What Samsung’s New Notification Spam Filter Actually Does
Samsung’s latest Device Care update introduces a powerful Samsung notification spam filter designed to tackle apps that abuse push alerts. Instead of acting as a traditional browser ad blocker, this feature focuses on “frequent advertisement alerts” and promotional push messages that clutter your notification bar. When Device Care detects an app sending excessive marketing notifications or deceptive ads, it can automatically move that app into Deep Sleep. Deep Sleep removes its ability to run background processes and send notifications until you manually open it again. This means noisy weather, utility, or game apps can no longer bombard you with random promos once they are flagged. Integrated directly into One UI’s Device Care update features, the tool gives Galaxy owners a more hands-off way to block ad notifications on Galaxy phones without digging through each app’s settings one by one.
Check Your Device Care Version and Eligibility First
Before you can enable Samsung’s notification spam filter, you need the correct Device Care version on a compatible Galaxy device. The new blocking options start with Device Care version 13.8.80.7, which is rolling out through the Galaxy Store. On many phones, the feature currently appears first on the Galaxy S26 series and seems tied to newer One UI notification settings, likely around One UI 8.5. To check for the update, open the Galaxy Store, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), and go to Updates. Look for Device Care and update it if version 13.8.80.7 is available. If you don’t see the update yet, it may arrive later in stages. On some older models, users have reported sideloading the latest Device Care APK from trusted third-party sources, but the safest approach is to wait for the official rollout via the Galaxy Store.
How to Turn On Basic Blocking to Quiet Known Ad Spammers
Once Device Care is updated, you can start with Basic blocking for a simple way to block ad notifications on Galaxy devices. Basic mode relies on Samsung’s internal list of apps known to send excessive adware-style notifications. When one of these apps is detected on your phone, Device Care can automatically restrict its ability to send alerts and place it into Deep Sleep. To enable it, open Settings, tap Device care, and look for options related to blocking apps with excessive ads or frequent advertisement alerts. Turn on Basic blocking to activate Samsung’s default protections. This mode is ideal if you want quiet, predictable behavior without the system analyzing every individual notification. You can later review which apps were restricted via the Care report section under Excessive alerts and decide whether to keep them blocked or restore their notification permissions.
Use Intelligent Blocking for Real-Time Ad Spam Detection
For more aggressive control over notification spam, switch to Intelligent blocking. In this mode, Device Care examines notifications in real time instead of relying only on a preset list of bad actors. When it detects that an app is pushing too many promotional messages or ad-heavy alerts, it automatically silences the app and moves it into Deep Sleep until you open it again. Because Intelligent blocking is algorithm-driven, Samsung warns that some legitimate notifications might occasionally get flagged. Still, this mode generally offers more accurate and proactive filtering of marketing spam than Basic blocking. You can enable it instead of, or in place of, Basic mode from the same Device Care notification spam settings. If you notice you’re missing important alerts, revisit the Excessive alerts section in Care report to review which apps were blocked and adjust each app’s notification rights individually.
Review Blocked Apps and Keep Your Notification Bar Clean
Managing the apps that Samsung’s notification spam filter catches is straightforward, and it helps you maintain a cleaner notification bar over time. To see what has been restricted, navigate to Settings, open Device care, tap Care report, then select Excessive alerts. You’ll see a list of apps that were flagged for frequent advertisement alerts, along with their current status. From here, you can unblock apps you trust, restore their notification permissions, or leave persistent offenders in Deep Sleep so they can’t run in the background or send new alerts. This central dashboard is especially useful if you previously had to dig into individual One UI notification settings for each app. Now you can handle most ad spam issues from a single screen, reducing visual clutter from adware and helping ensure only genuinely useful notifications reach your lock screen and status bar.