WhatsApp is an excellent messaging application since it is free to use, and it gives users many options to communicate with others. For example, WhatsApp allows for group chats to be created so that multiple people can communicate with each other seamlessly. However, one issue you may face when you are using WhatsApp is that notifications are not working. Notifications not working can happen on both Android and iPhones. This is an important issue to resolve since notifications are the primary method for checking if you have any new messages on WhatsApp.
What Might Cause WhatsApp Notifications to Not Work?
Some of the causes of WhatsApp notification not working are:
- Poor internet connection.
- Phone settings, such as disabled notifications or Do Not Disturb enabled.
- Background data usage restrictions.
This article will outline many possible methods you can use to repair the issue of WhatsApp notifications not working.
Solutions to WhatsApp Notifications Not Working
Some of the solutions listed in this part of the article can be attempted on Android devices as well as iPhones. However, when a method is exclusive to one of the operating systems, we will specify.
Solution 1: Check Internet Connection
One reason why your notifications are not working on WhatsApp is due to a poor internet connection or no internet connection at all. Some steps you can take to resolve this issue are:
- Turn Wi-Fi or mobile data off and then back on.
- Disconnect from your Wi-Fi by forgetting it in Wi-Fi settings and then reconnecting to it.
- Move to a region with a better Wi-Fi connection or mobile data signal.
- Test your internet connection by trying to access a website through your mobile phone’s browser.
If you have a strong internet connection but still don’t get WhatsApp notifications, try the next solution.
Solution 2: Enable Notifications through Settings
One reason you may not be seeing WhatsApp notifications is that your WhatsApp notifications have been disabled for mistaken operations or other unknown reasons. The method for enabling the notifications on Android and iOS vary so we have listed the methods for both operating systems.
On iOS:
- Open WhatsApp and click on the Settings tab at the bottom (it is represented by a gear cog).
- Tap on Notifications and make sure “show notifications” is on for both message notifications and group notifications.
On Android:
- Open Settings and tap on “Apps & notification” or similar options.
- Choose to view “all apps”.
- Pick WhatsApp, then notifications and make sure all notifications are on.
Solution 3: Do Not Disturb
One reason why you may not be seeing any notifications from WhatsApp (and other apps) is if you have enabled Do Not Disturb (DND). DND is a function available on most smartphones that prevents your phone from ringing and notifications from displaying. You can easily turn this off on your iPhone by swiping down from the top right-hand side of the corner. Then, make sure the DND icon (it is represented by a moon) is off.
On Android, access your quick-settings menu by swiping down from the top with two fingers. Make sure do not disturb is disabled. If it is enabled, tap on it to disable it.
Solution 4: Clear Cache – Only for Android
One reason why WhatsApp notifications are not showing is that the cache has become too large. You can clear your WhatsApp cache on an Android phone by:
- Open settings and choose “Apps & Notifications” or a similar option.
- Select “All apps” and then pick WhatsApp.
- After selecting “Storage”, tap on “Clear cache” and wait for your phone to clear the WhatsApp cache. This can take a while if the size of the cache is large.
Once you have done this, we recommend you also complete solution 5.
Solution 5: Restart Phone
This is an effective method of stopping all background processes on your device that are not needed. One reason why WhatsApp notifications are not showing on your phone could be due to them getting “stuck” due to too many background processes. Often, restarting your phone can solve this issue.
The exact method to do this varies but on an iPhone, press and hold the power button until you can power off your device. Then, wait for 20 seconds before turning your phone back on. For some iPhone models, try holding the volume down button and sleep/wake button together until you see the toggle to turn off your iPhone.
On an Android phone, you can hold the power button. If you are shown the “restart” option, click on this. If you are not shown this option, choose to power off your phone. Wait for 20 seconds and then turn your phone back on.
You can then ask a friend to send you a message via WhatsApp to test your notifications.
Solution 6: Log out of WhatsApp Web
One reason why WhatsApp might not be showing notifications on your phone is because of WhatsApp Web interfering with the mobile application. If you have WhatsApp web open on your PC, it could be registering your messages as read. This means notifications will not show on your mobile device. You can either:
- Log out of WhatsApp web by clicking on the vertical eclipses on WhatsApp on your mobile. Then choose WhatsApp web and log out of all devices.
- Close WhatsApp web on your PC.
- Uninstall WhatsApp Desktop on your PC.
Solution 7: Check Background Data Usage
The exact method for this step varies based on your device. However, one reason that could be stopping WhatsApp from sending notifications to your device is when background refresh is limited on mobile data. This is a feature used by many smartphone manufacturers to stop mobile data from being drained by background usage on applications since mobile data is usually capped. You can turn on background app refresh on iOS by:
- Go to Settings and then under General, choose Background App Refresh.
- Enable Background App Refresh.
- Make sure background app refresh is enabled for WhatsApp too (this is shown when the slider is green).
On Android, you will need to:
- Open settings and choose “Network and Internet” or a similar option.
- Choose “data usage” and disable data saver.
- Then, in “network and internet” select “app data usage” and choose “WhatsApp”.
- Make sure background data is enabled.
Solution 8: Check If Notifications Are Muted
You might have accidentally muted the notifications for multiple users through WhatsApp which is therefore stopping notifications from showing on your phone. Look through your WhatsApp chats and if you see a speaker icon next to the chat with a line going through it, it means that chat has been muted. To unmute the particular chat, you can hold on to it for a few seconds and select the volume icon.
Solution 9: Check WhatsApp Update
Most of the time, when WhatsApp has an update, it is a minor update that deals with bug fixes and small improvements that are not noticeable by the user. However, occasionally there will be a larger update that changes some of the features in WhatsApp. When this is the case, there may be a compatibility issue and therefore notifications may not come through. You can update WhatsApp by going to either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Find WhatsApp and then if there is an option to update, choose to do this.
Solution 10: Uninstall and Reinstall
If all the previously mentioned solutions did not work, then you will need to uninstall WhatsApp. You can create a backup through WhatsApp settings to either Google Drive or iCloud before uninstalling. Once you have uninstalled WhatsApp, restart your phone (see solution 5) and then reinstall WhatsApp on your phone. Log back into your WhatsApp account using your phone number and restore from the recently created backup.
Conclusion
We hope the solutions mentioned throughout this article have been helpful to you and have allowed you to fix the issue of WhatsApp notifications not showing on your phone. If you have any other solution that we haven’t mentioned, be free to share in the comments.
