How Push Notifications Can Betray Your Privacy (and What to Do About It)

Update April 22, 2026. Apple has reportedly addressed part of the issue with the notification database in iOS 26.4.2 and 18.7.8, released today. With this update, notifications marked for deletion should no longer be stored in the notification database. A phone’s push notifications can contain a significant amount of information about you, your communications, and what you do throughout the day. They’re important enough to government investigations that Apple and Google now both require a judge’