Provided is a method of controlling an image forming apparatus, the method including: periodically making an inquiry about an instruction to a management server; determining whether or not to display a notification indicating that a message has arrived, based on information about a registered time of the message acquired by the management server as a result of the inquiry, and information about a time when the message is displayed on the image forming apparatus; and controlling the notification indicating that a message has arrived to be displayed in a predetermined display area in accordance with at least a determination, in the determining, that the notification indicating that the message has arrived is displayed, and controlling not to display the notification indicating that the message has arrived in accordance with at least a determination, in the determining, that the notification indicating that the message has arrived is not displayed.