How to Take Control of Apple News Alerts in iOS 11 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Take Control of Apple News Alerts in iOS 11

by

Apple News Icon1Apple News is the built-in news app for iOS 11 that aggregates and curates stories and topics from a variety of third-party news sources. The service is only available in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. at the time of writing, so not all new iPhones and iPads will come with the stock app installed.

Apple News aims to offer a cleanly presented and personalized news service that caters to your tastes and interests, although one of its default behaviors is to spit out alerts from sources that you may or may not be interested in. Apple News refers to news sources in the app as "channels", and here we are going to run through two ways to control the alerts you receive from them.

How to Control News Alerts From Specific Channels

  1. Launch the News app on your iOS device.

  2. Tap the Following button at the bottom of the screen.

  3. Under the Channels list, look for any news sources that you didn't sign up for, and tap the blue bell icon next to them. If the bell icon next to a channel is greyed out, alerts from it are already disabled; if there's no bell icon beside a channel, it doesn't send alerts at all.
    apple news app 1

  4. To remove a source from your channels so that it no longer shows up anywhere in Apple News, tap the Edit button in the upper right of the screen, and then tap the red minus icon next to the source in question.

Tip: Scroll all the way to the bottom of the "Following" screen and you'll find another option to Manage Notifications. Tapping this opens a dedicated Notifications screen, where you'll see the channels you follow that offer news alerts as well as other channels with alert options that you don't currently follow.

apple news app 2

How to Disable Apple News Alerts Completely

If you'd rather disable all alerts for Apple News in one fell swoop, follow these steps.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.

  2. Scroll down the main list and tap News.

  3. Tap Notifications. (Tip: From this screen, you can prevent stories by channels you don't follow from appearing in the News app's "For You" section. Simply toggle on Restrict Stories in For You.)

  4. Toggle off Allow Notifications.

apple news notifications
If later you decide that you don't want to kill off News alerts altogether, this last screen is the one to return to, as it also offers additional options for controlling the behavior of notifications when they're enabled. You could simply stop new alerts from making an audible sound, for example, or just prevent them from showing up on the Lock Screen.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

HiRez Avatar
112 months ago
The problem with almost any app that has notifications is they they can’t seem to help themselves from abusing it by sending you a never-ending stream of alerts that swamps your lock screen and notification list.

So for News, like just about everything else for me, Off is the only sane option.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
112 months ago
I just want to know how to remove completely some of the sources for 'news'. Like I have some of the worst sources popup for science and tech news, and also want to block often wrong Fox News so I don't see their 'reportage' hit pieces anymore.

Resolved: You have to go into one of their articles, touch 'share', and then can 'dislike channel'. Seems a lot less intuitive than just swiping right (or left?) and clicking 'dislike channel'. But I'm finally free of their bullhockey 'news'.:D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Game 161 Avatar
112 months ago
the best way to take control of apple's new app is to delete it.
why? it's a very good app for news.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
112 months ago
I found it terrible, but to each their own.
It requires some participation from the user. I've got quite an eclectic mix of sources, and am generally pretty happy with it. It's what you put into it...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb098 Avatar
112 months ago
Dittos. The bias shown in their curation and need to editorialize is shameful.
How is it biased??? I see news stories from CNN, FOX with almost a perfect split.

This is like when people complain about recommendations in Apple Music. The curation is only as good as you make it based on reading habits and likes/dislikes.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
the best way to take control of apple's new app is to delete it.
Dittos. The bias shown in their curation and need to editorialize is shameful.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple TV Sans Remote Feature

New Apple TV 4K Leaked

Friday September 25, 2026 8:16 am PDT by
MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris has uncovered an image file from Apple for an unreleased Apple TV 4K, suggesting that a new model will finally be released soon. The image is specifically for an "Apple TV 4K (4th generation)" model. Apple TV 4K (4th generation) image (on a gradient) The image reveals that the Apple TV will have the same external design as the current model, with all of its...
m5 pro macbook pro launch day

