iPhone Message Notification Not Working? Here’s The Real Fix!

Do you miss important information because your iPhone message notification isn’t working? Read this guide to learn how to easily fix the problem.
iPhone Message Notification Not Working? Here’s The Real Fix!

Do you often miss important information because your iPhone doesn’t send sound alerts or notification banners on the lockscreen for SMS or iMessages? Or perhaps, your grandma is breathing down your neck with questions like: “Why am I not getting text notifications on my iPhone?” “Why is my iPhone not notifying me of texts?” If you replied in the affirmative, then you should read this article till the end.

In this guide, we explain why this happens and ten (10) ways to easily fix iPhone message notification not working issue. Read through.

Why am I not Getting Text Notifications on My iPhone?

First off, putting your iPhone in Silent mode could mess with your device’s notification settings. Push the Ring/Silent switch on the top-left side of your iPhone to the top and see if that fixes the issue. This problem could also stem from built-in personalizations & features (e.g. Do Not Disturb, Hidden Alerts, etc.) or corrupt system & network settings. There’s a lot more probable factors responsible for the iPhone Message notification not working issue. Proceed to the next section to learn more and how to get them fixed.

How to Fix “Not Getting Text Notifications on iPhone” Issue

Just as there are varying reasons why you aren’t getting text notifications on your iPhone, the problem equally has several fixes. We aggregate ten (10) of these solutions in this section.

Tip 1: Best Way to Fix iPhone Message Notification Not Working

There are numerous ways to resolve errors preventing message and text notifications from working correctly on your iPhone. Some are pretty straightforward, some involve tinkering with complex server configurations, while others might require you to reconfigure certain device settings. One of the easiest and uncomplicated ways to fix this ‘Not Getting Text Notifications on iPhone’ issue is by using Tenorshare ReiBoot.

It is an all-in-one iOS repair tool designed to fix over 150 system problems affecting iOS devices. If your iPhone encounters any snag during usage and you don’t know what the problem is, simply plug your device to your computer and let Tenorshare ReiBoot do its magic.

Install Tenorshare ReiBoot and plug your iPhone to your computer. Also, make sure you unlock your iPhone and click Trust This Computer when prompted. Follow the steps below to use Tenorshare ReiBoot to fix your iPhone’s message notification problems.

>> Get Tenorshare ReiBoot <<

Step 1: On the app’s dashboard, click Repair Operating System (Fix All iOS Problems).

Fix iPhone’s message notification not working with ReiBoot

Step 2: Next, click the Fix Now button.

Tenorshare ReiBoot Fix Now

Step 3: Again, click Fix Now on the next page to proceed.

Tenorshare ReiBoot - Fix all iOS system problems

Step 4: You’ll be prompted to download the firmware package that matches your iPhone model and operating system. Tap Download to continue.

Tenorshare ReiBoot - Download firmware package to fix iPhone not notifying me of texts

Upon completion of the download, Tenorshare ReiBoot will automatically (and instantly) eliminate errors inhibiting text and message notifications on your iPhone. Read ReiBoot Review here.

Tip 2: Check If Your Text Notifications Are Set to Deliver Quietly

When Messages is configured to deliver notifications quietly on your iPhone, new SMS, MMS, and iMessage alerts will only appear in the Notifications Center. The app icon will also display a badge but there will be no notification sound, vibration, or banner displayed on the lock screen.

To check if notifications for the Messages app are set to ‘Deliver Quietly,’ swipe a text notification on the lock screen to the left and click Manage.

Click deliver prominently to restore text notifications back to normal

Click the Deliver Prominently button to restore text notifications back to normalcy on your iPhone.

If there’s no text notification on the lock screen, you can change text notifications to deliver prominently in the iPhone Notifications menu. Here’s how.

Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings menu and select Notifications.

Go to Messages on iPhone settings

Step 2: Scroll through the list of apps and select Messages.

Step 3: In the Alerts section, check both Lock Screen and Banners.

Check the alerts section to fix ‘not getting text notifications on iPhone’ error

Step 4: You should also toggle on Badges.

Step 5: Next, click Sounds.

Step 6: Select Note (Default) or any preferred alert tone on the list.

And that’s it! You have successfully re-engineered your iPhone to deliver text notifications prominently— with sound, vibration, and lockscreen banners.

Tip 3: Check Whether You Have Enabled Filter Unknown Senders

iOS has a message filtering feature that automatically hides and mute spam messages sent by numbers not saved on your iPhone’s contact list. Sometimes, this feature is turned on by default and this could be just why you aren’t receiving notifications for regular SMS or iMessage. To fix this, ensure that ‘Filter Unknown Senders’ is disabled in your iPhone’s Messages settings. Here’s how to get it done.

Step 1: Launch the iPhone settings and select Messages.

Disable Filter Unknow Senders to fix iPhone message notification not working problem

Step 2: Scroll to the Message Filtering section and toggle off Filter Unknown Senders.

Proceed to the next troubleshooting solution if your iPhone’s Message notification is still not working—particularly from numbers saved on your device’s contact list.

