WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, with over 2 billion users. A key feature of WhatsApp is the ability to receive notifications when you get a new message, so you can respond quickly. However, sometimes these notifications don’t show up properly and you miss messages. In this article, we’ll explore the common reasons why WhatsApp notifications may not be working and how to fix them.
Your Do Not Disturb mode is on
One of the most common reasons for missing WhatsApp notifications is having your Do Not Disturb mode turned on. This mutes all notifications so you aren’t disturbed by pings and buzzes from your phone. To check if Do Not Disturb is enabled:
- On an iPhone, swipe down from the top of the screen and check if the moon icon is lit up.
- On Android, swipe down from the top and look for the Do Not Disturb or Silent mode icon.
If Do Not Disturb is on, simply tap on the icon to turn it off. This will unmute your notifications and you should start receiving WhatsApp alerts again.
Notifications are muted in WhatsApp settings
You may have accidentally muted notifications within WhatsApp itself. To check this:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the More options icon (3 dots in top right)
- Go to Settings > Notifications
- Make sure that “Messages” and “Group Notifications” do not show the mute icon.
If they are muted, just tap on them and unmute. You can also customize the notification settings, like enabling a notification sound and vibrations.
WhatsApp notifications are disabled system-wide
It’s also possible to disable WhatsApp notifications at an OS level, either inadvertently or because you don’t want any notifications from just WhatsApp. To enable them again:
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp > Allow Notifications
- On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > WhatsApp > Notifications > turn on “Allow notifications”
You can also customize the notification style and sound here.
Outdated WhatsApp version
Using an outdated version of WhatsApp can also cause issues with notifications. WhatsApp regularly releases updates to fix bugs and improve performance. To ensure you have the latest version:
- On iPhone, go to the App Store and check for WhatsApp updates
- On Android, go to Play Store and check for updates. Or open WhatsApp > More Options > Settings > check for an “Update” button.
Updating to the latest version may resolve any notification bugs.
Battery optimization restricting WhatsApp
On Android devices, having battery optimization enabled can restrict WhatsApp’s ability to run in the background and send notifications. To disable this:
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > Special App Access > Battery Optimization
- Locate WhatsApp in the list and select “Don’t Optimize”
Giving WhatsApp unrestricted battery access will ensure notifications come through.
App lacks required permissions
For WhatsApp to send notifications it needs access to certain permissions, like notification access. If for some reason the app lacks these permissions you won’t get alerts. To check and re-enable:
- On iPhone, go to Settings > WhatsApp > check all permissions are enabled
- On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > WhatsApp > Permissions > enable all permissions
Granting notification access permission should make WhatsApp notifications work again.
Your phone is on silent mode
If your phone is set to silent or vibrate mode, you won’t get any notification sounds from WhatsApp or other apps. Check that your ringer volume is turned up and not set to silent. On most phones you can control this from the volume rocker or a dedicated silent mode switch.
Too many unread messages
In rare cases, if you have too many unread messages, WhatsApp may stop sending notifications. This seems to happen once you have over 9,000 unread messages. The app gets overwhelmed trying to display that many notification icons. The fix is just to read through and clear your unread WhatsApp conversations to get notifications working again.
Disabled notifications for individual chats
It’s possible you have disabled notifications for specific chats in WhatsApp. To check and re-enable them:
- Open the chat you want notifications from
- Tap the contact name at the top and select Mute > Unmute
This will undo any chat-specific notification muting you’ve set.
Your phone’s software is buggy
Faulty software or firmware on your phone could also be the culprit behind WhatsApp notification issues. Some things you can try:
- Restart your phone.
- Check for and install any pending system software updates for your phone.
- Clear the cache partition on Android devices.
Restarting the phone can clear out any corrupt memory issues. Software updates may fix notification bugs in the OS. And clearing the cache can get rid of unstable app data that may interfere with WhatsApp notifications.
Network connectivity problems
Without an internet connection, WhatsApp will not be able to receive new messages or send notifications. Make sure you don’t have any network issues:
- Check you have a stable WiFi or cellular data connection.
- Try toggling Airplane mode on and off to reset the network.
- On Android, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data Usage and check if WhatsApp has data access.
With a working internet connection, WhatsApp will buzz your notifications as expected.
Account logged in elsewhere
If your WhatsApp account is logged in on another device, notifications may only appear on that other device. For example, if you are logged in on your phone as well as an iPad, notifications will be sent to the iPad while in use.
Make sure to log out of WhatsApp on other devices to ensure notifications reliably reach your primary phone.
Expired WhatsApp account
In rare cases, your WhatsApp account may have been inactive for too long and expired. This means it is deleted from WhatsApp’s servers along with your messages and notification settings.
You will have to sign up for WhatsApp again using your phone number. Once set up fresh, your notifications will resume working.
Phone restored from backup
If you recently restored your iPhone or Android phone from a backup, notification settings may not have carried over properly to WhatsApp.
Try reinstalling WhatsApp completely and set up your account from scratch rather than using a backup. This can resolve quirky notification issues.
Time and date inaccurate
WhatsApp relies on your phone’s time and date setting to properly sort notifications and deliver them. If your phone’s clock is inaccurate, it can confuse the WhatsApp app.
Check that auto time sync is enabled on your phone’s settings, or manually set the time correctly.
Notification center not working
On iOS and Android devices, the notification center/shade is where your WhatsApp notifications will appear. If it’s not working properly overall, you won’t see WhatsApp alerts either. Things to check:
- Pull down notification shade – notifications should appear.
- Reboot phone to restart notification system.
- Clear notification center history.
Make sure the notification center itself works, otherwise WhatsApp can’t display anything there.
Conclusions
Missing WhatsApp notifications can be annoying, but in most cases it’s caused by a simple settings issue or technical glitch. The steps above should help identify and fix the root cause. Some of the main things to check are:
- Disable Do Not Disturb / Silent mode
- Unmute WhatsApp notifications in system and app settings
- Update WhatsApp to latest version
- Allow WhatsApp unrestricted battery access
- Clear too many unread messages
- Remove chat-specific mutes
- Restart phone and check for system software updates
- Ensure internet connection is working
- Log out elsewhere to get notifications on main phone
With a bit of troubleshooting, you should be able to resolve most issues that are preventing WhatsApp notifications from appearing properly. If the problem persists even after trying all fixes, you may need to contact WhatsApp support for further help.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Do Not Disturb enabled | Disable DND mode |
| Notifications muted | Unmute in WhatsApp and system settings |
| Outdated WhatsApp | Update to latest version |
| Battery optimization on | Disable optimization for WhatsApp |
| Permissions disabled | Re-enable permissions |
| Too many unread messages | Read through messages |
| Individual chats muted | Unmute specific chats |
| Buggy phone software | Restart phone, update software |
| Network issues | Check WiFi and cellular data |
| Logged in elsewhere | Log out on other devices |
| Expired account | Sign up again |
| Restored backup | Clean install WhatsApp |
| Incorrect time/date | Set correct time |
| Notification center problems | Restart notification system |
With the wide range of troubleshooting steps covered, you should now have no issue getting your missing WhatsApp notifications to show up reliably. Just go through each fix methodically until you resolve the specific problem affecting your particular phone and version of WhatsApp.
Consistent notifications are key for messaging apps, so you can respond to contacts in a timely manner. Thankfully, WhatsApp notification issues are usually soluble with a bit of troubleshooting effort. Now you can stay on top of all your unread WhatsApp messages.