WhatsApp Notifications Not Working? Fixes for No Alerts, No Sound and Group Chats

Does this match what you see?

• You only see new messages after you open WhatsApp.
• Notifications arrive with no sound or vibration.
• You get alerts for chats but not for groups.
• Notifications stop when WhatsApp is closed or your phone is idle.
• Notifications say “WhatsApp” instead of the contact’s name.
• WhatsApp Web or Desktop doesn’t show alerts.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on WhatsApp Help “Can’t see or hear notifications” (Web, Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac tabs) and “How to manage your notifications” (Web, Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac tabs) and “Can’t receive notifications on Microsoft Edge”, supplied by the site owner. Phone menu names vary by brand and software version.

Why this happens: the possible causes

The settings WhatsApp says control notifications (how common each is, is our estimate).

• Notifications are off in your phone’s settingsCheck this first

  WhatsApp says your phone’s settings override WhatsApp’s.

• Battery optimization or background limitsCheck this first

  On Android, WhatsApp says you might not get notifications if your phone restricts apps running in the background to save battery. On iPhone, it says to turn on Background App Refresh.

• The tone is set to Silent or NoneCheck this first

  WhatsApp says you won’t hear a sound if the tone is Silent (Android) or None (iPhone), even if your phone’s sound is on.

• Do Not Disturb, Focus or Scheduled SummaryPossible

  WhatsApp says these can silence or delay notifications.

• The group is mutedPossible

  WhatsApp says each group can be muted on its own, and group notifications have their own settings.

• You force-closed WhatsApp (iPhone)Possible

  WhatsApp says swiping up to force quit WhatsApp might stop notifications.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Notification arrives but is silent

WhatsApp says if you can see a silent alert, notifications are being delivered, so check your sound settings first. It says this is usually caused by the tone being set to Silent or None, your phone’s sound settings, or Do Not Disturb or Focus mode.

Custom sound reverting to default

• Android: WhatsApp says the file must be MP3, OGG, WAV or M4A and stored in your phone’s Notifications folder. Reset notification settings, then set the tone again in Settings > Notifications > Notification tone. If it still doesn’t work, clear WhatsApp’s cache (Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage > Clear cache) and set the sound again.
• iPhone: WhatsApp says custom sounds must be picked from WhatsApp’s built-in sound list: Settings > Notifications > Sound under Message or Group notifications. If it keeps reverting, update WhatsApp.

Group notifications not working

WhatsApp says groups have their own notification settings, and each group can be muted on its own. Open the group, tap its name, then tap Notifications:

• Check the group isn’t muted. WhatsApp says you still get notifications for mentions and replies in a muted group.
• Mute @all mentions stops @all alerts.
• Notify for: choose All to get every message, or Highlights for only mentions, replies, messages from contacts and other relevant messages.
• Communities: open the community, tap and hold a group, tap Mute and choose a duration. The announcement group is muted separately.
• Lists: muting a Favorites or custom list mutes the chats in it, but WhatsApp says you’ll still be notified when you’re mentioned.

Mute or unmute a chat

WhatsApp says you can mute a chat’s messages and calls for 8 hours, 1 week or Always. You still receive the messages, but your device won’t vibrate or make a sound.

• Android: open the chat > tap its name > Notifications > turn on Mute (for a group, under Messages or Calls) > choose how long > OK. To unmute, tap Notifications and turn Mute off.
• iPhone: open the chat > tap its name > Notifications > Mute notifications (for a group, under Messages or Calls) > choose how long. To unmute, tap Muted > Unmute.
• WhatsApp Web: open the chat > click its name > turn on Mute notifications > choose how long > Mute. To unmute, click the muted chat, turn off Muted and click Unmute.
• Windows app: open the chat > click its name > Notification settings > under Mute notifications choose how long > Mute. To unmute: Notification settings > Muted > Unmute.
• Mac app: click the chat > click its name > the dropdown next to Mute > choose how long. To unmute, use the same dropdown > Unmute.

WhatsApp says the other person isn’t told you muted them, they still get read receipts if you have those on, and the unread count still shows next to the chat. A group you mute on your phone is also muted on Web and Desktop.

