Keep on missing messages on WhatsApp and not recalling any push notification about it?
If you use WhatsApp on a regular basis, it is really frustrating if you find unread messages from your contacts when you open the application without receiving any notifications about the message.
Well, there have been reports regarding this issue on Apple’s support community, and there are a lot of possible fixes on the matter. There is no concrete explanation as to why this kind of problem occurs on iPhones, but based on what we know it is due to improper configurations on your device or a problematic version of WhatsApp that has bugs particularly with push notifications.
Today, we are going to give you a few tips and tricks that you can try out on your iPhone to address the issue you are currently experiencing.
Let’s get started!
- 1. Restart WhatsApp.
- 2. Restart Your Device.
- 3. Turn Off Airplane Mode.
- 4. Check Your Internet Connection.
- 5. Check Your Other Devices.
- 6. Enable Push Notifications on WhatsApp.
- 7. Turn Off Do Not Disturb.
- 8. Disable Power Saving Mode.
- 9. Allow Background App Refresh.
- 10. Update WhatsApp.
- 11. Update iOS.
- 12. Reinstall WhatsApp.
- 13. Reset Your Device.
- 14. Contact WhatsApp.
1. Restart WhatsApp.
The first thing that you should try to fix the issue with WhatsApp push notifications not working is to stop the application from running in the background. It could have encountered a temporary error during its runtime that makes the app malfunction.
In this case, a simple restart of the application might be able to resolve the push notification issue with your device.
For iPhones that still use the Home button (iPhone 8+, 8, 7+, 6+, 6 and lower) you can force stop WhatsApp by doing the following:
- First, unlock your device and tap the Home button twice to open the app switcher.
- Next, locate WhatsApp from the list of applications running on your device.
- Lastly, swipe up on your screen to stop the app from running in the background.
For iPhones that do not have the Home button (iPhone X and up except SE 2020), you can stop an application by following the steps below.
- On your iPhone, go to the main screen and swipe from the bottom of your screen up to the middle until the app switcher appears.
- Next, locate WhatsApp from the list of apps running on your phone.
- Lastly, swipe up until the app is removed from the app switcher.
Now, you can go back to your main screen and launch WhatsApp. After that, ask one of your contacts to message you on the app to see if push notifications on your phone already work.
2. Restart Your Device.
If a simple restart of the app did not work in solving the issue with WhatsApp push notifications not working, what you can try doing next is restarting your actual device. It is possible that your device encountered a glitch that causes you to not receive any push notification.
A simple restart of your iPhone can eliminate these system glitches. Check out the steps below on how to do this process:
- Locate the Power button on your iOS device which is normally located at the right side for newer models and at the top for older ones.
- Once you locate the Power button, press and hold it until the Slide to Power Off option appears on your screen.
- Next, hold the Power Slider on your screen and drag it to the right until your screen turns black.
- Lastly, wait for your device to completely shut off, then press the Power button once again to turn it on.
Now, wait for your device to completely boot up, then check if the push notification already works on WhatsApp.
On the other hand, if a simple restart was not enough in fixing your push notifications, you could try performing a force restart on your iOS device although we do not really recommend it as it can do more harm than good to your device. Keep reading to find out other methods that also can be effective.
3. Turn Off Airplane Mode.
Most smartphones today offer a feature called ‘Airplane Mode’ that allows users to turn off wireless communications on their device, including cellular data.
This blocks WhatsApp from connecting to the internet and accessing its servers, which causes you to not receive any notifications not only with WhatsApp but with all the applications that require the internet to function.
To verify this, check out the steps below to see if Airplane Mode on your device is turned off:
- First, unlock your device and tap the Settings app from your main screen.
- Inside the Settings app, tap on the On/Off toggle beside the Airplane Mode tab to make sure that it is turned off.
- Lastly, if you see a Cellular Signal icon beside the Battery indicator at the top of your screen, then that means Airplane Mode is turned off.
