Here's how Chrome is quietly tackling annoying website notification spam

Website notifications can be useful, but it’s easy for a single “Allow” tap to turn into a steady stream of unwanted alerts. According to Google, Chrome has significantly reduced that abuse through a combination of protections that can block problematic sites and limit how many notifications they send.

Chrome can automatically revoke notification permissions from websites you haven’t recently used and remove access from sites that repeatedly trigger warnings for suspicious notifications. Even better, you can review and restore those permissions if you still want notifications from a particular site.

Google has been building these protections for years. Chrome’s Safety Check gained automatic removal of unused permissions in 2023, while a 2024 update added a one-tap Unsubscribe option for unwanted website notifications on Android. Google said the latter reduced notification volume by 30% on supported Pixel devices.

Google is now detailing how those protections work alongside its other safeguards. Chrome can identify groups of websites that coordinate abusive notification campaigns and revoke their notification access. At the delivery level, Google can also throttle disruptive websites through Firebase Cloud Messaging, limiting them to 1,000 messages per minute. Repeat offenders can face tighter limits.

For most people, this should mean fewer notifications from sites that don’t deserve your attention. Much of the work happens automatically, so there’s no new setting you need to enable.

Android is also getting a less intrusive way to handle notification requests. Chrome 155 will replace the prominent notification prompt with a smaller request that lets you continue browsing. You can still allow notifications, but you won’t have to make that decision just because a website interrupts what you were doing. Google announced this change in July, much ahead of Chrome 155’s release.

A hidden win for device battery life

The best browser improvements are often the ones you don’t actively see, but definitely feel in daily use. Notification spam isn’t just annoying; it actively drains your device. Every time a site sends background messages, it forces your phone’s processor to wake up, consuming system memory and battery power.

By shutting down rogue background activity at the server level, Google isn’t just decluttering your lock screen. It’s freeing up your device’s processor. The end result is a smoother browsing experience that puts less strain on your battery throughout the day.

Chrome handles these protections automatically behind the scenes, but users still maintain full control. So if you ever want to review or manage which websites are allowed to send you alerts, you can check your settings manually:

• On Android, open Chrome > Tap the three dots (⋮) > Settings > Notifications.
• On Desktop, open Chrome > Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Notifications.

Legitimate websites can still use notifications for useful things such as news alerts, delivery updates, or price changes. But if a site turns that permission into a flood of unwanted messages, Chrome now has considerably more ways to push back.