Not getting notifications on your iPhone can be frustrating. Notifications keep you informed about new emails, text messages, app updates, calendar events, and more. So when they suddenly stop showing up, it can disrupt your regular iPhone usage.
There are a few reasons why your iPhone notifications may not be working properly. The good news is that in most cases, it’s an easy fix. Here are some of the most common reasons notifications may not show up on your iPhone and how to resolve the issue.
Notifications are Turned Off
The obvious first thing to check is whether your notifications are actually turned on. It’s easy to accidentally toggle notifications off for certain apps or even your whole device. Here’s how to check your notification settings:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Notifications.
- On this screen you’ll see a list of apps. Check that the toggle switch next to each app is turned on (green). If it’s off, your iPhone won’t get notifications from that app.
- You can also toggle notifications on or off for the whole device by using the switch at the top of the Notifications screen.
Make sure every app you want notifications from is toggled on. If you have any off, turn them on and you should start getting alerts again.
Do Not Disturb is Enabled
Another setting that can block notifications is Do Not Disturb. This mute option lets you disable sounds and notifications alerts for set times.
To check if Do Not Disturb is enabled:
- Open Settings and tap Do Not Disturb.
- Check if it’s scheduled to be on during certain hours or always on.
- Toggle off Do Not Disturb or adjust the schedule if needed.
With Do Not Disturb disabled, your notifications should come through again as normal.
Focus Mode is Blocking Notifications
Focus mode is a newer iOS feature that lets you customize when certain apps can send notifications. For example, you could set Work Focus to mute non-work apps during your business hours.
If you have focus modes enabled, check to make sure they aren’t unintentionally blocking notifications:
- Go to Settings > Focus.
- Tap on each focus mode and check which apps are allowed to send notifications.
- Make sure important apps can still notify you in relevant focuses.
Adjust the app notification settings in your focus profiles if needed. This will ensure you don’t miss alerts just because focus mode is on.
Notification Center is Hidden
Even if your iPhone is receiving notifications, you won’t see them if the Notification Center is hidden from your home screen and lock screen.
To show Notification Center:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Make sure “Show in Notification Center” is enabled for the apps you want alerts to appear for.
This will make notifications visible again when received.
Banner-Style Alerts are Disabled
Instead of banner alerts that appear at the top of your screen, your iPhone may be configured to only show a notification dot or no visual alert.
To re-enable banners:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Tap on an app.
- Under Alert Style, choose “Banners.”
Repeat this for each app you want to get banner alerts for. Once enabled, notifications should display prominently again.
Notification Sounds are Turned Off
If your iPhone isn’t making sounds for notifications, it could explain why you’re not noticing them.
To fix this:
- Go to Settings > Sounds (or Sounds & Haptics on newer iOS).
- Check that sound options like “Lock Sounds” and “Keyboard Clicks” are enabled.
- For additional alert tones, go to Settings > Notifications > [App] and make sure a sound is selected under Sound.
With notification sounds and alerts re-enabled, your iPhone should audibly notify you again.
Notifications Get Stuck or Don’t Clear
A glitch that can happen on iPhones is that notifications get stuck and don’t clear from the Notification Center. So new notifications don’t show up even though they are being received.
To address this, try force restarting your iPhone:
- On an iPhone 8 or earlier, hold down the Power button and Home button together until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.
- On an iPhone X or later, hold down the side button and Volume Up or Volume Down button at the same time.
The force restart will clear any stuck notifications and refresh the Notification Center. After your iPhone powers back on, notifications should display as normal.
Outdated Software is Causing Issues
If your iPhone is no longer running the latest iOS version, it could be causing problems with notifications.
To update your software:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Download and install the latest iOS update.
Updating to the newest software often resolves bugs and glitches that may be interfering with notifications working correctly.
Restore Notifications Defaults
If you’ve customized your notification settings but are still having issues, try restoring everything back to the default settings:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Tap the Reset Notifications button at the bottom.
This will revert all notifications on your iPhone back to the out-of-the-box defaults. You can then re-enable app alerts individually.
Contact Your Cell Provider
In rare cases, there may be an issue with your cellular connection that is disrupting notifications. If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps above and notifications are still not coming through:
- Contact your cell provider’s tech support for help.
- They can check if there are any connection problems on your line.
Check Third-Party Notification Settings
Some third-party apps have their own notification settings separate from iOS. Check the app’s settings menu to make sure notifications are enabled there as well.
For example, to enable notifications in Gmail for iOS:
- Open the Gmail app.
- Tap the hamburger menu in the top left.
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Make sure “Notifications” is toggled on.
Check notification settings in any critical apps to ensure alerts are turned on at the app level too.
Try Disabling Notification Optimization
On newer iPhones running iOS 15 or later, there is an option for Notification Frequency that optimizes when notifications are delivered. This can delay certain non-time-sensitive alerts.