Notifications say “WhatsApp” or show no preview

• “WhatsApp” instead of a name: WhatsApp says the chat is locked, so it hides the name and message in all notifications, including calls. To show them again, tap and hold the chat and tap Unlock chat.
• iPhone, no message preview: go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp > Show Previews, and choose Always or When Unlocked. Also check Show preview is on in WhatsApp’s notification settings.
• Android lock screen: go to Settings > Notifications > Notifications on lockscreen and choose what to show.
• Android 10 and later, no pop-ups: WhatsApp says this is a change in Android, not a WhatsApp setting. Go to Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp, set importance to Urgent or High, and turn on Pop on screen or Floating notifications if your phone has it (names vary by brand).
• WhatsApp says previews of messages with suspicious links might still be hidden (iPhone), and you can’t open those links from the preview (Android).

Call notifications not showing (Android)

WhatsApp says turning off Call notifications in your phone’s settings silences incoming WhatsApp call notifications (if you’re using WhatsApp when a call comes in, you still get it). The caller gets a no-answer response, and you get a missed call notification; tap the missed call info to see “Notifications disabled”. To turn them back on: Settings > Notifications > App notifications > WhatsApp > Call notifications > Show notifications.

No alerts on WhatsApp Web: unblock notifications in your browser

WhatsApp says to click Turn on desktop notifications in the banner above your chats list and follow the prompts. No banner? Refresh the page. If it still doesn’t appear, you may have muted or turned off notifications in WhatsApp’s settings (Settings > Notifications on WhatsApp Web).

If notifications are blocked for web.whatsapp.com, WhatsApp’s steps for each browser are:

• Chrome: More (three dots) > Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Notifications. Make sure Sites can ask to send notifications is on. If https://web.whatsapp.com is under Not allowed to send notifications, click More next to it > Allow.
• Microsoft Edge: More (three dots) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications. If https://web.whatsapp.com is under Not allowed to send notifications, click More next to it > Allow.
• Firefox: Menu > Settings > Privacy & Security. Under Permissions, click Settings… next to Notifications, change web.whatsapp.com from Block to Allow, then Save Changes.
• Opera: Easy Setup > Go to full browser settings > Privacy & security > Site Settings > Notifications, then Allow web.whatsapp.com.
• Safari: Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, and change web.whatsapp.com from Deny to Allow.

No alerts on WhatsApp Desktop for Windows or Mac

Windows

1. Open Windows Settings > System > Notifications > WhatsApp, and turn notifications On.
2. In WhatsApp, click Settings > Notifications and turn on Messages, Reactions and Calls. Pick a Notification tone: WhatsApp says None means no sound.
3. To get alerts when the app is closed, set Show banner notifications and Show taskbar notification badge to Always.
4. Let it run in the background: Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > find WhatsApp > open its menu > Advanced options > under Background App Permissions, select Always.

WhatsApp says if notifications are off in Windows, sounds won’t play even when they’re on in the app. Use the Windows Settings: Notifications link at the top of WhatsApp’s Notifications page.

Mac

1. Open System Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp, and turn on Allow Notifications.
2. In WhatsApp’s settings > Notifications, turn on Show notifications (and Reaction notifications if you want them) under Message and Group notifications.
3. Click Sound and choose Default notification sound under Alert Tones, then click Save. For calls, turn on Show Notifications and Play Ringtone for Incoming Calls.
4. Still wrong? Notifications > Reset notification settings > Reset.
5. Restart your Mac.

Muted chats (Windows and Mac)

WhatsApp says you can’t get notifications from muted chats. See mute or unmute a chat for the steps on each app. Muting a chat on your phone also mutes it on your computer, but other notification settings are separate on each device.

No alerts on a tablet, iPad or second phone

WhatsApp says linked devices get notifications independently from your main phone. If one isn’t getting them:

1. On the linked device, turn on notifications for WhatsApp, and allow it to run in the background (Android: background data and battery optimization; iPad: Background App Refresh). On iPad, don’t swipe WhatsApp closed.
2. If your main phone has been off or offline for days, turn it on or connect it. WhatsApp says linked devices may be logged out if your main phone is unused for over 14 days.
3. Unlink and relink: on your main phone, Settings > Linked Devices > tap the device > Log out, then link it again.
4. Still nothing? Reinstall WhatsApp on the linked device and link it again.

How to know it worked

• A test message sent while WhatsApp is closed gives you an alert with sound.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Messages themselves not arriving? See WhatsApp messages not sending or delivering.
2. WhatsApp says if you’ve tried everything, contact your phone’s manufacturer. On iPhone, it says notifications are delivered by Apple’s Push Notification Service, not WhatsApp directly.

Frequently asked questions