iPhone Notification History: How to See Old and Cleared Notifications
Short answer: iPhone doesn’t have a notification history. Notification Center only shows notifications you haven’t opened or cleared yet; after that, they’re gone. Starting with iOS 27, you can keep a history with an app like NotiKeep, which saves every notification from the apps you choose the moment it arrives.
Where to see recent notifications
Notifications you haven’t opened or cleared yet stay in Notification Center. To open it, swipe down from the top of the screen. On the Lock Screen, swipe up from the middle.
Notification Center has no history: a notification disappears when you tap it, when you clear the list, or when the app that sent it removes it. WhatsApp, for example, removes the notification for a message deleted for everyone.
Can you see old or cleared notifications?
Not unless they were saved beforehand. iPhone doesn’t keep cleared notifications anywhere you can access, not in Settings and not in a backup. Android has a notification history in Settings; iPhone doesn’t.
How to keep a history from now on
Starting with iOS 27, the Notification automation in the Shortcuts app can pass each notification to an app the moment it arrives. NotiKeep uses this to keep a history on your iPhone, including WhatsApp notifications:
- Install NotiKeep on an iPhone running iOS 27 or later.
- Open the app and tap Set up. Tap Add to Shortcuts, choose Shortcuts, and confirm the import of Salvar no NotiKeep.
- In Shortcuts, open Salvar no NotiKeep, tap Edit, then the trigger’s › arrow, and turn on Automation.
- WhatsApp is already selected in the trigger. Tap + to add other installed apps. Leave the filters empty to save everything.
- Ask someone to send you a message. It shows up in the Recents tab in NotiKeep a few seconds later.
Only works on iOS 27 or later. On iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or newer, update in Settings › General › Software Update. iPhone XR, XS, and earlier can’t get iOS 27. See the list of models.
How the history is organized
- Recents: one row per conversation, with an unread counter and accent-insensitive search.
- Apps: each app with its total. Inside an app, view by Conversations or All, in chronological order.
- Details: selectable text, tappable links, email addresses, and phone numbers, the date received, and copy, share, and delete.
- Manage: mark all as read, select, select all, delete in bulk, and swipe to delete.
- Labels: mark a message as edited or deleted without losing the original text, and filter by those labels.
- Pro: favorites, advanced search by app, conversation, and date, and CSV and PDF export. JSON export is free.
- Daily summary: an optional local reminder, at the time you choose, with how many notifications were saved that day.
- Settings: Face ID or passcode lock, history retention (forever, 30 days, 90 days, or 1 year), and delete all.
Which apps you can log
Any app you choose in the Shortcuts trigger that sends notifications with text. NotiKeep’s shortcut comes with WhatsApp; you can add Telegram, Instagram, email, and other installed apps. The saved text is whatever each app puts in its notification.
What’s not saved
- Only saves the text shown in the notification.
- Photos, videos, and audio aren’t saved.
- Profile photos aren’t saved.
- It doesn’t detect edits and deletions on its own. You can mark a message as edited or deleted, and the original text stays saved.
- Muted chats and notifications without previews aren’t captured, because they don’t include the text.
- Anything that arrived before setup isn’t captured.
Frequently asked questions
Does iPhone have a notification history like Android?
No. Notification Center only shows notifications that haven’t been opened, cleared, or removed by the app that sent them.
Does NotiKeep read Notification Center?
No. It receives notifications one by one through the Shortcuts automation, starting from setup. Anything that arrived earlier isn’t included.
Does the history take up a lot of space?
NotiKeep only stores text, which takes up little space. If you prefer, choose in Settings to keep your history for 30 days, 90 days, or 1 year.
Can I export my notification history?
Yes. JSON export is free; CSV and PDF are part of NotiKeep Pro. You can also copy or share any notification from its details screen.
Can anyone else see my history?
No. It stays on your iPhone only, and you can protect the app with Face ID or a passcode.
Does it work on iPhone 11, 13, or 15?
It works on any iPhone running iOS 27 or later. What matters is the iOS version, not the model: iOS 27 runs on iPhone 11 and later and on iPhone SE (2nd generation) or newer. iPhone XR, XS, and earlier can’t get iOS 27, so they can’t run NotiKeep.