Quick Answer
Here are some quick tips to get WhatsApp notifications back on Android:
– Check your notification settings in the WhatsApp app and make sure notifications are enabled.
– Check your phone’s notification settings and make sure WhatsApp notifications are turned on.
– Make sure WhatsApp is not optimized by your phone’s battery optimization feature. Add it to the “Not Optimized” apps list.
– Update to the latest version of WhatsApp in case a bug is causing notification issues.
– Force stop the WhatsApp app, clear cache and data, then restart your phone.
– Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp if notifications still don’t work.
– Try using a different notification sound in WhatsApp settings.
– Check Do Not Disturb settings on your phone and make sure WhatsApp is not silenced.
What to check in WhatsApp notification settings
Here are the steps to check WhatsApp notification settings and make sure they are enabled correctly:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap the More options (three dots) menu.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Tap Notifications.
4. Make sure that “Notifications” are enabled.
5. Check that notification tones and vibrations are selected.
6. Tap Message notifications and enable Show notifications.
7. Make sure that notification privacy settings are not blocking notifications.
8. Return to main Notifications screen and enable notification lights if desired.
9. Tap New messages and enable Pop on screen to get popup alerts.
10. Customize other notification settings like tones, lights, badges etc.
WhatsApp notification settings allow granular control over notifications. Take some time to review each section and enable/disable things as per your preference. The key things are to keep “Notifications” enabled, enable message notifications and popups, and select notification sounds/vibrations.
Checking Android device notification settings
In addition to app settings, you also need to allow WhatsApp notifications in the Android device settings:
1. Go to Settings on your Android phone.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Advanced settings.
4. Make sure WhatsApp has notification access enabled.
5. Tap WhatsApp and ensure Open app notification settings is enabled.
6. Return to Notifications screen. Tap WhatsApp.
7. Make sure “Allow notifications” is enabled.
8. Ensure Pop on screen is enabled under Advanced settings.
9. Customize other device notification settings for WhatsApp.
Android provides detailed control over notifications per app. Follow these steps to make sure WhatsApp can send notifications and has the required notification access on your device enabled. Granular settings like popup, priority, lock screen etc can be customized for WhatsApp here.
Exclude WhatsApp from battery optimization
Android phones try to extend battery life by restricting background activity of apps. This can unintentionally block WhatsApp notifications.
To prevent this:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Battery or Battery optimization.
3. Tap Battery optimization.
4. Change WhatsApp from “Optimized” to “Not optimized”.
Adding WhatsApp to the not optimized apps list prevents Android from restricting WhatsApp background activity like sending notifications.
Update WhatsApp to the latest version
Bugs or issues in outdated versions of WhatsApp could potentially cause notification problems. Updating WhatsApp to the latest version can resolve any such bugs:
1. On Android, open the Play Store app.
2. Search for WhatsApp.
3. If an Update option is shown, tap it to update to latest version.
4. If no update is available, your WhatsApp is already up to date.
The Play Store will automatically update apps but you can manually check for updates too. Update WhatsApp to see if it fixes any notification bugs.
Force stop and clear WhatsApp data
As a last resort, you can force stop WhatsApp and clear its app data and cache:
1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Select WhatsApp.
3. Tap Force Stop to force stop the app.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear Cache and Clear Data.
6. Restart your Android device.
This will reset WhatsApp to default settings and restart it fresh. You will have to setup WhatsApp from scratch again but it can resolve persistent notification issues.
Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
If notifications are still not working after above steps, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp:
1. Backup WhatsApp chat history first for restore later.
2. Go to Settings > Apps.
3. Select WhatsApp.
4. Tap Uninstall.
5. Confirm uninstall on prompt.
6. Go to Play Store and reinstall WhatsApp.
7. Restore chat history after installing WhatsApp.
Uninstalling removes all WhatsApp data and settings from your phone. Reinstalling gives you a clean slate to configure WhatsApp again and can fix notification issues.
Try using a different notification sound
As a workaround, you can try changing the WhatsApp notification sound:
1. Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap New Messages.
3. Tap the default notification tone and select a different sound.
Using a distinct notification sound can help make new WhatsApp notifications stand out. If they work with the new sound, it indicates an issue with the old notification sound file.
Check Do Not Disturb settings
Android’s Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications when enabled. Check that WhatsApp is not silenced by this:
1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap Do Not Disturb.
3. Make sure WhatsApp is not silenced or scheduled for DND.
4. Disable DND if enabled or remove WhatsApp from DND.
Do Not Disturb overrides all other notification settings. Make sure WhatsApp is not blocked by DND on your Android device.
Conclusion
Follow the troubleshooting steps outlined above to get WhatsApp notifications working again on Android. Check notification settings in the app and on your phone. Exclude WhatsApp from battery optimization, update the app, and reset it if needed. Uninstall WhatsApp as a last resort. Notification sounds, Do Not Disturb settings and outdated software versions can also prevent notifications. Carefully going through the notification configuration at app and device level should resolve the issue.