else.

For one app: in Settings, then Notifications, tap the app, then Show Previews, and choose an option for just that app. This is useful if you want previews for, say, deliveries, but never for messages.

During screen sharing: iPhone allows notifications while you share or mirror your screen, unless you turn that off in the same Notifications settings. If you present or video call from your phone, it’s worth switching off. See sharing your screen on a video call.

On Android

Menu names vary a little between phone makers, but on most phones:

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. Tap Notifications on lock screen (sometimes under a lock screen section).
3. Choose what appears. The options usually include showing all notifications, hiding silent ones, or showing no notifications at all.
4. Turn off Show sensitive content to hide what notifications say while the phone is locked.

For one app: open Settings, then Apps, choose the app, then Notifications. Many apps let you set each type of notification separately, for example message previews versus delivery updates, and choose how each appears on the lock screen.

Notification history, where your phone has it, keeps a list of recent notifications in Settings. It can only be opened from an unlocked phone, but it’s worth knowing it exists if you share your phone unlocked.

Which apps to change first

You don’t need to hide everything. Start with the apps whose notifications could hurt or embarrass:

• Messaging and dating apps, where previews can show private text and photos.
• Email, where a subject line can say a lot.
• Banking and payment apps, which can show balances and one-time codes.
• Health and period-tracking apps.
• Photo backup or shared album apps, which can show thumbnails of new photos.

One-time codes on the lock screen deserve special care: someone who has your password and your phone for a moment can sign in as you.

What this doesn’t cover

Hiding previews stops people reading over your shoulder. It doesn’t stop someone who unlocks your phone from reading everything, and it doesn’t change what’s inside your apps. If someone else has your PIN, see signs someone went through your phone.

For private photos, keeping them out of shared albums and your gallery means they can’t turn up as a thumbnail anywhere. Silo, coming soon to iPhone and Android, keeps imported photos encrypted inside the app, and its app-switcher cover hides the screen when you switch apps.