WhatsApp is among the popular messaging apps developed by Meta. It’s a free and fast way to communicate with your friends, family, and colleagues through any device: Android, iOS, or Windows. The 2 Billion active users love WhatsApp due to its end-to-end encryption features, ensuring your chat doesn’t leave traces anywhere else. However, it isn’t without its cons.
One of the frequent issues that WhatsApp shows is the notifications not working. Most users complain that the WhatsApp notifications do not work from time to time, making them miss important messages. Out of many reasons for this issue to occur, some may be selecting incorrect app settings, disabling device and app permissions, etc. But, there are chances WhatsApp shows the issue with no detectable cause.
If you face the same issue, there’s nothing to worry about. Easy fixes will set your app on track, like managing app and device notifications, enabling app permissions, enabling background activity, logging out of other devices, clearing cache, etc.
This article will discuss the fixes for the WhatsApp notifications not working issue.
What Causes WhatsApp Notification Errors?
It is frustrating to miss out on important messages on WhatsApp because of the notifications errors. When your app notifications are delayed or do not work, the main reasons can be the notification settings on both your app and device.
Likewise, disabling app and device permissions can cause WhatsApp notifications not to work. Other minor issues can be your internet connection, old app version, etc.
How To Fix WhatsApp Notifications Not Working?
You can fix the notification error on WhatsApp in the following ways:
Fix 1: Make sure you have a stable internet connection
To receive notifications from WhatsApp, you must first have a stable Internet connection. For example, if your phone’s Wi-Fi network is not working, WhatsApp will not send you notifications. Hence, to fix the WhatsApp notifications, not working errors, you should first check your internet connection.
You can check your connection by loading other apps or goggle on your phone. Otherwise, reconnect to your Wi-Fi, move to an area with a better signal, etc. If none of that works, contact your Internet Service Provider or switch to cellular data to fix the issue.
Fix 2: Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep.
Android devices enter into sleep mode if the phone is not used for a while. This can cause you to miss important notifications, including WhatsApp notifications. Hence, you should make sure that you keep Wi-Fi on during sleep to get instant notifications from your apps.
To fix the WhatsApp notifications not working issue:
- Go to your phone’s Settings
- Then, go to Wi-Fi and in Wi-Fi Preferences
- Then, enable the Keep Wi-Fi on During Sleep option.
Fix 3: Check Airplane mode.
This might be the silliest yet most occurring problem leading to WhatsApp notifications not working. Due to its easy access from the quick settings, we accidentally switch the airplane mode on.
Airplane mode turns off all internet connectivity and prevents any notifications from flowing. So before you think it’s a serious issue, check your airplane mode off to fix the WhatsApp notification not working problem. It’s even better if you turn it on and then off, so you can give a quick reboot to your device.
Fix 4: Enable WhatsApp app notifications.
Most Android Operating System enables users to change each app’s notification settings independently. This allows you to turn the notifications off for certain apps on your phones.
If your phone shows notification errors on WhatsApp, you might have accidently toggled the notification off for it. To enable it and get your WhatsApp notifications to work again, you can follow the given steps:
- Open the Settings on your phone
- Then, Select Apps & Notifications and click on the option to view all apps
- Now, scroll down to find and click on WhatsApp and tap Notifications
- You will see a list of all notification options, find any disabled option and re-enable it.
This should get your WhatsApp notifications not working issue fixed.
Fix 5: Unmute WhatsApp notifications
WhatsApp has an in-built feature that allows its users to mute notifications for certain contacts or groups. However, that might be the main issue of WhatsApp notifications not working. If you have muted a particular person or group, your phone will not show any notifications of their messages.
To check if you have muted somebody on WhatsApp:
- Go to Contacts or the group and visit its more options.
- There, you will see a Mute feature.
- If that is toggled on, you have muted the person.
- To unmute and receive notifications, toggle it off to unmute.
While this may not be why you are not getting notifications, it may fix your issue.
Fix 6: Reset app preferences on your phone.
To try and fix the WhatsApp notification not working issue, you can reset the app preferences. This fix is available to Android users.
Resetting your app preferences doesn’t delete your apps or their data. It can help fix your notification errors. Here’s how:
- Open Settings on your phone
- Go to System and then to Reset Options
- Then, tap the Reset App Preferences
- Now, tap on Reset App, which will take you to Confirm Option.
- Restart your device to see the changes.
Fix 7: Check Do Not Disturb mode.
You have enabled Do Not Disturb mode when you do not get any notifications on your device, including text messages, calls, and other apps. It can accidently happen through the quick-settings panel.
You better check it out to ensure it is not the Do Not Disturb mode causing the WhatsApp notifications to stop working.
- Go to Settings
- Then, directly scroll to Do Not Disturb on your iPhone.
- On Android, go to Sound & Vibrations or Notifications to toggle it off.
This might solve your notifications issue overall, not just of WhatsApp.
Fix 8: Clear app cache
App cache helps any app run faster. But when it accumulates to a certain amount, it starts making the app slow. In addition, the collected cache may trigger many annoying issues in the app, delaying or not showing notifications being one of them.
Therefore, clear the app cache and storage to fix the WhatsApp notification not working problem. So it can resume its smooth functioning.
To clear app cache:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Then, go to Apps or Application Manager.
- Then, finds WhatsApp and click on Clear Cache and Clear Data button.