Tip 4: Check Your Blocked Contacts List

This is pretty straightforward: you will not receive messages (or notifications) from contacts that you’ve blocked on your iPhone. If you aren’t getting text notifications from some of your contacts, check that they aren’t on your iPhone’s Blocked Contacts list.

Step 1: Launch Settings and select Phone.

Blocked contacts on iPhone

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the Phone menu and select Blocked Contacts.

If you find a contact or number on the list, and you want to unblock the person so you can get text notifications from them, move to the next step.

Step 3: Click on Edit at the top-right corner.

Unblock blocked contact on iPhone

Step 4: Click the red delete icon and tap Unblock.

The contact will be deleted from your iPhone’s Blocked Contacts list and you should now be able to receive notifications when they text you.

Tip 5: Turn Off Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb on iPhone is another iOS feature designed to silence calls and notifications from messages and other apps. Surely, the feature comes with its benefits. However, when enabled by accident, you could lose vital text messages and calls. If your iPhone message notification isn’t working, you should confirm that Do Not Disturb is disabled. You can easily deactivate Do Not Disturb from the Control Center: tap the violet-colored crescent moon icon.

Turn off do not disturb from control center

A message that reads ‘Do Not Disturb: Off’ should be displayed at the top of the screen. Alternatively, you can also turn off Do Not Disturb from the iPhone settings.

Step 1: Open Settings and select Do Not Disturb.

Turn off do not disturb to fix iPhone no text-sound

Step 2: Toggle off Do Not Disturb.

Tip 6: Check Do Not Disturb While Driving

‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ is quite similar to the regular ‘Do Not Disturb’ but they work differently and independently. By silencing text notifications, calls, and other types of notifications, this feature helps you keep your eyes and mind on the road while driving. When enabled, your iPhone mutes all notifications if it detects that you’re driving.

This feature is quite fantastic but there are instances when it works incorrectly. For example, ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ sometimes silences your notifications when it detects that you’re in a moving vehicle, even if you’re just a passenger. In that case, you should disable the feature. Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb and click on Activate in the ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ section. Finally, select Manually to disable the feature.

Turn off do not disturb while driving

Tip 7: Check If you Accidentally Turned on Hide Alerts

If you are not getting text notifications on your iPhone for a particular contact, there’s a possibility that you have (accidentally) enabled ‘Hide Alerts’ for the conversation. When you hide alerts for a chat, sound notifications for that particular conversation will be muted. Likewise, you wouldn’t see notifications for that chat on your lockscreen.

When a crescent moon icon is on the left-hand side of the conversation when you launch the Messages app, it’s an indication that Hide Alerts is enabled for that contact/conversation.

Disable Hide Alerts for a chat on iPhone

To disable Hide Alerts, swipe the affected chat to the left and click the speaker icon.

Alternatively, you can long-press the conversation and select Show Alerts from the context menu.

Tip 8: Check Bluetooth

This is another factor that could be responsible for the iPhone message notification not working error. When your iPhone is paired to a Bluetooth device, sound alerts and notifications for messages and other apps are routed to the Bluetooth device.

If you are not getting text notifications, you should check and confirm that your iPhone isn’t connected to any Bluetooth device. Or better yet: turn off your device’s Bluetooth from the Control Center.

Turn off bluetooth to fix iPhone message notification not working

Go to Settings > Bluetooth and check if any unrecognized device is connected to your iPhone. To disconnect a Bluetooth device, tap the info icon next to the device, scroll to the bottom of the device menu and tap Disconnect.

Disconnect a bluetooth device on iPhone

Tip 9: Update Your DNS Servers

If iPhone’s message notifications aren’t working when connected to a particular Wi-Fi network, switching to Google’s Public DNS servers could help fix the problem. Follow the steps below to get it done.

Step 1: Launch Settings and select Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Tap the info icon next to the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to.

update dns servers to fix ‘not getting notifications on iPhone

Step 3: At the bottom of the network menu, select Configure DNS.

Step 4: Next, select Manual.

Step 5: Click Add Server.

Step 6: Type 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.8.4 into the provided box.

Step 7: If you wish, you can delete the previous DNS server. Click the red button next to the server address and select Delete.

Delete dns servers on iPhone

Step 8: Finally, click Save.

Tip 10: Reset All Settings

Still not getting text notifications on your iPhone? You should try resetting your device’s settings. Doing this will restore your iPhone’s network settings (cellular data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN, etc.) and other device configurations to factory default. Your documents, media files (photos and videos), linked accounts, and other personal information will not be deleted.

Note: Before you proceed, we recommend that you backup your iPhone. You know, just to be safe. Read our comprehensive guide on how to backup iPhone.

Step 1: Launch Settings and select General.

Reset all settings to fix iPhone not notifying me of texts

Step 2: At the bottom of the page, select Reset.

Step 3: Next, select Reset All Settings.

Step 4: Enter your iPhone’s passcode and hit Reset All Settings on the confirmation prompt.

Conclusion

At least one of the troubleshooting solutions listed above should help resolve the iPhone message notification not working issue. It is also important to keep your iPhone updated; bugs sometimes cause notification-related glitches. So, go to Settings > General > Software Update and check if there’s any update available for your device. Drop a comment below if you are still not getting text notifications on your iPhone. We’re happy to help.

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