Samsung Galaxy S8 And Galaxy S8 Plus: How To Hide Message Preview

If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, you must have noticed that every time when you receive a text message, a preview of that message will pop up on the lock screen. This feature was intended to help users have easier access to their messages, without having to unlock the screen and open the messaging app.

But, as some users complain, this can also be regarded as a matter of privacy. Other people around you might easily notice what text just popped up on the screen. Particularly if you’re handling sensitive information on your smartphone, it is understandable why you would want to disable text message previews and popups from your lock screen.

In this article, we’re going to tackle two different situations regarding how to hide message preview in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus: how to disable text popups and how to control the lock screen information. Luckily, all Samsung apps come with loads of customizable controls and options. We truly believe that there’s no need for you to start searching for third-party apps, as long as you can learn how to control and better use the built-in apps of your device.

How to disable text popups on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus

Pop-up notifications show up every time when you have an incoming text. They open up on top of the application you are currently running, they let you reply fast and easy, without leaving that app, and then, you can continue your work.

The problem, however, is that the pop-up shows both who sent you the message and a preview of your conversation. If you’re at work, when you’re supposed to work instead of playing on the phone, or if you were discussing some private matters with that person, you wouldn’t like people around you to see that pop up.

The alternative to these pop-up notifications is a small icon in the notification bar where you can also see the preview of the incoming text message. Again, you might not want to use that either and the good news is that you can actually disable it very easy.

With the instructions from below, you will be able to block such notifications. If you put them into practice, from now on, you will be the only one to see the content of the text messages and only when you will be opening the dedicated messaging app from Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus.

Open the Messages app;
Tap on the MORE button from the top right side of the screen;
Select Settings;
Select Notifications;
Tap on Pop-up Display to turn it off.

One last thing on this chapter – while you’re under the Notifications section of your messaging app, you will also notice a feature labeled as Preview Message. This is one of the latest privacy messaging features – if you deactivate it, you will continue to get pop-up notifications, but without any kind of private information or any preview of the message. It will be just a shortcut to the messaging app so, if you tap on it, you’ll be automatically redirected to the new message thread.

How to handle lock screen information

As promised, we will also tackle the issue of getting message previews right on the lock screen. Some users love this feature; others find it particularly annoying, usually concerned about their privacy. That’s why we suggest you to maintain the pop-up message notification from the lock screen, but to simply turn off its preview. This is the equivalent of the last method mentioned in the previous section. Here is how to better control what shows up on the screen of your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus:

Open the notification bar;
Tap the gear-shaped icon;
Launch the Settings;
Tap on Lock screen & security;
Find Notifications on the lock screen;
Tap on the option Content on lock screen;
In here, you can either select to hide content or the Do not show notifications feature.

When you opt to hide content, you will continue to receive all kinds of notifications on your lock screen, from social networks and emails to text messages and so on, but without any kind of detailed information.

If you select the Do not show notifications feature, then nothing will show up on your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus screen and no one else other than you should be able to access those notifications, after using the password to unlock the screen and to access the device.