iPhone notifications not showing on lock screen? 8 fixes

You pick up your iPhone and the Lock Screen is empty. Later you open Messages and there are a dozen texts waiting. Nothing is wrong with the phone. One of a few notification settings is hiding the alerts.

The tricky part is that the alert may still exist. It can sit in Notification Center, wait in a summary, or show only as a count. The fixes below go from the most common cause to the least, so you can stop as soon as the alerts come back.

iPhone notifications not showing on lock screen: why it happens

• Lock Screen is off for the app. Each app has three places to show alerts: Lock Screen, Notification Center and Banners.
• Display As is set to Count. You see a number, not the alerts.
• A Focus is on. Focus can silence apps and even hide the badges.
• Scheduled Summary. Alerts are held back and delivered at set times.
• Another device has your attention. An Apple Watch on your wrist can get the alert first.
• A software glitch. A restart or update clears it.

Fix 1: Turn on Lock Screen for the app

This is the most common cause when one app is missing. Apple's own notification settings let you pick where each app can show alerts. If Lock Screen is unchecked, the app will never appear when the phone is locked.

Tap Sounds on the same page and check that the alert sound is not set to None. A badge on the icon and an alert sound are separate switches.

Fix 2: Change Display As to Stack or List

Open Settings › Notifications and look at Display As at the top. It has three choices: Count, Stack and List. With Count, the Lock Screen shows only a number at the bottom, such as 5 Notifications. Tap it or swipe up to expand them, or switch to Stack or List so alerts appear on the Lock Screen all the time.

Fix 3: Turn off Focus or Do Not Disturb

Swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center. If you see a Focus name or the moon icon, tap it to turn it off. A Focus can quiet an app, and with some options it can also hide notification badges or dim the Lock Screen. Check the schedules too. A Sleep or Work Focus that turns on by time or location can run without you noticing.

• Open Settings › Focus, tap the active Focus and look at People and Apps. Notifications from apps not on the allowed list are silenced.
• Check Options in that Focus for settings that hide badges or dim the Lock Screen.
• Under Time Sensitive, you can let urgent alerts through while the Focus is on.

Our guide to how Do Not Disturb works on iPhone goes through the allowed people and apps.

Fix 4: Check Scheduled Summary

Scheduled Summary collects non urgent alerts and delivers them at times you choose, for example 8 AM and 6 PM. If an app is in the summary, its alerts will not appear on the Lock Screen when they arrive. They show later, as a group.

Fix 5: Look at Show Previews and Face ID

Show Previews is under Settings › Notifications. If it is set to When Unlocked or Never, the alert still appears, but the text is hidden. You will see only the app name and a line such as Notification. It is a privacy choice, so it may not be a fault.

With Face ID, the preview can show after your phone recognizes you. If you wear a mask, sunglasses or hold the phone at a sharp angle, Face ID may fail to see you and the content stays hidden. Look straight at the screen and try again.

Fix 6: Check your Apple Watch and other devices

If you wear an Apple Watch and it is unlocked on your wrist, alerts usually go to the watch and not to the iPhone. That is by design. Take the watch off and test again. If the alerts then show on the iPhone, nothing is broken.

If you are signed in on a Mac or iPad that is awake, it can take the alert first too. Lock those devices, or close them, and test again.

Fix 7: Turn off Low Power Mode and restart

Low Power Mode cuts back background activity to save battery, so some apps check for new content less often. Turn it off under Settings › Battery and test. See what Low Power Mode does for the full list.

Then restart the iPhone. Press and hold the side button and a volume button, slide to power off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. A restart clears a stuck notification process, and it takes a minute. Next, open Settings › General › Software Update and install anything that is waiting. Our guide to updating your iPhone has the details.

Fix 8: Reset the app or reset all settings

If one app is still silent, delete it and install it again from the App Store, then allow notifications when it asks. For many apps at once, reset all settings. Back up first, as a precaution.

Take a moment to back up your iPhone first if you have not lately.

Which symptom points to which fix?

• One app missing: the app's Lock Screen switch, then Scheduled Summary.
• Only a number shows: Display As.
• Everything missing at certain times: a Focus schedule.
• Alerts show but are blank: Show Previews and Face ID.
• Alerts arrive late: Low Power Mode, Scheduled Summary or the connection.
• Nothing after all of this: restart, update, reset all settings.

How to keep Lock Screen alerts working

• Pick Stack or List for Display As, so alerts are visible.
• Keep your important apps out of Scheduled Summary.
• Review your Focus schedules after a trip or a time change.
• Allow notifications when an app asks, and change it later in Settings if you regret it.
• Keep iOS and your apps updated.
• If the iPhone does not ring either, see an iPhone that stays silent.