# Notifications that let you sleep: how quiet hours work

> Philos only makes a sound when one of your people talks to you. Here's what notifies you, what never does, and how quiet hours hold messages until morning.

By Suhail (One of the people who make Philos) · Published 18 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Section: Guides · Topics: Attention
Source: https://getphilos.com/blog/quiet-hours-and-notifications

## In short

- Only people talking to you, or answering you, make a sound. Posts and Moments never notify you, unless someone tags you.
- Quiet hours start on, from 22:00 to 07:00. Messages wait for one gentle note when they end.
- Let a Circle, like Close friends, through quiet hours, so the people who matter can always reach you.

In 2019, a team of researchers did something few of us dare to: they changed when 237 people's phone notifications arrived. Some got them as usual. Some got none at all. Some got them bundled, three times a day.

The people who got them three times a day felt more attentive, less stressed and more in control of their phones. The people who got none weren't calmer: they felt more anxious about what they were missing.

That's the balance we aimed for on Philos. Not silence. Just fewer, kinder interruptions, from the right people.

## What makes a sound, and what never does

Philos tells you about people, never about the app. On the sheet that asks to turn notifications on, we put it plainly: no streaks, no suggestions, no reminders to scroll.

**What notifies you**

- A message from someone you've added, or in a group you're in.
- A mention, or a reply to your message. These reach you even in a group you've muted.
- Someone tagging you in a post, or adding you back.

**What never does**

- A friend sharing a post or a Moment. It waits in your Feed.
- "You have new posts", "you haven't opened Philos in a while", or anything like it.
- Reactions to your messages don't make a sound. They arrive quietly.

If one chat sends several messages in a row, you hear one sound, and the rest arrive quietly beneath it.

## Quiet hours: on from the start

Quiet hours start on, from 22:00 to 07:00. During them, nothing makes a sound. Messages wait, and when quiet hours end you get one gentle note, titled **While you were resting**, with what came in.

Requests, like someone adding you back or tagging you, still land in your notification list overnight, silently.

To change the times:

1. Go to **You**, then **Settings**, then **Notifications**.
2. Under **Quiet hours**, set **From** and **Until**, or turn them off.

## Let the right people through

Some people should always be able to reach you: a partner on a night shift, a parent who's unwell, a sister due any day.

1. In **Settings**, then **Notifications**, tap **Let Circles through**.
2. Choose a Circle, such as Close friends or Family.

Messages from the people in that Circle arrive right away, even overnight. Nobody is told who's on the list. If you don't have a Circle yet, [make one first](https://getphilos.com/blog/setting-up-a-family-circle).

## Mute a chat without a fuss

Hold a chat in your list and mute it. Messages still arrive, just without sound or notifications, and no one is told.

## Questions people ask

### Will Philos notify me when a friend posts?

No. Posts and Moments wait in your Feed until you open the app. The only exception is when someone tags you in a post.

### What happens to messages during quiet hours?

Nothing makes a sound. Messages wait, and when quiet hours end you get one gentle note with what arrived, unless they're from a Circle you let through.

### Can I still be reached in an emergency at night?

Yes, if you let a Circle through quiet hours. Messages from people in that Circle arrive right away, even overnight.

## Sources

- [Batching smartphone notifications can improve well-being](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.07.016), Fitz, Kushlev and others, Computers in Human Behavior

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© 2026 Philos. From the Philos blog: https://getphilos.com/blog/quiet-hours-and-notifications