This way, all your unnecessary cache and data are cleared. In addition, you can check if your notification issue is fixed once you follow the steps.
Fix 9: Check Background Data Restriction
We all want to save data while using our phones. In such a case, we might intentionally turn on Background data restrictions. If you have restricted background data usage, it will not allow WhatsApp to connect to the internet when you are not using it, i.e., even when you minimize it for a short time. This restricts notifications causing you to miss messages.
Hence, to solve the WhatsApp notifications not working issue, check if there is any background data restriction.
Here’s how you do it:
- Long press your WhatsApp app until App Info appears, among other options.
- Click on it, and then it will show you basic information on the app.
- Then, Click on Mobile Data, and you will see the amount of data used by the app lately.
- Ensure Background Data Usage is turned on to ensure your app is active in the background.
- Moreover, you can also turn on Allow app while Data saver is on or Unrestricted data usage to make sure WhatsApp does not show any errors when Data Saver is on.
Thus, you can fix any app notification errors on your device.
Fix 10: Disable Power Saver mode
Power saver mode is a powerful feature in our phone. It improves the battery life by ensuring fewer apps running in the background. Android AI can also detect less frequently used apps and put them to sleep to save the phone battery.
While it’s a good way to save power, it brings many glitches like WhatsApp notifications not working. Turning on the power saver might be the cause of your notification error. So, it is best if you turn the power saver off if you keep on facing notification errors.
You can easily turn it off from the quick setting panel by dragging it down or up from your phone. Or,
- Go to Settings
- Then, Go to Battery and then to Power Saver.
- Then, toggle off Power Saver Mode.
Fix 11: Allow access to all app permissions.
Like any other app, WhatsApp requires permission to send notifications on your phone. So if your WhatsApp notifications are not working, it’s probably because you have not permitted it to send one.
Make sure WhatsApp has access to all the permissions to function properly. To allow app permissions:
- Go to Phone Settings
- Then, go to Apps and find WhatsApp from the list
- Tap on WhatsApp Permission and toggle on all permissions to let WhatsApp function smoothly.
Once you allow all permissions to WhatsApp, it might resolve your notification not working issue.
Fix 12: Update your app.
I am certain that one of the above fixes will be useful to you. However, if it does not work, it is probably because you are using the old version of the app.
You must be using the latest version of any app to enjoy its latest features. For example, WhatsApp has a lot of users globally, so it is always on the verge of improvement and evolution. However, if you have an old version, it might restrict notifications. Hence, to solve all the notification errors, update your app.
Fix 13: Log out of WhatsApp Web
Now, you are not getting WhatsApp notifications on your phone because WhatsApp is sending it to your PC. However, if you have logged in to WhatsApp on your desktop through the WhatsApp web, chances are notifications are being pushed there.
Hence, try logging out of the WhatsApp web to see if it resolves the WhatsApp notification not working issue.
Here’s how you log out of WhatsApp web:
- First, open WhatsApp and tap on the three dots icon on your screen.
- Then, tap on WhatsApp Web.
- Now, choose the Log out from all devices option to make sure you sign out from all devices you have logged in from.
Fix 14: Update your system.
If none of the fixes apply in your case, the problem might be on your entire system. Therefore, you should always ensure that your phone has an up-to-date system.
To ensure all apps run smoothly with no notification errors, avoid neglecting the system update notification!
Here’s how you can update your phone:
- Open Settings
- Scroll down to select System
- Then, tap on System Update.
- If you find any, download and install them.
Fix 15: Restart your device.
This is one of the best solutions for any issue you face on your device. For example, your phone creates issues when it gets lost in the way. Restarting your phone will help your system back to the starting line, and it can go on with its functioning again.
Restarting your phone helps your software untangle, refreshes its memory, and fixes glitches.
So, if WhatsApp notifications are not working on your device, try restarting your phone. Hold the power button for 5-10 seconds until you see the restart option.
How To Avoid Data Loss In Case Of WhatsApp Bug?
It is important to back your data up if it gets erased due to certain bugs. But, since WhatsApp doesn’t let us back up our data, it becomes problematic to save all the data. So, how can we avoid data loss on WhatsApp?
You can use Mobile Trans – WhatsApp Transfer. It is a backup application and restores WhatsApp Data.
FAQs
Why Is WhatsApp Notifications Not Showing On My Lock screen?
If your lock screen doesn’t show WhatsApp notifications, it’s probably because you have disabled it. You can enable it through notification settings on your phone.
If the notifications don’t show even when they are on, the issue might be on your network connection or operating system.
How To Enable WhatsApp Notification On Apple Watch?
Install the app on your paired iPhone to use WhatsApp and get notifications on your apple watch. First, go to Settings, and tap on Notifications. Then select WhatsApp and Allow Notifications. Then, open the Watch App on your iPhone, select Notifications, and tap on WhatsApp Switch to turn it on.
Conclusion
WhatsApp is a popular messaging app globally with a lot of active users. So, some minor glitches and errors are normal. While WhatsApp works to improve itself daily, certain errors we can solve by ourselves.
Like, the WhatsApp notifications not working problem may be fixed by at least one of the ways I have explained above. There’s always WhatsApp Support to contact and fix your problem if it doesn’t.
I hope the article helped you solve your issue. Feel free to comment below in case of any queries. Thank You!
