We've all done it: a notification flashes up on your phone, but before you've had a chance to read it, you've accidentally swiped it away. It's gone forever. Or is it?

If you use an Android device, there's actually an easy way to see your entire notification history -- and it's a cool hack that doesn't require root access!

It won't have the same amount of detail as the original alert, but it'll show you which app it came from so you can try and hunt down some further information.

Setting Up the Android Widget

Oddly, there's no way to access your notification history using the Settings menu or any other existing shortcut on the phone. You need to customize a special widget just for the job.

To start the process, unlock your Android screen and long-press anywhere on the home page. A new menu will pop up with three options: Wallpapers, Widgets, and Settings. Choose Widgets.

Now you need to scroll all the way down to Settings Shortcut. It's a 1 x 1 tile. When you find it, long-press on the icon, drag it onto your home page, and let go.

Your phone will display a list of shortcuts you can attach to the new widget. Scroll down and choose Notification Log. You will notice the widget icon has been renamed accordingly.

To see your notification history, just tap on the newly-created widget. You will see every notification you've received, along with a timestamp.

To expand the information, tap on an individual notification. Depending on the type of notification, you might be able to see a brief snippet of information from the alert.

Speaking of notifications, if you'd like to silence them all when you need to focus, see how to disable notifications from any app and how to set up and customize Do Not Disturb on Android.