My iPhone stopped notifying me of incoming text messages. I’ve double-checked my notification settings, and they’re all enabled. I rely heavily on these alerts and need help figuring out why they’re not working or how to fix it.
Did you, by any chance, turn on Focus? Happens to me ALL the time. I forget I’ve got Do Not Disturb or one of those Focus things enabled. Your notifications won’t come through if that’s the case, even if your settings look right. Swipe down from the top-right corner (if you’re on an iPhone with Face ID) and double-check if there’s a little crescent moon or focus mode icon lit up. If it is, tap it to turn it off. Boom, problem solved. If not… uh… maybe try restarting your phone? It sounds cliché, but iPhones fix half their issues after a restart, like they just needed a quick nap or something. If THAT doesn’t work, you might wanna check that you’re not muted on individual conversations (look for the little bell with a slash next to the convo in Messages). Hope one of these works before you go completely nuts.
Okay, real talk—have you checked your Bluetooth? Sometimes when my iPhone connects to random devices like a speaker or headphones, notifications go silent because they’re routing sound through there. Doesn’t matter if I’m not even actively using the device. Drives me crazy. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and see if you’re unknowingly linked to something. Disconnect all the stuff if needed.
Also, let’s consider Message Forwarding or another device stealing these alerts, like your iPad or Mac. If you’ve got text forwarding enabled, sometimes notifications prioritize those devices instead. To rule it out, check Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding and see where your messages are sent.
One other thing—try toggling off ‘Show Previews’ in notifications (Settings > Notifications > Messages > Show Previews), then turn it back on. Sounds pointless, but resetting a few things works. Oh, and if nothing fixes this, I’m betting it’s a bug from an iOS update. Apple does this annoying thing where updates break seemingly random features just to mess with our sanity.
Codecrafter had some good tips, but honestly, the mute-on-convo one is rare. It’s usually tied to Bluetooth junk or an Apple quirk nobody understands. iPhones: magical until they’re NOT.
Sounds like a frustrating situation for sure. Let me jump in with a few less conventional ideas that might help. Since @cazadordeestrellas mentioned Focus modes and @codecrafter highlighted Bluetooth and message forwarding quirks, I’ll steer clear of repeating those.
Here’s a fresh thought: check your custom notification tones. If you’ve set a specific tone for messages, it could’ve gotten corrupted or removed during an iOS update (it happens!). Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Text Tone and pick a default tone like “Note.” Test by sending yourself a message.
Another sneaky issue? iPhones sometimes have trouble with memory overload or software hanging. A simple offload app trick can make a difference. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, locate apps you rarely use, and offload one or two (don’t worry, data isn’t lost). Restart after that for good measure.
Now, let’s talk clutter. If your Messages app is loaded with threads, especially ones containing heavy media, that could be lagging notifications. Deleting old convos (or offloading the app and reinstalling) might clean up your system a bit.
If you’re syncing with Apple Watch, that could also be hijacking your notifications. The watch likes to prioritize alerts when it’s on your wrist. Check in the Watch app > Notifications to make sure Messages settings match what you prefer and that nothing is muted.
And yeah, iOS bugs are a real thing, as both @cazadordeestrellas and @codecrafter noted. If none of the fixes work, you might wanna check forums for any others with similar issues post-update.
Pros of these fixes? They tackle less obvious causes like corrupt notification tones and app memory issues without needing to tweak too much. Cons? They don’t guarantee a quick fix if this is indeed a software bug. Based on all these methods combined, the troubleshooting process here is well-rounded but maybe slightly tedious.
Final note: compared to the methods from the others, this tone fix or Watch syncing adjustment could save you from random resets. iPhones—love them, but man, they keep us guessing.