Once you are done, ask one of your contacts once again to send a message on WhatsApp to check if you would receive a notification on your device. However, if you are still having problems with push notifications not working on WhatsApp, then you can proceed to the next method below to try and fix the issue.
4. Check Your Internet Connection.
As mentioned above, WhatsApp needs the internet to be able to connect to its server so that it can retrieve messages sent to your account. In this case, what you can try doing is to perform a speed test to make sure that your internet is fast and stable.
You can use a third-party site like Fast.com that accurately measures your internet upload and download speed to ensure that you are getting the correct bandwidth from your ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Once the speed test result comes out, and it is slow or not close to the speed bandwidth indicated on your monthly plan, then you can try restarting your router. First, locate the Power cable on your router and unplug it. Now, wait for 5-10 seconds, then plug back in the Power cable to turn on your internet router.
Now, perform another speed test to see if the restart resolved the issue with your internet connection. However, if you are still having problems with your internet, it is best that you contact your ISP and report to them the issue you are having with their service.
5. Check Your Other Devices.
If you own multiple devices and use WhatsApp on all of them, it is possible that your other device receives the notification which explains why you are not getting the notification on the current device that you are using since your other device already received it.
To solve this, make sure that your WhatsApp account is logged out of your other devices so that push notifications would be redirected to the current device that you are using.
Alternatively, you can turn off Wi-Fi and cellular data on your other devices so that it won’t be able to connect to the internet.
6. Enable Push Notifications on WhatsApp.
iOS devices allow users to customize their notifications and only select specific applications that they want to receive notifications from.
This could be another reason as to why you are not getting any notification from the app. WhatsApp could be possibly blocked on your settings which hinders the app from sending out push notifications.
To rule this out, you can try checking your ‘Notifications’ settings.
- On your iPhone, tap on the Settings app from the main screen.
- Next, click on the Notifications tab.
- Finally, locate and tap WhatsApp from the list and make sure that Allow Notifications is Enabled.
Once you enable notifications on the app, ask one of your contacts to send you a message once again to see if the issue with WhatsApp push notification not working on your phone is already resolved.
7. Turn Off Do Not Disturb.
One of the oldest features of iOS is its ‘Do Not Disturb’ option. Turning this feature on would allow users to block any form of notifications on their devices which comes handy if you’re at an important conference or when you want to sleep without interruptions from your device ringing in the middle of the night.
This feature might be enabled on your device, which causes you to not receive any notification from WhatsApp.
To check this, follow the steps below to guide you through the process:
- On your device, open the Settings app from your main screen.
- Next, find and tap on the Do Not Disturb tab which is right next to the Sound & Haptics tab.
- Lastly, tap on the switch beside the Do Not Disturb option to turn off the feature.
Once again, ask someone to send you a message on WhatsApp so that you can verify if push notifications already work on your device.
On the other hand, if WhatsApp push notifications is still not working on your iPhone, then you can proceed to the next method below to solve the issue.
8. Disable Power Saving Mode.
Power saving mode on iOS devices disables background app refresh, which allows applications to sync new mail or messages from their servers that were sent out for you.
In this case, you would only be notified for new messages if you open the app since it is not allowed to run on the background when power saving mode is enabled.
To fix this, you can try disabling power saving on your device to allow applications to perform background refresh.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Next, scroll down and tap on the Battery tab inside the Settings.
- Lastly, tap on the switch beside the Low Power Mode tab to disable the feature.
After disabling power saving on your device, lock your device and ask someone to send a message on WhatsApp to see if you would receive a notification about the message.
9. Allow Background App Refresh.
If you are sure that power-saving mode or low power mode on your device is disabled, what you can try checking is your background app refresh settings. iOS enables users to have full control over applications running in the background.
It’s likely that WhatsApp is not permitted to run in the background of your device to check for new messages and hence causing issues for push notifications.
Make sure that WhatsApp is allowed to perform background refresh by doing the following steps below:
- On your device, tap on the Settings app to launch it.
