Smartphone Privacy Tips: No one but you will be able to read your OTP; learn how to hide notifications on your lock screen..

In today's digital age, our smartphone have become an integral part of our personal lives. But imagine you leave your phone on a table and suddenly a private message or OTP arrives. In such a situation, anyone standing nearby could read it. To avoid this, managing lock screen notifications is crucial. This article will explain how you can activate this feature on iPhones and Android devices.

1. How to hide notifications on iPhone?
Apple offers its users excellent privacy options. You can choose to hide the message content or turn off notifications completely. If you want the phone to vibrate and show the app name but not the message content, go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews. Here, select the 'When Unlocked' option. This will ensure that the message is only visible when the phone is unlocked with Face ID/Touch ID. You can also choose the 'Never' option, which will notify you of a notification but won't display the notification content.

If you want to turn off alerts for a specific app (like WhatsApp or Instagram), go to Settings > Notifications and select that app. Now, under the 'Alerts' section, uncheck 'Lock Screen'. If you don't want anything to appear on the lock screen, go to the app settings and toggle off 'Allow Notifications'.

2. How to manage notifications on Android?
Android offers several ways to control notifications, depending on your phone model and software version.

To hide all alerts, go to Settings > Notifications or Apps & Notifications. Click on 'Notifications on lock screen' and select the 'Don't show notifications' option. To hide sensitive information, go to Settings and enable the 'Hide sensitive content' option. If you want to configure settings for a specific app, go to Settings > Apps > App name > Notifications.

Special tips for Samsung:
Samsung phones offer slightly different options. To do this, you need to go to Settings > Lock screen > Notifications. Here you can choose 'Icons only' instead of 'Details', so that only a small icon will be displayed, not the entire message. You can also set the transparency of the notifications.

3. Android 16's New Security Feature
With the arrival of Android 16 in 2026, security has become even more robust. It now features 'Enhanced Sensitive Notifications'. Your banking OTPs and two-factor authentication (2FA) codes are now automatically hidden on the lock screen. The new system identifies which messages are private and prevents them from being displayed on the screen without your permission.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.