What's the difference between Android's notification snoozing and cooldown?

Android is constantly evolving to help users manage their notifications better. Two features stand out for tackling notification overload: snoozing and cooldown. While they might seem similar at first glance, they’re designed for different situations and solve different problems. Here’s how they differ and why you might want to use them.

Notification snoozing has been around for a while, first appearing in Android Oreo (Android 8). It’s a tool for those moments when you want to deal with a notification later without dismissing it entirely. Once enabled in your settings, snoozing lets you temporarily hide a notification and have it reappear after a set amount of time — 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or even an hour. It’s perfect for tasks that need your attention but can wait, like a reminder to reply to a message or check an important email. Snoozing helps keep your notification tray clutter-free without losing track of what matters.

To use snoozing, you’ll need to turn it on in your phone’s notification settings since it’s disabled by default. Once enabled, you can snooze any notification by swiping it slightly and tapping the clock icon that appears. From there, you can choose how long to snooze it. When the time’s up, the notification pops back up as if it were new. It’s a simple way to keep things organized without feeling overwhelmed.

On the other hand, notification cooldown is a newer addition, introduced in beta builds of Android 15 and expected to roll out more widely with Android 16. Cooldown is designed for an entirely different problem: apps that bombard you with too many notifications in a short period. Think of an overly active group chat or an app spamming you with alerts. Cooldown automatically reduces the volume of these repeated notifications, making them less disruptive. Importantly, it doesn’t mute critical notifications like calls or alarms. It simply tones down the noise so you can focus without being distracted by constant pings.

Unlike snoozing, cooldown isn’t something you actively manage. It works behind the scenes and is enabled by default on devices running the appropriate Android build. This feature is particularly helpful for reducing notification anxiety, ensuring your phone stays quieter during those hectic moments when certain apps go into overdrive.

While both features aim to improve your notification experience, they serve different purposes. Snoozing is all about giving you control over when to deal with specific notifications. Cooldown, on the other hand, focuses on managing the overall noise of your notifications. Together, they address two sides of the same problem: keeping your phone from becoming a source of stress.

If you’re someone who likes to keep their notification shade tidy, enabling snoozing might be a game-changer. And if you find yourself annoyed by apps that send too many alerts, cooldown could be the feature you didn’t know you needed.