WhatsApp notifications not working? Fixes for Android and iPhone

Still nothing?

1. Restart the phone.
2. Check that your internet connection works in another app.
3. Turn off Battery Saver or Low Power Mode and test again.
4. As a last resort, back up your chats, then uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.

Why do WhatsApp alerts arrive late or not at all?

WhatsApp does not hold your phone awake all day. It relies on Google or Apple push services to tell your phone a message is waiting. If your phone is allowed to run WhatsApp in the background, the alert arrives within a second or two. If the phone has put the app to sleep to save battery, blocked its data, or silenced it with a mode, the alert waits until you open the app. That is why the symptom is so familiar: nothing until you open WhatsApp, then a flood of messages.

Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi: battery settings in detail

Android makers each add their own battery rules, which makes this the most common cause. On Samsung, open Settings › Battery › Background usage limits, remove WhatsApp from Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps, and turn off Put unused apps to sleep. On Pixel, go to Settings › Apps › WhatsApp › App battery usage and choose Unrestricted. On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones, turn on Autostart, set Battery saver to No restrictions and lock the app in Recents. OnePlus and Oppo phones have a similar Allow background activity switch. Menu names vary by version, so use search inside Settings if you cannot find one.

Notification channels: sounds, banners and calls

Android splits WhatsApp alerts into channels, such as Messages, Groups and Calls. In Settings › Apps › WhatsApp › Notifications make sure each channel is on and set to Alerting or Default, not Silent. A channel set to Silent shows a message without a sound or a pop-up. Also check that Show on lock screen is allowed. Inside WhatsApp, Settings › Notifications also has Conversation tones, which controls the short sound when you are inside a chat.

iPhone: Focus, Scheduled Summary and Lock Screen

On iPhone, a Focus such as Sleep or Work can hide WhatsApp alerts unless the app is on the allowed list. Check Settings › Focus and add WhatsApp under Allowed Notifications. Then open Settings › Notifications › WhatsApp and look at Scheduled Summary. If WhatsApp is in the summary, alerts are delayed until the set time. Also make sure Time Sensitive Notifications is on if you want messages to break through a Focus. Finally, turn off Low Power Mode for a test, because it pauses background refresh.

Linked devices, WhatsApp Web and a second phone

When WhatsApp Web is open and active on a computer, WhatsApp may show the alert there and hold it back on your phone. Open Linked devices in WhatsApp settings and log out of sessions you do not need. Also check that you are not signed in to a second phone with the same number, and that you did not install a duplicate or modified app, which is risky and can get your number banned.

Is it safe to let WhatsApp run in the background?

Yes, but there is a cost. Setting the app to Unrestricted lets WhatsApp run in the background all day, which uses a little more battery. For most people the difference is small. If battery life matters more than instant alerts, keep the setting optimized and open WhatsApp from time to time. If your battery already drains fast, see what battery saving modes switch off before you decide.

A two-minute test to find the cause

Ask a friend to send you a message while WhatsApp is closed and the phone is locked. If the alert arrives, the problem is with one chat or group, so check Mute. If nothing arrives until you open the app, it is a background or battery setting. If the alert shows without sound, it is a notification channel or volume problem. If other apps like Gmail also alert late, the cause is your phone's battery or data settings, not WhatsApp. This test saves time, because it tells you which section above to follow.

Custom notifications and smart watches

Each chat can have its own tone and alert style. Open a chat, tap the name, choose Notifications and Custom notifications, and check that nothing is set to None. If you use a smart watch, check its app to make sure WhatsApp alerts are allowed, and remember that some watches only show alerts when the phone is locked. On Wear OS and Apple Watch, notification mirroring may need to be turned on.

Make it stick after the fix

Once notifications work, keep them working. Do not use a phone cleaner or a battery booster that kills background apps, since these undo your battery settings. After a major system update, open WhatsApp's battery setting again to check that Unrestricted is still selected, and on iPhone, check that your Focus list still includes WhatsApp.

Reset steps when nothing works

1. Clear the cache: Settings › Apps › WhatsApp › Storage › Clear cache (Android). This keeps your chats.
2. Check that the date and time are set automatically, since a wrong clock can block push messages.
3. Update Google Play services on Android, or install the latest iOS update.
4. Back up your chats, uninstall WhatsApp, restart the phone and install it again.

A phone that is nearly full of photos and videos can also stop apps from running well, so see clearing WhatsApp's cache on Android and think about moving old media to cloud storage. For a total failure to open or connect, see WhatsApp not opening or connecting at all, and if your number was banned, read about a restricted WhatsApp account.

Muted or archived chats

A muted chat never alerts you, and archived chats stay silent unless you change WhatsApp's archive setting. Open the quiet chat, tap the name and check that notifications are not muted.