Hide Notification Previews on iOS 12 Lock Screen

Managing notification preview visibility on iOS 12 allows users to protect sensitive personal data from being viewed by unauthorized persons on a locked device. Apple provides both system-wide controls and individual app settings within the Settings menu to dictate whether message contents, emails, and alerts appear on the lock screen, reveal themselves only after biometric authentication, or remain hidden until the application is opened.

System-Wide Notification Preview Settings

To change the default preview behavior for all installed applications across the entire device:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS 12 device.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Select Show Previews at the top of the menu.
  4. Choose one of the three available visibility options:
    • Always: Previews, sender names, and message contents are visible on the lock screen at all times without unlocking the device.
    • When Unlocked: Notification alerts appear on the lock screen, but the message contents remain hidden until the device is authenticated via Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. This is the default setting for Face ID-enabled devices.
    • Never: Notification previews are permanently hidden from both the lock screen and the Notification Center. Only the app name and generic alert (e.g., "Notification") are displayed until you tap and open the specific app.

Per-App Notification Preview Settings

If you prefer to allow previews for non-sensitive apps while hiding them for messaging or email clients, you can configure visibility on an app-by-app basis:

  1. Open Settings and tap Notifications.
  2. Scroll through the list and select the specific app you wish to modify (such as Messages, Mail, or WhatsApp).
  3. Scroll down to the Options section at the bottom of the page.
  4. Tap Show Previews.
  5. Select Always, When Unlocked, or Never.

Setting a specific app's preview behavior will override the global system setting configured previously.

Disabling Lock Screen Alerts Completely

To completely prevent an application from triggering any visual alert on the lock screen:

  1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
  2. Select the desired app.
  3. Under the Alerts section, tap the checkmark beneath Lock Screen to uncheck it.

With this disabled, notifications from that app will bypass the lock screen entirely, appearing only in the Notification Center after unlocking or directly within the app itself.