If you’re new to the PlayStation 4, or just returning to it due to the release of Destiny, you may have noticed that you’re being bombarded by party notifications from the people on your friends list. This feature was introduced in firmware update 1.70, and is particularly annoying if you’re trying to immerse yourself in a single player game – or simply don’t want to hear a bleeping sound every few minutes. Fortunately, it’s easy to disable.
1. Go to the Settings
From the PS4’s primary user interface, push up on the DualShock 4 to reach the top layer of the system’s menu, and select the toolbox labelled ‘Settings’.
2. Enter the Notifications submenu
When the long list of options appears, twirl down to the item named ‘Notifications’ and select it.
3. Turn off Party Notifications
You should find yourself in a menu with a long list of options. Scroll down to the one marked ‘When Friends Join a Party’ and select it to uncheck the tick box. Back out and you’ll never see these bothersome notifications again.
Comments 14
Thank you so much for this. Playing FF14 and one guy is constantly joining Destiny parties. No more!
I can see why people would not like it, me personally i dont even notice it anymore. Plus i kind of like it after being on 360 where a lot of the people i gamed pretty regularly with would appear offline. Nothing worse than hopping on, saying to yourself oh there not on, getting together an alternate group only to have an invite pop up ten minutes later from people you would prefer gaming with. Thank god for not being able to appear off, and party notifications i say. Now if we can get friend notifications....
I haven't been geting any notifications, guess I have no friends
forever alone
lol I turned that setting off just yesterday after finally getting annoyed (10 months later!)
And to think people are asking for 'friend is online' notifications...
I remember watching The Wolverine the other week and there was one guy constantly joining parties for 30 minuets talk about annoying.
Thank you. I was hoping there was a way to shut it off.
I wish you could disable SPECIFIC player's notifications.
Also, there needs to be a feature to categorize friends so you can only know when a category of friends do stuff.
@Paranoimia Yes we are as it's stupid not knowing when a friend has come online. Is it really that hard for Sony to do it and allow you to toggle which friends have come on/offline?
@rastamadeus I can't say for sure since I don't know how they've got it working, but potentially, yes, it could be difficult.
A list of 2 thousand names, together with regular checking for online/offline status, may take up enough system resources to impact other things. While it may seem like a simple thing to implement, it may well not be.
I've never done anything as complex as creating a videogame, but I was a programmer for 12 years, and I know from experience that changing even the smallest thing is often never as straightforward as it seems.
Changing something deeply embedded in the operating system will require not only a firmware update, but probably changes to the entire back end of the PSN infrastructure as well, and any mistake could be catastrophic. They may well be working on it, but taking their time.
Of course, it could be incredibly simple too. But since none of us work for Sony on creating firmware or maintaining PSN, we don't know. So in the meantime, is it really that hard for us to send a quick message saying "I'm online", which we know they'll get notified of? Or send a text? Or pre-arrange a time via email?
@Paranoimia The thing is even if it is difficult to implement now it 100% should have been there in the first place. It really seems Sony just rushed the OS for PS4 and now are left having to do hard work putting in things that should have been there from the start. It's a mess of their own making.
@rastamadeus Depends on your point of view I guess. I'd rather they kept system resources for games, rather than trivial convenience features.
Simply being notified that someone is online is - to me - pointless anyway. Whenever I get a notification on PS3 or Vita, when I look, they're playing something else - so simply telling me that they're online is a pointless distraction. If they want to play something with me, they can send me a message, which I will be notified of. At least then it's not a pointless distraction.
I don't think it's a rushed OS at all. The PS3 was marketed as an all-in-one media device, and much of the early criticism was that it tried to do too much and should have focused on games. The PS4 is marketed as a pure games machine, and now people are criticising that it doesn't do all the other stuff. Whatever PS4 does or doesn't do, people are going to moan about something.
As far as I'm concerned, it has exactly what is necessary to enable great games, which is why I bought it. Anything else is a bonus, not a necessity.
thank you! very important info
Thank you so much for the solution!
This notification feature was distracting, especially when it pops up in the middle of watching a movie.
I've made a YouTube video tutorial with the step-by-step procedure on How to turn off "Your friend has joined a party" notifications on PS4:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKGdmiWcydw
Hope it will be useful to someone.
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