Every year, and with every iOS update, Apple seems to try to do something new when it comes to iPhone notifications. We’re not talking about reinventing the wheel or going the Android route, but incremental changes that improve your quality of life, at least as far as your device is concerned.
With iOS 16, you have more options than ever to customize how notifications appear on the lock screen (which also has customization options for the first time). You can even make notifications disappear with a simple pinch gesture.
To get started, go to Settings > Notifications > Show as.
Note: This is an iOS 16 feature that is currently available as a public beta. The feature will be widely available in Fall 2022.
There are three ways to view notifications on the lock screen in iOS 16. By default, they are now displayed at the bottom of the screen instead of in the middle. This is the new “Stack” option, which places related notifications (from the same app or conversation) on top of each other in stacks so they don’t take up a lot of space. To see all your notifications, tap the stacks to expand them. (If you prefer the old fashioned way, you can switch to the “List” option which will show all notifications individually.)
By far the most interesting customization option is the “Count” feature. Turn it on and you’ll only see a simple “(N) Notifications” count at the bottom of the screen when you have new notifications. This serves as a subtle reminder that you have notifications, but they won’t call you; you won’t even be able to see which app is pinging you until you tap or swipe up the count, at which point the notifications will go off. expand into a stack.
How to switch between notification options with a gesture
And here’s the cool part: you can switch between Count, Stack, and List on the fly, without going to Settings first. Whenever you have notifications on the lock screen, pinch it on the screen and you can go from Count to Stacks to List and back in seconds.
These new notification display options are one of the many small, hidden features in iOS 16. If you’re new to the update, check out our detailed guide to see what else you can do.