Notifications can be a great way of keeping up with all your various apps and online services, but it’s easy to feel inundated by them. Clearing them away or stopping them is helpful, but that might mean missing out on important information. If that’s the problem you’re facing, don’t fret. The Android notification log widget can help you figure out what it is you missed so that you can respond appropriately.

How to Use the Android Notification Log

The Android notification log keeps a record of every notification you’ve received recently and is the easiest way to quickly find any notifications you wanted to take another look at. Here’s how to access it.

  • Long press anywhere on your home screen until the additional menu items appear. Select Widgets. It’s typically one of the first options available, but may require some scrolling depending on your device and Android version.
  • Scroll through the widgets menu and look for the Settings option. If you find it, drag it to the home screen and select it.
  • If you don’t, select the Shortcuts option instead. Find the Settings shortcut there, and drag it to your home screen, then select it.
  • Select Notification log from the menu that appears to place a shortcut to your notification log on your Home screen.
  • That shortcut should now link you straight to the Notification log. Select it from your home screen, and you’ll be able to see all your past notifications.

If you ever want to access your notification logs again in the future, you can just tap that icon again to go straight to them.

Long press anywhere on your home screen until the additional menu items appear. Select Widgets. It’s typically one of the first options available, but may require some scrolling depending on your device and Android version.

Scroll through the widgets menu and look for the Settings option. If you find it, drag it to the home screen and select it.

If you don’t, select the Shortcuts option instead. Find the Settings shortcut there, and drag it to your home screen, then select it.

Select Notification log from the menu that appears to place a shortcut to your notification log on your Home screen.

That shortcut should now link you straight to the Notification log. Select it from your home screen, and you’ll be able to see all your past notifications.

Check the Notifications Log History on Android 11

If you’re running the latest version of Android 11, you can check your notification history much more quickly. To do so, select Settings > Apps & Notifications > Notifications > Notification History and toggle it On.

When turned on, the Notification History will keep track of all your notifications, and you can view them at any time. To check them much more quickly, tap the History link on the bottom left of the pull-down notifications panel.

Third Party Notification Log Alternatives

Although the native Android Notification Logs are fully featured and effective notification viewing tools, third-party applications can do it too. One popular option that is well-reviewed is Notification History Log. Here’s how to use it:

  • Install Notification History Log from the Play Store and open it.
  • Select your language preference and agree to the terms and conditions.
  • Scroll through the tutorial screens, and when prompted, tap Enable Permission > Notification History Log, and then Allow notification access > Allow. Then, step back through the screens until you land back in the app, where you can continue with step 4.
  • Select Continue.
  • Select Enable for storage permission. You may need to Allow or Deny accessing photos, media, or other files.
  • To view notifications on the app screen, select Advanced History to display your notifications.

Install Notification History Log from the Play Store and open it.

Select your language preference and agree to the terms and conditions.

Scroll through the tutorial screens, and when prompted, tap Enable Permission > Notification History Log, and then Allow notification access > Allow. Then, step back through the screens until you land back in the app, where you can continue with step 4.

Select Continue.

Select Enable for storage permission. You may need to Allow or Deny accessing photos, media, or other files.

To view notifications on the app screen, select Advanced History to display your notifications.

Notification History Log can only log notifications from the point you install the app moving forward, so it cannot recover history notifications you may have dismissed in the past.

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