How to hide OTP and message previews on your lock screen
Stop OTPs and private messages from showing on a locked screen, so a stranger near your phone cannot read or copy them.
By default many phones show the full text of an SMS on the lock screen, including OTPs. Anyone who picks up your phone, even for a second, can read them. Changing one setting hides the content until you unlock. It takes under a minute and costs nothing. Here is how to do it.
Steps
- Open Settings and search for notifications. Open Settings and use the search box to look for Notifications on lock screen or Lock screen notifications. Menu names differ slightly on Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus phones.
- Choose to hide sensitive content. Pick the option that hides sensitive content or shows only that a notification arrived. Some phones call it Hide sensitive content, Hide content or Show icons only.
- Hide the message app specifically. Open Settings, then Apps, find your SMS app and open its notification settings. Switch off Show on lock screen or choose to hide the content. Do the same for your email and chat apps.
- Do the same for banking apps. Open Settings, then Apps, choose your bank or UPI app, open Notifications, and hide it on the lock screen. Payment alerts rarely need to be visible to a bystander.
- Test it. Ask a friend to send you a message, lock the phone and look at the screen. You should see something like a new message without the text. Unlock the phone to read it.
- Also set a screen lock. Hiding the preview only helps if the phone is locked. Use a PIN or password with 6 digits or more, and a short auto-lock time such as 30 seconds.
Menu names differ a little between phone makers and Android versions. If you cannot find a setting, open Settings and use the search box.
Why it matters
OTPs are the last barrier before a payment goes through. If a stranger reads one off your lock screen, or a relative or colleague uses it, you may lose money. Hiding previews is a simple step that also keeps private chats away from curious eyes in buses, offices and shared homes.
Watch out for
- Hidden previews do not stop someone from unlocking the phone if they know your PIN.
- Never read an OTP aloud to a caller.
- A smartwatch may show messages too, so check it as well.
- Notification history can still hold older alerts.
How Safeavio helps
Safeavio's phone scan checks whether your phone has no screen lock, which is the setting that makes hidden previews useful. It cannot hide your messages itself and does not read them on its own, because you paste or share text when you want a check. You change the notification setting in your phone's own Settings.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Questions
Will I still get the OTP?
Yes. The message still arrives, and you can read it after unlocking the phone. Many banking apps also fill the OTP in for you, so you do not need to read it from the lock screen.
Can this stop an OTP scam?
It prevents a bystander from reading OTPs, but it cannot stop you from sharing one by mistake. Never tell an OTP to anyone, whoever they claim to be. A real company never needs it from you.