PSA: Older Notifications No Longer Hidden in Notification Center in iOS 16.2 Beta 4 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

PSA: Older Notifications No Longer Hidden in Notification Center in iOS 16.2 Beta 4

In a small but significant change to the way the Notification Center works in the latest iOS 16.2 beta, older notifications are now shown by default without having to swipe up.

Notification Center
In the current release as well as earlier versions of iOS 16, users do not automatically see older notifications in the Notification Center like they did in iOS 15, and instead must manually swipe up from the middle to reveal them, if there are any.

In other words, if a new notification is received and the user unlocks and then locks their iPhone without interacting with it, iOS treats it as an old notification and sends it to the Notification Center where it is hidden, which some users say often results in important notifications being missed.

Note that in iOS 16.2 beta 4, the Lock Screen still hides older notifications unless the user swipes up from the middle of the screen. The change to showing older notifications by default only applies to Notification Center, which can be pulled down with a swipe down from the top of the screen when the iPhone has been unlocked.

Whether or not the change will make it into the official release of iOS 16.2, due later this month, is unknown, but if it does, many users will welcome the new behavior as an improvement to the way iOS deals with older notifications.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors

What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Thursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by
Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

30 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27

Friday August 14, 2026 6:24 am PDT by
Apple will release iOS 27 in September, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features on the way, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though, as the following feature list...
iPhone 17 One Year Later Thumb 1

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?

Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...

Top Rated Comments

48 months ago
YESSSSSS!

No idea why this was never the case in the first place. Too big a step change to remove it.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
48 months ago
Glad they listened. This was one of the worst updates to notifications in a long time. It was a huge step backwards.

Edit: Actually just reread this again, and it doesn't fix the issue on the Lock Screen, that is a bummer.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
infinitejest Avatar
48 months ago
Finally. Don't know how they could think that this was a good idea.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trhoffmann Avatar
48 months ago
Hunting for notifications is counter-intuitive.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RA1N1 Avatar
48 months ago
I am hoping to see this very soon, I am not a big fan of the current way the notification is set/hidden, I don't understand why this wasn't like this from the start.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
Setting it back to as similarly as it was in iOS15 is the best thing.

I’m surprised more people aren’t raising a stink about this. This is a big deal in regards to how Notification Center has worked for the better part of a decade.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)