iPhone notifications not working

1. They do not arrive at all

   Notifications are not allowed for the app

   If the app has no Notifications item at all, Apple Support puts it this way: "the app might not be able to send notifications."

   Where to look: Settings → Apps → the app → Notifications → Allow Notifications. The same screen opens from Settings → Notifications → the app below Notification Style.

2. They do not arrive at all

   The app was muted with a swipe

   Swipe a notification left and tap Options, and a menu opens: Mute for 1 Hour, Mute for Today, View Settings, Turn Off. One careless tap and the app stays quiet until tomorrow or for good.

   Where to look: The same Allow Notifications switch for the app. If it is off and you did not touch it, turn it back on.

3. They do not arrive at all · They arrive late

   A Focus or Do Not Disturb is on

   During a Focus an app stays quiet if it is missing from Allow Notifications From or listed in Silence Notifications From. Time Sensitive Notifications lets all apps send time-sensitive notifications immediately. Apple Support says a Focus delays the delivery of notifications on iPhone to prevent interruptions.

   Where to look: Whether it is on now: Control Center, the Focus button. The lists: Settings → Focus → a Focus → Apps.

4. They do not arrive at all · They arrive late

   The Focus turns on by itself: a schedule or another device

   A Focus can have a schedule: a set time, a location, or while using a certain app. And with Share Across Devices your Focus settings are the same on every device signed in to the same Apple Account, so the Focus may have been turned on from an iPad or a Mac.

   Where to look: Settings → Focus → a Focus → the schedule (added with Add Schedule). Share Across Devices: Settings → Focus.

5. They arrive late

   The app is in the Scheduled Summary

   With the summary, notifications are not lost: they arrive in a batch at the times you set. For an app whose reminders must come on time, choose Immediate Delivery.

   Where to look: Settings → Notifications → Scheduled Summary. For the app itself: under Notification Delivery, Immediate Delivery or Scheduled Summary.

6. They arrive late

   Low Power Mode is on

   Among the things this mode does, Apple lists "Turns off email fetch" and "Turns off Background App Refresh". The battery icon turns yellow while it is active. It turns off by itself when the phone is charged to 80% or higher.

   Where to look: Settings → Battery. On iPhone 15 and later, then Power Mode.

7. They arrive silently or do not pop up

   The phone is silenced

   Apple Support: "If your device is silenced, your notifications will not alert you with a sound." They still show on the screen.

   Where to look: Turn silent mode off and check the sound for the app: Settings → Notifications → the app → Sounds.

8. They arrive silently or do not pop up

   Banners are off or the preview is hidden

   Under Alerts you choose where a notification appears: on the Lock Screen, in Notification Center, or as banners. Without the banner it arrives but does not pop up over the screen. And Show Previews set to Never hides the text.

   Where to look: Settings → Notifications → the app → Alerts and Show Previews (Always, When Unlocked, Never).

9. They do not arrive at all · They arrive silently or do not pop up

   The notification went to Apple Watch

   Apple Support: if your iPhone is unlocked, you get notifications on your iPhone instead of your Apple Watch. If your iPhone is locked or asleep, you get them on your Apple Watch, unless the watch is locked.

   Where to look: Look at the watch. When the Apple Watch locks or Do Not Disturb is on there, notifications go to the iPhone.

10. Only Messages stays quiet

    Hide Alerts is on for the conversation

    It stops notifications only for that conversation, the rest arrive as usual. The Hide Alerts icon appears next to such a conversation.

    Where to look: Messages → the conversation → the image or icon at the top → turn off Hide Alerts.

11. Only Messages stays quiet

    The message was caught by the unknown senders filter

    According to Apple Support, in iOS 26 Filter Spam is on by default. If you also turn on Screen Unknown Senders, you do not get a notification for messages from unknown senders or for messages identified as spam.

    Where to look: The messages themselves are in Messages: the Unknown Senders filter or the Spam folder. You can mark a sender as known.

Checked against Apple Support: October 8, 2026. Apple Support describes iOS 27. On older versions some items are named differently: look for them by meaning or use the search at the top of Settings. How we check