- Messenger notifications not working: start with the quick checks
- Check whether Messenger notifications are switched off on Android
- Check Do Not Disturb in the Messenger app on iPhone
- One chat silent? Look at muting for that conversation
- Notification previews are off: that's not the same as no notifications
- Custom sounds for Messenger chats on iPhone
- What the Messenger help centre doesn't cover about notifications
- Messenger notifications not working: a calm order to work through
- Frequently asked questions
If Messenger notifications aren't working, check Notifications and sounds first: tap your profile picture in Chats and make sure alerts aren't switched off. Then check whether the single chat is muted. According to Messenger's help pages, turning previews off only hides the message text; it doesn't stop alerts arriving.
You're waiting on a reply from a customer, a client or your mum, and Messenger stays silent until you open the app and find the message has been sitting there for an hour. It's maddening, and if you run a small business from your phone you can miss leads. The good news is that most cases come down to a handful of in-app switches that are easy to flip by accident. Here's what Messenger's help pages say, in the order I'd check things.
Messenger notifications not working: start with the quick checks
Before you dig into settings, Messenger's help centre lists a few basic fixes for when something in the app isn't behaving. They're dull, but they clear a surprising number of problems:
- Update Messenger to the latest version.
- Connect to a reliable Wi-Fi network.
- Make sure your device has enough storage.
- Close the Messenger app and restart your device.
If you haven't updated in a while, my walkthrough on updating Messenger on iPhone, Android and computer covers it step by step. Messenger's help also says that installing the latest version may fix problems, and that you can uninstall and reinstall the app if needed.
Check whether Messenger notifications are switched off on Android
This is the first place I'd look, because Messenger lets you pause alerts for a set time and then it's easy to forget you did it. According to Messenger's help pages, on Android you do this:
- Open Messenger and, from Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Tap Notifications and sounds.
- Look at the switch next to On. If it's off, turn it back on.
When you turn alerts off from this screen, Messenger asks how long to turn them off for. So if a notification pause was set for a while and then ran out, or you chose a long period without thinking, that could be your answer. Menus vary by app version, so if the wording on your phone differs slightly, start from your profile picture and look for Notifications and sounds.
Check Do Not Disturb in the Messenger app on iPhone
On iPhone the same screen works a little differently. Messenger's help pages give these steps:
- From Chats, tap your profile picture in the top left.
- Tap Notifications and sounds.
- Check the switch next to Do Not Disturb. If it's on, turn it off.
The help page says you choose how long to turn notifications off when you switch that on. So a Do Not Disturb you set last week could still be running, which is worth a look before you blame your phone.
One chat silent? Look at muting for that conversation
If most Messenger notifications work but one person or group never lights up your screen, you've probably muted that single conversation. The help pages explain how to mute and, by the same route, unmute:
- On Android, swipe left on the conversation from Chats, tap the notification icon and choose how long to turn notifications off, then tap OK.
- On iPhone, swipe left on the conversation from Chats, tap More, then tap Mute, and pick the notification type and how long.
Swiping the same chat again lets you see whether it's currently muted. If you want the full picture on this, I wrote about muting and unmuting people on Messenger separately.
Group chats are their own case. Messenger's help centre has a separate article on turning group chat notifications on or off, so if the silent chat is a group, check the group's own settings too.
Notification previews are off: that's not the same as no notifications
Here's one that fools people. Messenger has a separate setting that controls whether the text of a message shows in the alert. According to the help pages, you find it in the same Notifications and sounds screen: it's called Notification previews on Android and Show previews on iPhone.
Turn previews off and you'll still get an alert, but it won't show what the message says. If your alerts have turned vague, that's probably why. If you get nothing at all, previews aren't the culprit.
Custom sounds for Messenger chats on iPhone
On iPhone, Messenger's help pages say you can give individual chats their own sound, so you can tell who's messaging you without looking. To do it, open the chat, tap the name at the top, tap Notifications and sounds, then choose a sound under Messages (for chat alerts) or Ringtone (for calls).
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It's a nice trick if you're running a business and want your best customers to sound different from everyone else. It's also a place to check if a chat sounds different from the rest: someone may have set a sound that you can't hear on your phone.
What the Messenger help centre doesn't cover about notifications
I'll be honest about the limits here. The Messenger help pages I've read cover the switches inside the app: the all-conversations setting, previews, per-chat muting, group chat alerts and sounds. They don't walk you through your phone's own system-level settings for the app, and those menus differ between phone makers and software versions, so I'm not going to guess at them. If every in-app setting looks right and alerts still don't arrive, it's reasonable to look at how your phone treats Messenger alerts, and to use the in-app option to report a problem.
Messenger's help also says that if you're still having trouble after trying its tips, you can report the problem to the team. That route sits in the Fix a problem section of the Messenger Help Centre.
Messenger notifications not working: a calm order to work through
| Step | What to check | Where, per Messenger's help pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alerts paused for all chats | Profile picture, then Notifications and sounds |
| 2 | Do Not Disturb (iPhone) | Same screen, switch beside Do Not Disturb |
| 3 | One chat muted | Swipe left on the chat in Chats |
| 4 | Group chat alerts | The group's own notification setting |
| 5 | App out of date or low storage | Update, check storage, restart |
| 6 | Still stuck | Report the problem from Fix a problem |
Work down that list once, in order, and write down what you changed. It stops you flipping the same switch twice and wondering which one fixed it.
This guide is part of my Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I not getting Messenger notifications?
Messenger's help pages point to notifications being turned off for all conversations or muted for one chat, so check Notifications and sounds first, then the single conversation. An out-of-date app, low storage or a poor connection can also cause trouble.
How do I turn Messenger notifications back on?
From Chats, tap your profile picture, then Notifications and sounds. On Android, turn the switch next to On back on. On iPhone, switch Do Not Disturb off.
Why do I get Messenger alerts but can't see the message?
Notification previews are probably off. According to Messenger's help pages, that setting sits in Notifications and sounds, and it hides the message text without stopping the alert.
Why is one Messenger chat silent when the others work?
That chat is probably muted. Swipe left on it in Chats and check the mute or notification option. Group chats also have their own notification setting.
Can I give one person a different Messenger sound?
On iPhone, yes. Messenger's help pages say to open the chat, tap the name at the top, tap Notifications and sounds, and choose a sound under Messages or Ringtone.
What if none of that fixes Messenger notifications?
Update the app, check your storage, restart your device, and if needed reinstall Messenger. If it still doesn't work, report the problem to Messenger through its Help Centre.
