Android 15’s Notification Cooldown is my new favorite feature

I’m in too many group chats. It’s not a brag or a flex, it’s just kind of a thing that happens. I usually get added to an existing group any time I show up to a new run club, or one of my friends will start a group chat when we’re trying to plan a bigger event. Although it’s a super simple way to keep everyone in the loop on things, eventually, the notifications start to pile up. In the past, that caused me to reach for the mute button early and often, but as of Android 15, I have a new favorite tool — the Notification Cooldown. Here’s what makes this not-quite-a-mute-button so, so good.

Although my finger always hovers close to the mute button when it comes to larger group chats, I’ve never been one to fully silence my phone. At worst, I can often ignore the buzzing, but there’s something about genuinely silencing a phone that feels, well, final. To me, it’s just too all-encompassing, treating urgent phone calls and memes about Paddington the Bear as if they were of equal importance — which, sadly, they are not.

So, when I received the March 2025 Pixel Update on my Pixel 9 Pro — an update you’ll need to even try Google’s new semi-silent mode — the pop-up suggesting I try the Notification Cooldown was just about as exciting to me as the ability to generate people in Pixel Studio. Of course, I didn’t know exactly what the Notification Cooldown was at first, but Google had a pretty simple way of explaining it. Essentially, if your phone is set to ring (or chime), the more notifications that come through before you check it, the quieter Google will make the tone for up to two minutes.

At a glance it sounds great, but also maybe a bit confusing, so I opted in all the same to see what would happen. It turns out that the Notification Cooldown works pretty much as I expected — it doesn’t jump right from full volume to mute but instead works its way down as the notifications keep coming in and automatically sends the incoming notification pop-ups to the bar across the top of your screen. Then, after about two minutes, the volume will jump right back up to where you set it, only to work its way back down as needed.

There are, however, a couple of limitations in place to keep Google’s Notification Cooldown from knocking out all communications to your Pixel — even if it’s only for two minutes at a time. For starters, it doesn’t cover incoming phone calls, nor does it knock out conversations deemed to be high-priority, both of which I’d call pretty reasonable limits. A few other parts of the Notification Cooldown make slightly less sense, however, like you never really know the limit for notifications, nor can you extend the cooldown beyond two minutes. So, if you’re like me and a few of your group chats tend to pop off in 45-minute bursts, your phone might sound like a bit of a rollercoaster going up and down.

All the same, I like that Google is giving me easier ways to escape the memes and plans without silencing my friends for hours at a time.

If you’ve updated your Pixel to the latest March 2025 patch — which, again, you’ll need for the Notification Cooldown — and dismissed the automatic pop-up too quickly, fear not. It couldn’t be easier to find and activate the setting to give yourself the shortest of breaks from the most active of group chats. Here’s where to find your new notification-based best friend:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Swipe down to Notifications and tap on the menu
3. Find the General section and tap Notification Cooldown
4. Flip the toggle on or off to give Google control over your notification volume

And that’s about it. Just remember that there’s no easy way to see how many notifications you need before Google knocks down your volume, nor is there a way to bump the timer beyond two minutes, so there’s every chance that you find the Notification Cooldown doesn’t go far enough. If that’s the case, you can always go back to the tried and true method of muting each group chat individually — it’s more effort but slightly easier to control.