How can I choose which account alerts arrive as push notifications?

Start by sorting alerts by what you would do if you saw one late. Put sign-in warnings, suspicious-activity notices, and alerts about sensitive account actions in a security group. Put routine updates, recommendations, and other activity you can check later in an optional group. These are examples for organizing your review, not a claim that every service offers those exact categories.

For a Google Account, Google says it sends security alerts for important actions such as a sign-in on a new device, suspicious activity, or a blocked sensitive action. Its guidance is to review the sign-in details and use the provided account-security steps if the activity is unfamiliar. That is a reason to treat security alerts differently from optional updates, not a guarantee that a particular alert can be switched between push and another delivery method. [S1]

Before changing anything, open the account’s own notification or security settings and read each option’s description. Note which alerts are push notifications and which settings may affect other delivery methods too. If the service does not clearly separate those controls, avoid guessing.

Look for categories that explicitly describe the event and the delivery method. A useful review note could be:

Alert: new sign-in | Category: security | Delivery: push (if offered) | Choice: keep on Alert: routine updates | Category: optional | Delivery: push (if offered) | Choice: consider turning off

These are placeholders for your notes, not exact setting names. If a switch says only “notifications,” check whether it covers security alerts, optional updates, or both before changing it. If that is unclear, leave it unchanged and look for the service’s own explanation or help page.

Also distinguish an account security prompt from a general activity alert. Google documents Google prompts as a push notification used as a second sign-in step on supported, signed-in Android devices and specified Google apps on iPhone. You can use a prompt to approve a sign-in you started or block one you did not. It is an authentication step, not a general preference for choosing which account alerts arrive by push. [S2] So do not switch off or confuse a sign-in approval prompt just to reduce routine notifications.

Yes. First, write down the current setting and the exact category you plan to change. Change one clearly optional category at a time, rather than turning off all account notifications. Then revisit the settings to confirm what the control says it affects. If the screen does not identify the alert types or delivery methods, pause instead of testing with a security setting.

For example, suppose the settings distinguish “product updates” from “security alerts.” You could consider disabling push for product updates while leaving security alerts as they are. That example assumes the service offers separate controls; it is not a claim that any particular service does. Do not create a risky sign-in or deliberately trigger a security event to test delivery. The available information explains the importance and purpose of certain Google security notifications, but does not establish a general setting for selecting push delivery, or how other services handle it. [S1] [S2]

Use this plan:

1. List the alerts you notice and group them as security, sign-in approval, or optional activity.
2. Open the service’s notification settings and read the description of each relevant control.
3. Keep security-related alerts on unless you understand the consequences and have a suitable alternative way to notice them promptly.
4. Reduce only clearly optional push categories, one change at a time.
5. Record what you changed and review the setting again if you stop receiving an alert you expected.

Do not assume that turning off push notifications turns off only push, or that every service has separate controls. If the setting’s effect is unclear, the cautious choice is to leave it unchanged and consult that service’s help information.