How to Always Show Notification Previews on an iPhone 11

Many notifications that we receive on our iPhones are only a couple of words long.

While opening an app like Messages can only take a second or two, being able to see the notification and read the entirety of the message can be very convenient.

The steps in this guide will show you how to always show notification previews on your iPhone 11.

  • This means that you, or anyone with physical access to your iPhone, will be able to view the preview in the alerts on your iPhone.
  • The different options for this setting include “Always,” “When Unlocked,” and “Never.”
  • You will only see notification previews for apps where you have enabled alert or banner notifications. You can view or change these settings at Settings > Notifications.

Summary – How to Toggle the iPhone Notification Preview Setting

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Choose Notifications.
  3. Select Show Previews.
  4. Tap Always.

Our guide continues below with additional information on showing notification previews on an iPhone, including pictures of these steps.

Related Guide: Are you having trouble viewing your screen? You can read this how to change iPhone 13 brightness tutorial and learn how to fix it.

Some of the notifications that you see on your iPhone will include a small amount of information about the contents of that notification.

This can include the first few lines of a text message or an email. While the ability to see this information without even unlocking your iPhone can be convenient, it can also pose a risk to privacy or security.

If you haven’t adjusted the notification settings on your iPhone, then the current setting is likely to only show previews when the iPhone is unlocked. Our guide below will show you how to change that setting so that you can always see notification previews on your iPhone, even when the device is locked.

If the light on your iPhone goes off when you get a text message, then read our how to turn off the flash notification on iPhone 11 article for more information.

How to Always Show iPhone Previews of Notifications (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 11 in iOS 13.4.1

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

open Settings

Step 2: Choose the Notifications option.

open the Notifications menu

Step 3: Select the Show Previews button at the top of the screen.

choose the Show Previews button

Step 4: Tap the Always button.

how to always show notifications previews on an iPhone 11

As mentioned earlier, using this setting will mean that anyone who can see your iPhone will be able to see some of the contents of your text messages and emails if you have lock screen alerts enabled for those apps.

Find out how to turn off vibrate on an iPhone if you would prefer that the device not use the vibrate feature for any reason.

Get Our Free Newsletter

How-to guides and tech deals

You may opt out at any time.
Read our Privacy Policy