Not seeing notifications show up on your iPhone? Try these fixes to get iPhone notifications working again.
iOS notification system is second to none. But, sometimes notifications don’t show up on iPhone as expected. If notifications are not working on your iPhone, I’ll help you fix the problem step-by-step.
There is nothing new about the problem of iPhone not showing notifications as it has existed on almost all iPhone models. The issue has affected many iPhone models, including iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, XS Max, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone SE.
First off, it would be better to get to the root of the problem, trying to figure out the reasons why your iPhone is not getting notifications.
Why is my iPhone not getting notifications?
If you are not getting notifications on your iPhone, Focus might be the culprit.
To avoid disturbance, Notification Summary only allows time-sensitive alerts to filter through. Non-urgent alerts are auto-silenced and presented at a specified time. It’s This sometimes leads to odd behaviors and delays, which could cause your iPhone to not get notifications.
If your iPhone is not connected to internet, this may explain why notifications are not showing up. After all, no internet access renders many apps essentially dead.
Thankfully, there are many things you can do to get your notifications back to normal. If your iPhone notifications are not working, here are some fixes to try.
How to Fix iPhone Notifications Not Showing Up Issue
1. Review the App’s Notification Settings
One of the most common reasons notifications don’t show on iPhone is because of the notification settings of the app in question. It’s possible that you may have mistakenly messed up with the default notification settings, and so now you’re not receiving them properly.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Scroll down to the app in question then enable “Allow Notifications”.
Make sure alerts are enabled wherever you want them: on your lock screen, in the Notification Center, and as drop-down banners at the top of the screen.
You choose between a temporary or Persistent banner style, the latter of which requires that you dismiss it manually. This can be handy if you don’t want to miss a notification from a particular app. You can also enable or disable “Notification Grouping” which gathers similar notifications together into an expandable stack.
2. Check That Focus is not enabled
It may seem obvious, but forgetting Focus is enabled is one of the most common causes for notifications not showing up on your iPhone.
Focus mode can be found in the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right of your screen. Tap and “Focus” to see the different modes available to you: Do Not Disturb, Personal, Work, and Sleep.
These modes can interfere with notification delivery, so make sure to turn them off if you want to receive all notifications. If you find Focus mode useful when working or studying but would prefer to whitelist certain contacts and apps, head to Settings > Focus and set up your desired mode.
This allows you to reap the benefits of disabling distracting notifications from social media or games, while still being able to message or receive calls from friends and family.
3. Disable Notification Summary
Notification Summary is a feature that bundles together “non-urgent” notifications and delivers them as a summary at more convenient times of your choosing. You won’t see certain notifications immediately with this mode enabled, but you’ll still receive calls and messages.
Your iPhone will suggest apps that are particularly heavy on notifications when you first set the feature up. You can disable or reconfigure the feature by following the steps below:
- Open Settings.
- Go into Notifications.
- Select Scheduled Summary.
4. Restart your iPhone
Are notifications still not showing up on your iPhone? There is no need to panic as we still have plenty of troubleshooting tips for you. . Most of the issues that cause a lack of notification on iPhone can be resolved by restarting your phone. That’s is because even if the problem is a frozen or crashed app, a bad network connection, or anything else, restarting the phone may automatically resolve those issues and avoid a lengthy troubleshooting process. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Open Settings.
- Go into General.
- Select Shut Down.
- Drag the Power off slider from left to right to turn off your iPhone.
5. Reinstall the App or Wait for Updates
One of the main reasons why notifications aren’t showing on your iPhone could be due to broken app updates. If your iPhone is not getting notifications from one app in particular, it’s possible that the developers have accidentally rolled out a buggy update. In such a situation, you have two options:
- Uninstall and reinstall the app: Sometimes, uninstalling an app and reinstalling it from the App Store can do the trick for you.
- Wait for an update to fix the issue: You can even drop a mail to the developer and make them aware of the notification issues you’re currently facing.
6. Check Your Wi-Fi & Cellular Connection
If you don’t have an internet connection, your iPhone won’t receive notifications.
If you are using Wi-Fi, check to see if your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network by following the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Go into Wi-Fi.
- Make sure the switch next to Wi-Fi is turned on.
If you see a check mark next to the name of your Wi-Fi network at the top of this menu, your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi. If you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network, tap on the one you want to connect to under Choose A Network…
If you are using data, you can quickly check to see if Cellular is turned on by opening Control Center and looking at the Cellular button. If the button is green, Cellular is turned on!
6. Reset Network Settings on iPhone
If notifications are not showing up on your iPhone after trying the above steps, try resetting your network settings. This will remove information like Wi-Fi passwords, VPN configuration, etc. So, note down these details somewhere before going through the process.
- Open Settings.
- Go into General.
- Scroll down and select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
8. Reset All Settings
Still not receiving notifications on your iPhone after all the above fixes? At this point, you should try resetting your device’s settings. Doing this will restore your iPhone’s notification preferences to the defaults, hopefully fixing whatever is affecting notification delivery.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Choose Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
- Type in your iPhone’s passcode and select Reset All Settings on the prompt.
Keep in mind that resetting your iPhone’s settings puts all options back to the default. This means you’ll have to connect to Wi-Fi networks again, re-configure Bluetooth devices, adjust your privacy settings, and similar. However, your data isn’t affected by this.
Fixed notifications not showing up on iPhone issue
Notifications not showing up on your iPhone can be a head-scratcher for you. Hopefully, the problem is now behind your back. If, after all these steps, you’re still unable to get your notifications back in order, it might be a device-specific issue. In that case, it’s best to check for software updates or contact Apple Support.