Out of all other Instant Messaging apps, WhatsApp is arguably the most-used app. The Facebook-owned app has over 2 Billion active users globally, and we could trace this to the end-to-end encryption offered by WhatsApp, which ensures there are no traces of your chats left anywhere else than you and your chat mate.
Frustratingly enough, one of the frequently reported issue by our customers at Carlcare is how they were fucked up by Whatsapp notification not working. If you're experiencing this and you are not getting Whatsapp notifications as expected, here are 10 trusted ways to fix your WhatsApp notifications not showing, regardless of which phone you use.
Check the internet signal
Essentially, just like any other Instant Messaging app, WhatsApp requires the internet to work flawlessly. If you're having the issue of WhatsApp notification not working on your phone, the first thing to check is to make sure you have a good internet connection. There are a couple of things to keep that in check - check your data balance, reconnect to your Wifi, move to an area with a better internet signal, etc. Just make sure you're connected to the internet, it's crucial.
Enable WhatsApp app notification.
The Android OS enables users to change notifications independently for every app. This allows you to turn off any notification you may find intrusive on your phone. Here, where your WhatsApp notifications are not showing, you probably had clicked the wrong settings. Follow the steps below to re-enable WhatsApp notifications.
- Open your phone Settings app
- Select 'Apps & notifications'
- Click the option to view all apps.
- Now scroll down and click on WhatsApp
- Tap 'Notifications'
- You'll see a list of all notification options for WhatsApp, simply find any disabled one and re-enable it.
Check Do Not Disturb mode
If the Whatsapp notification not working problem persists, there are chances that you have turned on DND mode. Perhaps you did it accidentally in the quick-settings panel. When you enable Do Not Disturb, it silences all notifications, including text messages, calls, and other apps.
If you still can't get your WhatsApp notifications, simply double-check if you've turned off DND mode by swiping down the quick-setting panel and toggle off the DND settings. If you can't find DND on your quick-setting panel, go to Settings >> Sound >> Do Not Disturb, and turn it off.
Restart your phone.
Restarting your phone is also an important step while trying to fix software-related issues like this. Though most people do it occasionally, rebooting your phone helps refresh its memory, release all processes and fix some glitches. So, if Whatsapp push notifications are not working on your phone, simply restart your phone and try again. Just hold the power button for about 10secs to restart your phone automatically.
Clear app cache.
At the same time, ensure to clear the app cache for your WhatsApp. There are chances that the piled-up data is becoming too much or redundant for WhatsApp to run properly. Here's how to do that.
- Long-press the WhatsApp icon from your app drawer.
- Tap 'App info' or anything related.
- Open 'Storage & cache'
- Tap 'Clear cache'.
Update the system.
If none of the above fixes is working for you, also ensure your phone is up-to-date. More often than not, some of us receive system updates but neglect them for no reasons. To make sure all apps and the system are running well, simply check for any pending update on your phone and install them. Here's how to do that.
- Open your phone Settings app.
- Scroll down and select 'System'
- Now tap 'System Update'
- Ensure you're connected to the internet and check for updates. If you find any, kindly download and install them.
Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp
How about just starting from scratch? Perhaps you've tampered with some settings that lead to the Whatsapp no notification problem. To fix this, you can just uninstall your WhatsApp and reinstall it.
But before that, you might need to back up your chats. Simply open your WhatsApp, open WhatsApp settings, then click on 'Chats', and then 'Chats backup'. You can now safely backup your WhatsApp chats to ensure you don't lose any pending conversation during the process.
After that, open the Play Store and find WhatsApp. Click on the Uninstall button, then reinstall it again. After the installation, you can safely restore your chats and continue enjoying your conversations.
Check Background Data Restriction.
One thing you might have turned on accidentally or intentionally while trying to save data usage, is background data restriction. While this is on, it ensures WhatsApp does not connect to the internet while you're not currently using it - even when you just minimize it. Here's how to disable background data restriction for WhatsApp.
- Open your app drawer and locate WhatsApp.
- Long-press the icon and tap 'App info' or anything related.
- Open 'Mobile data & Wi-Fi'
- You'll see the amount of data used by WhatsApp from the last month, ensure 'Background data' is turned on to make sure your WhatsApp is active in the background.
- You may also turn on 'Unrestricted data usage' to ensure your WhatsApp works even when Data Saver is enabled.
Update the WhatsApp app.
It's also important to be on the latest version of WhatsApp. WhatsApp has lots of users globally, and it's always working to improve the app. If you're running on a version too far behind, you might not receive notifications on your phone. Simply launch your Play Store and check for any available update and install it.
Disable Power Saver mode.
Power Saver/Battery Saving mode improves battery life on your phone. It ensures few apps are running in the background, and Android also uses AI to learn which apps you don't use frequently, then put them to sleep to save some battery for you. But this can also hamper some other features like the WhatsApp notifications you're not receiving. Here, simply turn off Power Saver mode on your phone to ensure your WhatsApp works well.
Check if you can find it in your quick-setting panel, then disable it. Or go to Settings > Battery > Power Saver, then toggle off Battery or Power Saver mode.
