11 Tips to Fix WhatsApp Notifications Not Working on iPhone

User Concern

“I suddenly stopped getting WhatsApp notifications on my iPhone 16. It, however, does show a red icon that there is a new message or more...but when I swipe down, WhatsApp doesn't appear in the Notification Centre. Any help would be appreciated!”

Many iPhone users prefer to use WhatsApp to chat with friends and family. Recently, some users posted in Apple's Community, complaining that they stopped receiving WhatsApp notifications on their iPhones. And they had to open the app to check and read new messages.

Why is My WhatsApp Not Showing Notifications on iPhone?

There are a few possible reasons why your iPhone isn't receiving WhatsApp notifications, including unstable network connection, restricted background data, misconfigured app preferences, outdated app version, software glitches, etc.

If you are facing the same problem, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will introduce 11 troubleshooting tips to fix WhatsApp notifications not working on iPhone. Let’s check out.

Tip 1: Turn On WhatsApp Notification

You might check whether the option “Allow Notifications” has been turned on, assuming you can normally get notifications from other apps rather than WhatsApp.

After upgrading to a new iOS version, all the original settings will be reset, including the app notifications. Thus, it is the first thing you need to do when you find the WhatsApp notification not working on your iPhone.

• Go to Settings from the iPhone home screen and select Notifications.
• Find the WhatsApp option and toggle on the Allow Notifications button.

Also, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Notifications to turn on Show Notifications for Message and Group Notifications.

Tip 2: Enable WhatsApp Sound

If you have enabled “Allow Notifications” for WhatsApp but still don’t get any notification sound, you may have forgotten to set it up from WhatsApp. Here’s how to check or turn on sound for your WhatsApp notifications:

• Open the WhatsApp app and go to Settings > Notifications.
• Tap on Sound and choose the sound you like, then click Save.

Tip 3: Turn On Airplane Mode and Turn It Off

Airplane Mode will turn off your iPhone’s connection to all wireless networks, including Wi-Fi and cellular data, as well as Bluetooth, GPS, etc. If you’ve enabled Airplane mode on your iPhone, you won’t be able to receive any WhatsApp messages, let alone notifications.

You can swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone’s screen to reveal the Control Center and then check if the Airplane Mode is on.

If Airplane Mode is on, you can tap the airplane icon to turn it off. If it is off, you can turn on Airplane mode, wait for 10 seconds, and then turn it off.

Tip 4: Turn Off Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb option is helpful when you do not want to be interrupted. Any calls, alerts, and notifications will not make any noise when the device is locked.

However, the Do Not Disturb feature may be turned on unknowingly sometimes and thus cause your WhatsApp notifications not to work.

Check whether there is a moon icon near the battery icon. The moon icon means that Do Not Disturb is activated.

In such a case, you can head to Settings > Do Not Disturb and toggle the switch to turn it off.

Tip 5: Check Network Connection

The WhatsApp messages and notifications might not work properly if your iPhone is connected to a poor network.

• Check the signal of Wi-Fi or cellular data from the home screen. If it is a weak signal, you will need to switch it to a strong network that will allow WhatsApp messages and notifications to be received.
• If you are using Wi-Fi, try to turn it off, wait for 10 seconds, and then turn it on. Also, you can try to restart your Wi-Fi router and or modem.
• If you are using cellular data, you can also turn it off for about 10 seconds and then turn it on.
• If necessary, you can navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings to erase the old network settings and reconnect to Wi-Fi or cellular data.

Tip 6: Force Stop WhatsApp and Restart iPhone

If the WhatsApp notification is still not working normally on your iPhone, force stop the WhatsApp app and restart the device, which may help to fix the problem.

• On iPhone 8 or earlier, simply double-click the Home button to display your recently used apps and close the WhatsApp app.
• If you use an iPhone X or later, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle, then swipe right or left to find WhatsApp and close it.

After that, restart your iPhone and then check if the notifications are working normally again.

Tip 7: Update the WhatsApp App

Sometimes, an outdated version of the WhatsApp app can also cause the notifications not to work properly. If you don’t want to delete and re-install the app, you can do an app update to fix the error.

To do that, just go to the App Store and tap Today, then tap on your profile icon, scroll down to find WhatsApp and tap Update next to it.

Tip 8: Update iOS to Latest Version

Apart from updating the WhatsApp app, it is also important to keep your iPhone’s operating system up-to-date. In most cases, installing the latest iOS updates can help fix glitches on your iPhone, including WhatsApp notifications not working.

You can update iOS to the latest iOS 18 through iTunes or wirelessly on the iPhone, according to your situation.

Tip 9: Uninstall and Reinstall WhatsApp

WhatsApp data may occupy large storage space and prevent the app from running properly. Sometimes, the WhatsApp notification will not work or be delayed due to the cache files.

In this case, the easiest method to fix the notification issue is to delete and reinstall the WhatsApp application.

• Remember to back up important WhatsApp chats before the uninstallation. Open WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backupand tap Back Up Now to back up WhatsApp chats with iCloud.
• After backup, keep pressing the WhatsApp icon on your Home screen until the app waggles, then click the X icon and choose Delete to uninstall the app.

• Then, search WhatsApp on the App Store, download and reinstall it on your iPhone. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up WhatsApp using your phone number and select Restore if you want to restore chats from your backup.

Tip 10: Log Out of WhatsApp on Other Devices

If you’ve logged in to WhatsApp on multiple devices, you may get the WhatsApp notifications on another device and then have no alerts on your iPhone.

You can try to log out of your WhatsApp on all other devices and keep logging in on your iPhone only. Please note that there is no Log Out option in WhatsApp; you need to sign out by directly deleting the app on other devices.

Tip 11: Fix WhatsApp Notifications Not Working without Data Loss

WhatsApp notifications not working on iPhone often happens after an iOS update. There might be system bugs caused by iOS installation that stop WhatsApp notifications from working properly. In such a case, we recommend you use FoneGeek iOS System Recovery. This professional iOS repair tool is capable of fixing various iOS issues easily and quickly. Below are some of its most noticeable features:

• Fix various iOS system issues, such as black screen, stuck on recovery mode, app notification issue, keep rebooting, iPhone won't turn on, etc.
• In most cases, it can help you fix iOS and bring your iPhone back to normal without causing data loss.
• It is safe and easy to use, working with all iOS devices (iPhone 16 included) running iOS 18 or earlier versions.

Here’s how to fix WhatsApp notifications not working on iPhone without data loss:

Step 1: Select “Standard Mode” once you have downloaded and run the program on your computer.

Step 2: Then connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable and wait for the program to detect the device.

Step 3: Then you’ll be required to confirm the device information; tap on “Download,” and the program will download the firmware package for your iPhone to fix the issue.

Step 4: When the firmware is downloaded and verified, repair the iOS and get the WhatsApp notifications working properly on your iPhone.

Conclusion

Hope that you've fixed the WhatsApp notifications not working issue on your iPhone after following the solutions mentioned above. By the way, if you don't want to go through all the solutions one by one, we recommend you use FoneGeek iOS System Recovery to save time and resolve the problem in a few simple clicks.