Amazon Just Knocked $900 Off Apple's Latest 16-Inch MacBook Pro

Sunday September 27, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Amazon has introduced a major discount on the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max chip, 32-Core GPU, 36GB RAM, and 2TB SSD, now available for $3,499.00, down from $4,399.00. This is a massive $900 markdown on the high-end MacBook Pro, and it's joining a few other MacBook Pro discounts on Amazon this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a...
iPhone Duo Open

iPhone Duo Reportedly Facing Production Problems Ahead of Launch

Tuesday September 29, 2026 6:16 am PDT by
The iPhone Duo is reportedly facing production difficulties ahead of its October launch, with early output expected to be limited. A person said to be close to Foxconn's supply chain told China's Jiemian News that final assembly yields for Apple's first foldable iPhone were only slightly above 60% as of September 17. The source said that, under Apple's current quality standards, it could...
Latest Stories
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
11 hours ago
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
12 hours ago
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
13 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Owners Complain of Speaker Crackling or Popping
iPhone 18 Pro Owners Complain of Speaker Crackling or Popping
14 hours ago
You Can 'Get Ready' for iPhone Duo Pre-Orders on October 12
You Can 'Get Ready' for iPhone Duo Pre-Orders on October 12
15 hours ago
Apple Pay Reportedly Launching in India Today
Apple Pay Reportedly Launching in India Today
15 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
16 hours ago
Apple Shares New Guide for Using iOS 27 Parental Controls
Apple Shares New Guide for Using iOS 27 Parental Controls
16 hours ago
Apple Creator Studio and Final Cut Camera Get New Features
Apple Creator Studio and Final Cut Camera Get New Features
17 hours ago
Apple Explains Why It Removed ICE Tracking Apps Last Year
Apple Explains Why It Removed ICE Tracking Apps Last Year
17 hours ago
Amazon Expands $779.99 Apple Watch Ultra 4 Deal to More Models
Amazon Expands $779.99 Apple Watch Ultra 4 Deal to More Models
17 hours ago
Switch Siri AI for ChatGPT on Your Mac
Switch Siri AI for ChatGPT on Your Mac
18 hours ago
Apple Says Emergency SOS via Satellite Now Available in Norway
Apple Says Emergency SOS via Satellite Now Available in Norway
18 hours ago
AppleCare Guide: Is it Worth Paying For?
AppleCare Guide: Is it Worth Paying For?
18 hours ago
Apple Reportedly Planned to Replace 5,000 Support Employees With AI
Apple Reportedly Planned to Replace 5,000 Support Employees With AI
19 hours ago
Apple Planning to Launch Products Faster and More Often
Apple Planning to Launch Products Faster and More Often
19 hours ago
Amazon Discounting New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Alongside Early Prime Day Deals on Monitors
Amazon Discounting New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Alongside Early Prime Day Deals on Monitors
20 hours ago
New Apple TV 4K Hinted at in Support Document
New Apple TV 4K Hinted at in Support Document
21 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reportedly Facing Production Problems Ahead of Launch
iPhone Duo Reportedly Facing Production Problems Ahead of Launch
21 hours ago
Here's Why iPhone Apps Were Crashing
Here's Why iPhone Apps Were Crashing
22 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets a Virtual Walkman App Ahead of Launch
iPhone Duo Gets a Virtual Walkman App Ahead of Launch
1 day ago
iPhone Duo StandBy Leak Reveals Five Unannounced Faces
iPhone Duo StandBy Leak Reveals Five Unannounced Faces
1 day ago
Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 for Additional Models
Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 for Additional Models
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro First Impressions: What Do You Think So Far?
iPhone 18 Pro First Impressions: What Do You Think So Far?
2 days ago
iOS 26.7.1 Fixes Vulnerability Used in Targeted Attacks
iOS 26.7.1 Fixes Vulnerability Used in Targeted Attacks
2 days ago
Early Prime Day Deals Offer Up to 65% Off Anker and Jackery Power Stations
Early Prime Day Deals Offer Up to 65% Off Anker and Jackery Power Stations
2 days ago
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 With Bug Fixes
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 With Bug Fixes
2 days ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.0.1 With Face ID Bug Fix
Apple Releases iOS 27.0.1 With Face ID Bug Fix
2 days ago
Last Chance: OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
Last Chance: OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
2 days ago
12 New Things to Expect From Apple This October
12 New Things to Expect From Apple This October
2 days ago