Hello folks! You used to be able to lock an important notification in place on your Galaxy phone, so a stray swipe or a “Clear all” tap couldn’t wipe it out. Then you updated to One UI 8, went looking for that setting, and it’s just… gone. If you’ve been digging through Good Lock and NotiStar wondering if you broke something, you didn’t. Samsung pulled the feature, and there’s a workaround that gets it back today.
What Happened to Notification Lock in One UI 8
If you’ve used a Galaxy phone for a while, you probably remember NotiStar, the notification history module inside Samsung’s Good Lock app. Since One UI 7, it let you pick specific apps and lock their notifications in the shade, so even hitting “Clear all” wouldn’t touch them. Handy for things like a delivery code, a boarding pass alert, or a message you didn’t want to lose before reading it properly.
When One UI 8 rolled out, that option quietly disappeared from NotiStar’s settings. Samsung didn’t make a big announcement about it, and plenty of people only noticed after they’d already lost a notification they meant to keep. It’s a small feature, but it’s the kind of small feature people build habits around, so the silence around its removal caused a fair bit of confusion on Samsung’s own community forums.
The good news: Samsung has confirmed the lock feature is coming back in One UI 8.5. The bad news: that update wasn’t out as of this writing, so if you’re on One UI 8 right now, you’re stuck waiting unless you use the workaround below.
How to Get the Notification Lock Back on One UI 8
This isn’t an official setting Samsung is advertising, it’s a test mode hidden inside NotiStar that developers use, and it happens to expose the missing lock option. It’s simple to turn on, no root or third-party app needed beyond Good Lock itself.
Step 1: Install Good Lock and the NotiStar Module
- Open the Galaxy Store app (not the Play Store, Good Lock is Samsung’s own store exclusive).
- Search for Good Lock and install it.
- Open Good Lock, go to the module list, and find NotiStar. Install it separately, since each Good Lock module downloads on its own.
Step 2: Turn On the Hidden Test Mode
- Open NotiStar from Good Lock or your app drawer.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner.
- Select Information.
- Find the developer’s name on that screen and tap it repeatedly. After a handful of taps, you’ll see a small “Test mode” message appear.
I know tapping a name over and over feels like a weird thing to do on your own phone, but this is the same kind of hidden developer menu trick Android has used for years (think tapping the build number to unlock Developer Options). It’s harmless.
Step 3: Turn On the Lock Option in Labs
- Once Test mode is active, go back to NotiStar’s main screen and open the Labs section.
- You should now see the notification lock option sitting there, back from the dead.
- Turn it on, then scroll to Set app unable to clear notifications and pick the apps whose alerts you want protected.
Once that’s set, those apps’ notifications survive “Clear all.” You can still swipe an individual one away on purpose, it just won’t get wiped out by accident along with everything else.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens after tapping the name: make sure you’re tapping the actual developer name text in the Information screen, not the version number below it. Give it a few more taps than feels reasonable.
- Test mode disappeared after an update: Good Lock modules update independently of One UI, and an update to NotiStar can reset test mode. Just repeat the tap trick again.
- Labs section still empty: close NotiStar completely from your recent apps and reopen it. Sometimes the Labs list doesn’t refresh until the app restarts.
- Want the native option instead: Samsung’s built-in notification history (different from locking, but related) lives at Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Notification history. It won’t stop a clear-all, but it lets you see what you swiped away.
- Honestly, once you’ve done this once, it takes about a minute to redo if it ever resets. Not a big deal, just annoying that it’s necessary at all.
FAQ
Why did Samsung remove notification lock from One UI 8 in the first place?
Samsung hasn’t given an official reason. NotiStar went through a broader redesign for One UI 8, and the lock feature seems to have been left out of that rework rather than intentionally cut for good, since it’s confirmed to be returning in One UI 8.5.
Does this trick work on every Samsung phone?
It works on any Galaxy device running One UI 8 with Good Lock and NotiStar installed. That covers current Galaxy S, Z, and A series phones. Good Lock itself isn’t available on non-Samsung Android phones.
Will I lose this setting when One UI 8.5 arrives?
No. Once One UI 8.5 brings the option back officially, it’ll just show up in NotiStar’s normal settings menu instead of hiding in Labs. Any apps you already locked should carry over, though it’s worth double-checking after you update.
Is Good Lock safe to install?
Yes. Good Lock is built and maintained by Samsung itself and distributed only through the Galaxy Store, not a third-party source. It’s one of the more trusted customization tools on Android precisely because Samsung owns it.
Final Thoughts
It’s a small thing, but losing a notification you actually needed is the kind of annoyance that sticks with you. The Kwangho Kim tap trick isn’t pretty, and it’s clearly not meant for regular users, but it works, and it’ll hold you over until One UI 8.5 makes it official again. If you’re weighing a Galaxy against a Pixel and want another data point, we put together an honest Pixel 7 Pro review after two years of daily use that’s worth a read too.
Has this trick worked for you, or did you find a different way around it? Drop a comment below and let us know which apps you ended up locking.
Featured and in-content images: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra photo by Jakub CA (CC BY 4.0), Galaxy S24 lock screen photo by C.Stadler/Bwag (CC BY-SA 4.0), both via Wikimedia Commons. Good Lock logo courtesy of Samsung Electronics (public domain).