Personally I've been loving the new Notification center in Windows Phone 8.1. The other day I joked about the Windows Phone dark ages where I’d hear an alert on my phone and would have to search the various Live tiles on my Start screen for which app wanted my attention. Missing that initial toast notification meant you’d need to put in some work to find out what’s going on. The Notification center in Windows Phone 8.1 changes all that of course. Here’s a quick tip on how to prevent others from seeing your Notification center when your phone is locked. A lot of you have been asking, so here’s the solution.
It’s so simple, but something you might have overlooked. There’s one little toggle to turn off if you want to keep your Notification center away from prying eyes.
Here’s how to keep your Notification center private when your phone is locked. Just go to settings > notifications + actions > and deselect ‘show notifications in action center when my phone is locked’.
That’s seriously it. Now anytime someone tries to swipe down your Notification center on a locked phone they’ll only see the Action center where you have those quick-access toggles.
Simple? Yes, very simple, but we’ve been having a few of you complain about this perceived oversight by Microsoft. It’s there and probably should be the default for locked phones. Either way, let us know if this helps you out.
Don’t forget to share any other little ‘tips’ you’ve been finding while playing around in Windows Phone 8.1.
Further reading:
- Windows Phone 8.1 Tips
- How to quickly silence your ringer on Windows Phone 8.1
- How to swear like a champ using the Word Flow keyboard in Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft may soon let you create your own dynamic themes for Xbox and PC
A new app called "Xbox Dynamic Themes Editor" has appeared, thanks to a reliable Microsoft leakster. Here's what it looks like.

Everything we know about the rebooted Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport is restarting the legendary franchise from Turn 10 Studios, and it's coming to Xbox and PC. Here's everything we know right now.

Review: The Lumina 4K webcam is powered by AI and rivals a DSLR
What if you took excellent camera hardware and mixed it with the same AI software in modern smartphones? You’d get the $199 Lumina AI Webcam, which looks great and is likely to get even better. Can it rival a DSLR? Maybe.

Get more from your XPS 13 with these great external monitors
The XPS 13 is capable of being your one and only PC, and with a great monitor you can turn it into a desktop with a single cable.