Tired of iPhone Notifications I Never Asked For

I care about safety. I don’t care for constant, manipulative “emergencies” pushed to my lock screen. If you think people are just addicted to their phones, you might be missing the bigger problem.

My sister and I were discussing that basic feeling of 'meh'. Every day lately feels flat, numb, and desensitized.

“Do you think it’s because things are actually worse,” she asked, “or is it just because we’re older?”

That’s when it hit me: maybe it’s not just us. Maybe it’s social media, but not in the way people usually complain. I’m not here to tell you to “put your phone down” — you’re grown, do what you want. But I’ll say this: I keep getting notifications about things I never signed up for, don’t care about, or didn’t even know I had on my phone.

Case in point: I’m playing Solitaire and boom — Apple News drops in with an alert about a shooting. Solitaire. Who asked for that?

So maybe we’re not as “glued to our phones” as everyone says. Maybe it’s the phones that are glued to us.

And hear me out — I’ve got receipts. Every time my iPhone updates, the notification settings can reset. Sure enough, Apple News is still there, even if you don’t want it. You can’t delete it. You can only silence it. Until the next update, when silence doesn’t stick. Then suddenly you’re getting pinged about another tragedy, like it or not.

And it’s not just news. You literally have to dig through your phone to turn off things like Amber Alerts, Test Alerts, and Public Safety Alerts. (And just to be clear: I don’t want any harm to come to anyone. I’m not anti-safety. I’m anti being force-fed every possible “emergency” without choice.)

That’s what really bothers me right now. Because we’re living through an administration that declares everything an emergency. And then the response isn’t comfort or safety — it’s ICE, or the National Guard, or threats wrapped up as “alerts.” I don’t have the bandwidth for that.

So, when people say, “We’re all on our phones too much, just put them down,” what do they mean? I want them to understand: some of us are actively staying away from the news. We’re protecting our sanity. But when my phone updates itself and flips the switch back on? That’s not me reaching for the news — that’s the news reaching for me.

And the best I can do then is come back here, to Rooted and Truths, and complain.