- Next, click on the General tab.
- After that, click on Background App Refresh.
- Lastly, locate WhatsApp from the list of applications and make sure that the toggle switch beside it is set to On.
Now, ask your contacts to send you another message on WhatsApp to check if the issue with your push notifications not working is already fixed.
10. Update WhatsApp.
If the problem with your push notification occurred after a recent update, it is possible that the current version of WhatsApp already has an issue related to notifications.
In this case, WhatsApp can already be aware of the issue and might release an update to patch the issue on the app.
To check for an update on WhatsApp, follow the steps below:
- First, open the App Store from your main screen.
- Next, click on the Updates tab from the navigation bar below your screen.
- Lastly, the App Store would automatically check for any update available for the apps installed on your device, including WhatsApp. Tap on the Update button beside WhatsApp if an update is available.
Once the update is done, ask someone once again to send you a message on WhatsApp to verify if push notification on your device already works.
11. Update iOS.
Apple releases frequent updates on iOS to improve performance and user experience. Similar to iOS updates, applications also have updates to address issues with apps and improve its efficiency.
While updates are great, it can sometimes cause incompatibility issues with the app and iOS version or vice versa, which causes certain features like push notifications to malfunction.
With this, it is possible that Apple already knows about the push notification issue on WhatsApp and might release a patch or fix to address the problem on their devices.
To check for an update on the current version of iOS on your device, follow the guide below:
- On your device, tap on the Settings app to open it.
- Next, click on General.
- Lastly, tap on the Software Update tab. This will prompt your device to automatically check for any update available. If available, Download and Install the update.
Keep in mind that it is normal for your device to restart a few times during the update process. Once done, try to ask one of your contacts to send you a message while your phone is locked to see if you would receive any notification about the message.
12. Reinstall WhatsApp.
If you have reached this point of the guide, then we can assume that no update or settings configuration can resolve the notification issue with WhatsApp. With this, it is possible that the version of WhatsApp installed on your phone has corrupted resources which causes instability with the app and not function properly.
To fix this, you can try reinstalling the app to ensure that you have a fully functioning copy of the application. The following steps will guide you on how to do so:
- On your phone, go to the main screen, tap and hold on the WhatsApp icon until the selection screen pops out.
- Now, tap on the Delete App button to remove it from your phone.
- After that, go to the App Store and search for WhatsApp.
- Lastly, download and install WhatsApp on your device once again.
Sign in to your account and ask someone to send you a message on the app once again to see if the problem with push notifications on your iPhone is already resolved.
13. Reset Your Device.
If the methods mentioned above failed to resolve the issue with your push notification, the last resort that you can look into is resetting your device. Your iPhone might encounter a serious error or glitch related to notifications, and no update or tweak can resolve it.
Resetting your iPhone would ensure that all of its configuration and system resources would be set back to its factory default settings. Keep in mind however, that resetting your device will completely remove all of its content. So make sure to make a backup first!
- On your device, go to the Settings and tap on the General tab.
- Next, click on the Reset tab.
- After that, tap on Reset All Content and Settings.
- Lastly, it may require you to enter your Passcode to proceed with the action.
After that, restore your backup and sign in to your WhatsApp account. Ask someone to send you a message on the app to see if you would now be able to get push notifications from WhatsApp.
14. Contact WhatsApp.
Alternatively, if you are not comfortable with resetting your iPhone to factory settings, you can try contacting WhatsApp’s support to report the issue that you are experiencing with their application.
Remember to give out important details when reporting concerns on their support team like your iPhone model and iOS version so that they can handle your problem correctly and efficiently. You can also check their FAQs page to search for possible solutions related to WhatsApp’s push notifications not working on your iPhone.
This ends our guide on how to fix the issue regarding WhatsApp push notifications not working on iPhone. If you find other solutions relevant to this specific issue, kindly share it in the comment section below and we would be glad to give you credit once this guide gets updated.
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