How To Turn Off Message Previews On Galaxy S8 And Galaxy S8 Plus
When it comes to privacy and accessibility on the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, there can be conflicting interests. Samsung has introduced a feature that shows message notifications on the Home screen and Lock screen, with the intention of giving users quick access to important messages. However, this means that anyone nearby can also see the content of those messages.
By default, this message preview feature is enabled on both the notification bar at the top of the screen and the Lock Screen, even if you have additional security measures like a lock pattern or fingerprint scanning.
The Messages app, which comes pre-installed on Samsung devices, includes this feature. If you don’t want to see message previews, you can either install a different messaging app or disable message previews on your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus entirely.
How to turn off message popups on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus
The popup notification for incoming texts isn’t just designed to let you read a snippet of the message. If you tap on it, you’ll be taken directly to the messaging app, where you can read the entire message and reply without having to manually open the app and find the conversation.
However, the preview also displays the sender and a preview of the message. This could lead to problems if you’re at work and someone notices your private conversations.
If you want to keep your sensitive information private, you should disable these options. This means you’ll only see the content of a message when you open the messaging app. By doing this, you’ll have complete control over who can read your texts. Here’s how you can disable these message previews:
- Open the Messages app
- Tap on the three-dot menu in the top right corner
- Select Settings
- Select Notifications
- Disable the option labeled “Pop-up Display”
- Disable the option labeled “Preview Message”
If you disable both “Pop-up Display” and “Preview Message,” you won’t receive any kind of message preview. However, if you only disable “Preview Message,” you’ll still receive notifications and pop-ups for new messages, but without any details such as the sender’s name.
How to control Lock Screen information on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus
Now that you know how to control notifications on the Home screen, let’s focus on the Lock screen. The best approach is to keep the popup option active but disable the preview. This way, you can maintain privacy while still seeing notifications on the Lock screen, knowing that you have a message waiting for you to read it as soon as you unlock the device.
To control what appears on the Lock screen and whether previews are shown, follow these steps:
- Go to the general Settings
- Select Lock Screen and Security
- Select Notifications on Lock Screen
- Tap on the “Content on Lock Screen” menu
- Select “Hide content” if you want to see notifications for unread messages (this option works for messages, Twitter, Gmail, etc.)
- Select “Do not show notifications” if you don’t want to see any notifications on the Lock screen.
Now you have control over what appears on your Lock screen and how much information is shown.
