Where is the lock screen notification setting?
The setting that decides whether a stranger can read your messages without unlocking the phone is two taps down and named five different ways. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
7 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use three different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Lock screen notifications | 3 |
| Notifications on lock screen | 1 |
| Show on lock screen | 1 |
| Lock Screen Notifications | 1 |
| Show on Lock Screen | 1 |
The most common is Lock screen notifications, on 3 of the 7. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 5 spellings for three actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 6 of the 7 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Android 17 | Notifications › Notifications on lock screen | 2 |
| Firefox OS Firefox OS 2.5 | Notifications › Show on lock screen | 2 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Notifications & status bar › Lock screen notifications | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Notifications › Lock screen notifications | 2 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Notification and status bar › Lock screen notifications | 2 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Notifications › Lock Screen Notifications | 2 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Focus › Do Not Disturb › Show on Lock Screen | 3 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
This is a privacy control filed under notifications, which is why it is easy to miss when doing a security review. People check the passcode and the biometrics and never think to ask what is legible on the screen before any of that applies.
Most systems offer three states rather than two: show everything, show that something arrived, or show nothing at all. The middle option is the one worth knowing about.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to managing notifications, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where is the lock screen notification setting on most systems?
On 6 of the 7 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Lock screen notifications”, used by 3 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are three different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
7 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.