Many Android users who have upgraded to Android 12 have reported an issue with WhatsApp’s pop up notifications no longer appearing. This can be frustrating, as the pop up notifications provide a convenient way to quickly view and respond to new WhatsApp messages. In this article, we’ll examine why WhatsApp’s pop up notifications are not working on Android 12 and what can be done to re-enable this useful feature.
What are WhatsApp Pop Up Notifications?
WhatsApp’s pop up notifications display new messages in a little window that pops up over the current app you have open. This allows you to quickly glance at new messages without having to open the WhatsApp app. The pop up shows a preview of the message, along with buttons to reply directly from the pop up or open the message in WhatsApp.
Pop up notifications provide a handy way to immediately see and respond to priority WhatsApp messages without fully context switching to the WhatsApp app. Many users find it helpful for staying on top of important conversations while still being able to concentrate in their current app.
Why Aren’t WhatsApp Pop Up Notifications Working in Android 12?
When Android 12 was released in 2021, Google introduced new privacy-focused notification features. One of the biggest changes was turning off notifications for all apps by default. Users now have to manually enable notifications for each app.
Unfortunately, WhatsApp’s default notification settings on Android 12 do not have the pop up notifications enabled. So even after enabling WhatsApp notifications, the pop ups still won’t appear.
Google also added new runtime permission requirements for displaying pop up-style notifications in Android 12. Apps now need to get explicit user consent to draw over other apps for chat bubbles, pop ups, etc.
WhatsApp has not yet updated its Android app to meet the new runtime permission requirements in Android 12. So it is unable to show the pop up notifications even with notifications enabled.
How to Re-Enable WhatsApp Pop Up Notifications in Android 12
While WhatsApp needs to update its app to fully fix this issue, there is a workaround that can be used to re-enable the pop up notifications manually:
1. Open the Android Settings app
2. Tap Notifications
3. Select the WhatsApp app
4. Change the Importance from ‘Conversations’ to ‘Urgent conversations’
5. Tap Advanced
6. Enable ‘Allow popup notification’
This will grant WhatsApp the required runtime permission to display over other apps. Doing this should allow the pop up notifications to work again in Android 12.
You may also need to open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings > Notifications > Conversation notifications and ensure ‘Popup notification’ is enabled.
The full steps to reactivate WhatsApp pop up notifications on Android 12 are:
| 1 | Open Settings app |
| 2 | Tap Notifications |
| 3 | Select WhatsApp app |
| 4 | Change Importance to ‘Urgent conversations’ |
| 5 | Tap Advanced |
| 6 | Enable ‘Allow popup notification’ |
| 7 | Open WhatsApp |
| 8 | Go to Settings > Notifications |
| 9 | Ensure ‘Popup notification’ enabled |
Following these steps should successfully reactivate WhatsApp’s pop up chat notifications in Android 12.
When Will WhatsApp Fix This?
WhatsApp is aware of the issue with pop up notifications in Android 12. They have confirmed that a fix for this requires updating the WhatsApp app to meet the new permission requirements.
However, as of October 2022, WhatsApp has not yet issued an update to address the Android 12 notification changes. The WhatsApp team is likely working on implementing the required adjustments, but an exact timeline is unknown.
Until WhatsApp releases an app update on the Play Store with proper Android 12 notification support, users will need to follow the manual workaround above. Enabling the ‘Allow popup notification’ setting essentially overrides the new permission requirements.
Hopefully WhatsApp will prioritize resolving this soon in a future update, so users don’t have to use workarounds to get back this useful notification feature.
Other Notification Issues in Android 12
The change in WhatsApp’s pop up notification behavior is not the only notification issue arising from Android 12’s new privacy rules. Some other problems users may encounter include:
– Missed notifications from apps that haven’t been manually enabled
– Apps not making sound/vibrating even when enabled
– Conversations section showing no apps despite having notifications enabled
– Persistent notifications disappearing faster than expected
These issues stem from the added user control & automation around notifications in Android 12. By default, the OS gives users more discretion over which apps can notify them. This avoids noisy, irrelevant notifications, but does require adjusting notification settings per app.
As developers update their apps and get used to Android 12’s new requirements, notification reliability and consistency should improve over time. For now, users may need to manually tweak notification settings to get their desired behavior.
Top Notification Settings to Check in Android 12
To troubleshoot other notification issues in Android 12, go through these key notification settings:
| – Check the app’s notification settings |
| – Ensure notifications are enabled for the app |
| – Check if Priority or Sensitive notifications are disabled |
| – Make sure bubble, pop up, sound, and vibration are allowed |
| – Adjust notification importance level as needed per app |
Toggling some of these notification behaviors on or off can help restore expected notification functionality in Android 12.
Other Workarounds and Solutions
Beyond the steps outlined above to re-enable WhatsApp pop ups, there are a few other workarounds that may help with notification issues:
– Try resetting app preferences, which will clear any incorrect notification settings
– Check that notification access or drawing over other apps isn’t disabled for the app
– Force stop the app and clear its cache/data to reset any problematic settings
– Temporarily switch notification importance to Urgent until the app is updated
– Use a third party notification manager app to customize notifications
However, the manual WhatsApp steps above are likely the most straightforward and effective solution for now. The other workarounds are more general fixes for broader notification problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my WhatsApp notifications stop working after updating Android?
WhatsApp’s notifications may have stopped working due to new privacy-focused notification features in Android 12. Notifications are disabled for all apps by default. You need to manually enable notifications for each app that you want to receive them from.
How do I enable WhatsApp notifications on Android 12?
Go to Settings > Notifications > Select WhatsApp > Switch on ‘Allow notifications’ and customize notification settings like Importance level, Lock screen visibility, Sounds, and Vibrations.
Can I get back the WhatsApp chat bubbles on Android 12?
Yes, you can re-enable the WhatsApp chat heads or bubbles by enabling ‘Allow pop up notification’ under Advanced notifications settings for WhatsApp. Bubbles may also need to be enabled within WhatsApp as well.
Why are my Android 12 notifications so quiet even when sounds are on?
Android 12 has new rules around notification sounds based on priority level and automatic rules. Check the app notification settings to make sure Sounds and Vibrations are explicitly enabled based on your preferences.
How do I stop notification spam on my Android 12 phone?
Disable notifications for spammy apps entirely. Or use notification channels to turn off specific notification categories you don’t need. Android 12 also allows limiting how often an app can notify you.
Conclusion
WhatsApp’s pop up notifications not working in Android 12 is due to recent privacy-focused changes by Google. Notification access now requires runtime permissions on a per app basis. Until WhatsApp updates its app accordingly, users can manually enable the ‘Allow popup notification’ setting as a workaround.
While notification behavior has changed in Android 12, there are still ways to customize notifications to meet personal preferences. It just requires going through the updated notification settings for each app. As more apps support Android 12 properly, notification issues should subside over time.