I’ve lost count of the number of times I should have paid attention to a notice but either ignored it or deleted it by accident. Deleted notifications were difficult to recover in older versions of Android. That was impossible sometimes, which meant you would miss something important and not realize it until it was too late. It’s too late to attend the meeting, seize the chance, or continue the celebration. That’s changed drastically over the years, though, and today you can easily examine your complete history from the past day.
That’s not a typo… 24 hours. Android has a convenient history viewer, but it doesn’t save every notification ever sent or received. That’s a good decision, as keeping a record of all your alerts would quickly fill up your phone’s storage capacity and cause it to slow down to the point where you couldn’t use it. Thus, the time constraint is 24 hours. Once upon a time, reliable applications were available for downloading and using to keep track of alerts. These apps have unfortunately become unreliable, obsolete, too expensive, or non-functional for practical use. Also, I always recommend making use of a built-in capability rather than a third-party software if one is available (for security purposes).
Although the time frame is restricted to the last day, it is still a very useful function to have at your disposal.
You may quickly and easily view your past alerts in one of two ways. The one you utilize is determined on the Android version you’re running. I’ll be using Android 12, but the steps should be familiar to anyone using Android 11 or 13.
How to Get Past Notifications (android)
To enable Notification History on Android, please follow the steps below:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Notification panel.
- Tap and hold the gear icon in the top-right corner to access the Settings menu.
- Scroll down and tap on “Apps & notifications“.
- Tap on “Notifications“.
- Scroll down and tap on “Notification history”.
- Toggle the switch to the “On” position to enable Notification history.
Once you have enabled Notification History, you can access it by long-pressing the home screen and selecting “Widgets”, then scrolling to “Settings shortcuts” and selecting “Notification log”. You can also access it by searching for “Notification log” in the app drawer.
Where can I view my past alerts?
To access the Notification History on Android, please follow the steps below:
- Long-press the home screen to bring up the Widgets menu.
- Scroll to “Settings shortcuts” and select it.
- Scroll down and select “Notification log.”
- This will create a shortcut to the Notification log on your home screen.
- Tap the shortcut to open the Notification log.
- You will see a list of recent notifications that you have received on your device.
Note: Some Android devices may not have the Notification log widget. In that case, you can access the Notification log by using a third-party app from the Google Play Store.
Can you access prior Android alerts in some way?
Yes, on most Android devices, you can see all of your past notifications by accessing the Notification History. The Notification History is a feature that keeps track of all the notifications you’ve received on your device, even if you’ve dismissed them.
To access the Notification History on Android, follow these steps:
- Long-press on your home screen to open the Widgets menu.
- Scroll down and select “Settings shortcuts.”
- Scroll down and select “Notification log.”
- A shortcut to the Notification log will be created on your home screen.
- Tap on the shortcut to open the Notification log.
- You will see a list of all the notifications you’ve received on your device.
Note: The Notification History only keeps track of notifications for a limited time, depending on your device’s settings. If you need to keep track of notifications for a longer period of time, you may need to use a third-party app from the Google Play Store.
Frequently Asked QuestionsÂ
 What is Notification History on Android?
Notification History is a feature on Android that keeps track of all the notifications you’ve received on your device, even if you’ve dismissed them. This feature is useful for those who may have missed an important notification or accidentally dismissed a notification.
How do I enable Notification History on my Android device?
To enable Notification History on your Android device, follow these steps: Swipe down from the top of the screen to access the Notification panel, tap and hold the gear icon in the top-right corner to access the Settings menu, scroll down and tap on “Apps & notifications,” tap on “Notifications,” scroll down and tap on “Notification history,” and toggle the switch to the “On” position.
Can I access my Notification History if I don’t have the widget on my home screen?
Yes, you can still access your Notification History even if you don’t have the widget on your home screen. You can access it by using a third-party app from the Google Play Store or by searching for “Notification log” in the app drawer.
How long does the Notification History keep track of my notifications?
The Notification History feature keeps track of notifications for a limited time, depending on your device’s settings. On some devices, the Notification History may keep track of notifications for up to 24 hours, while on others it may keep track of notifications for up to a week.
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