Disabling this may help ensure you get notifications right away:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Turn off Notification Frequency.
With optimization disabled, all notifications should come through immediately when received.
Disable Screen Time
If you use iOS Screen Time parental controls, the Downtime feature can block notifications during scheduled hours.
To rule out any interference from this, you can temporarily disable Screen Time:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap Turn Off Screen Time and confirm.
With Screen Time disabled, its notification restrictions will be disabled as well.
Check iCloud Push Settings
For your iPhone to sync notifications from iCloud, Push needs to be enabled.
To verify it’s on:
- Go to Settings > [your name].
- Tap iCloud.
- Confirm that Push is toggled on.
If Push was disabled, turning it on can help restore proper iCloud syncing for notifications.
Increase Notification Frequency for Apps
If certain apps seem to be notifying you less frequently than expected, you can increase how often they alert you:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Tap the app.
- Change Notify Me to Immediately instead of Scheduled.
This will make notifications come in as soon as they are triggered rather than waiting for scheduled batches.
Check Notification Settings on Other Devices
If you also have an iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or other Apple device signed into your iCloud account, their notification settings could be interfering.
Double check that notifications are enabled system-wide and per-app on all of your connected Apple devices.
Conclusion
Notifications not showing up on your iPhone is usually an easy fix. Just go through the notification settings for your apps and system to make sure alerts are enabled. Check for any Do Not Disturb, Focus modes, or other interruptions that could be blocking notifications.
A restart or iOS update can also help resolve software bugs. For hardware issues, contact Apple Support for further troubleshooting. With a few simple tweaks, you should be able to get your iPhone notifications working properly again.
| Common notification issues | How to fix |
|---|---|
| Notifications turned off for app | Check app’s notification settings in Settings |
| Do Not Disturb enabled | Disable Do Not Disturb in Settings |
| Focus mode blocking notifications | Adjust Focus notification permissions |
| Notification Center hidden | Re-enable Notification Center |
| Banners disabled | Re-enable banners in Settings |
| Notification sounds off | Enable sounds in Settings |
| Notifications stuck | Force restart iPhone |
| Outdated iOS | Update to latest iOS version |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my iPhone notifications suddenly stop working?
There are a few reasons iPhone notifications may suddenly stop working, including: notifications getting accidentally disabled in Settings, Do Not Disturb got enabled, a new iOS update bug is preventing alerts, notification settings changed on your iCloud connected devices, or a minor software glitch.
How do I re-enable notifications on iPhone?
Go to Settings > Notifications. Make sure they are turned on for your desired apps. Also check the app’s specific notification settings for toggles. Enable sounds, banners, Notification Center, and frequency for optimal alerts.
What happens if I clear all notifications on my iPhone?
Clearing your iPhone notification history in the Notification Center removes the alerts from view, but it does not affect new notifications you will receive. Your apps will continue sending alerts as normal after manually clearing notifications.
Why are only some app notifications not working?
If only certain iPhone app notifications are missing, it likely means they were disabled at the app level in Settings, or the app has its own notification toggle that got turned off. Check each app’s individual notification settings.
How do I stop notifications on my lock screen?
To disable notifications on the lock screen, go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews and select “When Unlocked.” You can also silence lock screen notifications by enabling Do Not Disturb.
Why do I only see notification numbers but no content?
If notification numbers show but aren’t expanding with content on your lock screen, go to Settings > Notifications and select “Show Previews” Always or When Unlocked to re-enable notification previews.
How do I clear old notifications?
To remove old notifications from your iPhone’s Notification Center, open the Notification Center, press down on an alert, tap More, and select Clear to delete specific notifications or Clear All to erase them all.
Troubleshooting Notification Issues
Use this checklist to troubleshoot missing iPhone notifications:
- Check Settings to confirm notifications are enabled system-wide.
- Verify notifications are turned on per app in Settings.
- Make sure Notification Center is visible.
- Confirm banner alerts are enabled.
- Check for Do Not Disturb blocking notifications.
- Disable Focus modes temporarily to test.
- Reboot your iPhone to clear any glitches.
- Update to the latest iOS version.
- Reset all notifications back to default.
- Try disabling notification optimization.
- Check connected iCloud device notification settings.
Still missing notifications? Contact Apple Support for additional help troubleshooting and resolving the issue.
Preventing Notification Problems
To help avoid notification issues in the future, follow these tips:
- Be careful when customizing notification settings.
- Avoid completely muting important apps.
- Periodically review notification settings under Do Not Disturb and Focus.
- Update iOS as soon as new versions are released.
- Don’t swipe away notifications in bulk unless you’re certain.
- Watch for notification settings synced from other Apple devices.
- Report persistent notification bugs to Apple.
Carefully managing your notification settings and staying updated on the latest iOS fixes will help minimize disruptions from missing iPhone alerts in the future.