[Update: Jul. 07] iPhone users on iOS 14 reporting missing push notifications (no notification alerts) & here're some potential solutions

Check out the crux of this story in video form below:

New updates to this story are being added at the bottom…

Original story (from November 17) follows:

Several users have taken to the Apple forums complaining about receiving no notifications or alerts on iOS 14. The cause behind the problem is still unclear at this point.

But something is clearly broken given the large number of complaints, and a few of them are given below:

I am having the same issue and also not receiving notifications for other email apps as well as social media. Thought it may be an app needs to be updated issue but that doesn’t seem to have worked either. I am missing critical emails that require immediate response.
Source

with the 14 update i am not receiving text notifications at all (ie: nobanner on lock screen, no ding in the earpiece, no notification on the bluetooth). This is a problem as i use this phone for business and MUST be able to get my notifications at all times. APPLE… PLEASE FIX ASAP
Source

The issue does seem pretty widespread at this point and is being faced by users across several iPhone models. The bug also doesn’t seem to behave universally for everyone.

Some users say that they are getting notifications but missing banners. Others say that they only don’t see them on lock screen. Yet many others say that they are not receiving any notifications whatsoever.

There are also a few reports wherein users say that they receive notifications fine while inside of the respective app. But the notifications stop as soon as they exit.

Now, a universal culprit for the same seems unlikely given the huge variations in complaints. However, there is a possible fix doing rounds on the forums that has worked for many. You may try your luck as well.

So far, the only fix is to turn off Bluetooth on my phone. In other words, when Bluetooth is enabled, I don’t receive any notifications on my iPhone when locked. When I disable Bluetooth, the notifications appear on my lock screen as expected.
Source

My Apple Watch and iPhone 11 pro max appear to work as they are supposed to except when I am on Bluetooth then neither device alerts me when I have a text. Also when my MacBook is open I do not get a text alert. I have tried so many different things that have been suggested that I am just hoping the next release fixes the problem and I hope they realize it is tied to Bluetooth in addition to what other problems there are.
Source

As apparent from above, many users report that turning off Bluetooth fixed the issue for them. But it’s obviously not the perfect solution as something clearly seems broken.

If turning off Bluetooth did not work for you, then worry not, for we got other workarounds as well.

1. Show on lock screen setting: If you keep missing notifications on your lock screen, then make sure that the “Show on Lock Screen” setting is toggled on. You can find the same under Settings > Notifications > Messages.

2. CarPlay settings:

Not sure about everyone else, but I had this same exact issue. This is what I finally figured out. Even though my car was not on, this setting was causing my issue. Head over to Settings > Notifications > Messages and turn off ‘Show in CarPlay’. Once I turned that setting off, my notifications started working again.
Source

3. Change banner style:

I went into settings, notifications, messages, and changed the Banner style to persistent and added repeat alerts twice as an added reminder. Notifications for text seem okay now.
Source

4. Turn off “Hide alerts”: If you are not receiving messages from certain contacts, then head over to the Messages app and make sure that the “Hide alerts” settings is turned off for the contact in question.

And that’s all for now. Let us know in the comments below if the above workarounds did the job for the no notifications on iOS 14 issue for you. Also let us know about any other fixes you have in mind.

IST 01:00 pm: User reports indicate that this issue is still not fixed in the new iOS 14.2.1 update. Here’s a comment from a user regarding this:

So we’re all clear, the 14.2.1 fix was for text messages not being received at all. It was not addressing the absent text alert/notifications bug of not knowing you have a new text. I had this bug with my IPhone-X when I upgraded to IOS 14. I now have an iPhone-12 Pro Max with 14.2.1 and the bug remains

Are you noticing the issue on iOS 14.2.1 update? Let us know in the comments section below. Also, you can head to our iOS 14 bugs tracker to get info on what all issues are plaguing Apple’s latest OS upgrade.

IST 01:45 pm: While there is no official word on the matter as yet, user conversation at the community conveys the problem in question could be a known one. Take a look at what those who got in touch with the support have shared:

Apple chat support said engineers are aware. I have a call with Apple support tomorrow night. This needs to be addressed immediately.
Source

The guy over the phone had me share the screen, ran some tests and had me asking me friends to text so we could replicate the issue and for hiM to make notes on it as well as uploading the log. Supposedly it is a known issue, and he will call me tomorrow to follow up on it.
Source

That said, a few more workarounds have caught our sight, like disable both the Airplane mode and Do not disturb (DND) for about 10 seconds and then re-enable them again. Others have been explained below:

So far for me the only way to get my message app notifications to work consistently is to totally close the message app every time you send a text back or you’re not using it. As soon as I open it and leave it open, is when I stop getting those notifications.
Source

Yes if u have the watch rest and snc again new SW save battery so if u r wearing ur watch notifications will appear if not u will receive it normally.
Source

We found a couple of more workarounds that have worked for individual users:

I found that if the VoLTE is turned on, I no longer get my sound notification. I turned this off and it seemed to fix the problem. Settings/cellular/cellular data options/voice & data/VoLTE, turn this off.
Source

The only thing that has worked for me is to close out of the messaging app and then it does notify me of an incoming text when locked.
Source

IST 10:45am: Formatting the device worked for at least one user, and another user confirmed Apple Support asked them to do the same, saying “it’s something in the restore causing the problems.”

Here are their respective comments:

So guys.. I fed up w this diy troubleshooting. I have called apple support for so many times and I insist that they booked me a service appointment at nearest service centre.

I went there and they tried again every troubleshoots I have tried, no avail. Last resort is to format the phone and it fixed. They even wanna charge me 50bucks for a format of a brand new phone’s. Well, I 99% believe most of you have the same notif issue as I was.

So, go here guys. Settings > General >Reset > Erase all content & settings. (Not network, not all settings but also with the contents) Set up as new phone. Note that you will lost all data. Yes, you have the options to restore but the notification culprit is the data from your previous/old phone.

The catch is to let go of your old data.

So, assuming u okay with these, right after setting up, don’t opt for the restore/any data retrieving from backup. Install IG and go ahead. Worked for me. Hopefully’ll work for u guys too. I did have a problem though after the fix. My Find My wasn’t locating my friends. “Locations not found”. Anyway, goodluck
Source

Thanks for this. I’ve just finished a chat enquiring about my case from 2 weeks ago, and was told the same thing. It’s not a hardware fault, it’s something in the restore causing the problems. I’ve also been advised to completely wipe the phone and set it up manually from new. At least if it worked for you, there hope that spending the time doing all this will cure all of the issues. I’ve got the Lidar issue too, where I can’t measure a persons height. I’m fed up with having to keep checking the phone for mail etc so I’m going to reset the phone a little later on. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Source

Multiple users are confirming the issue is fixed for them on the iOS 14.3 build. Here are some of their comments:

I also have had no missed texts since I downloaded the 14.3 public beta,, did a hard reboot, and reset network settings. Been 5 days now so I am pretty optimistic that this is at last solved……..
Source

Sign up for Apple’s Beta program, then search for 14.3 and download, it completely fixed my issues
Source

I installed 14.2.1 on my iPhone 12, and t didn’t solve the problem. I then installed the 14.3 beta, and the problem was solved. It otherwise is working 100% with the beta too.
Source

Just reposting what I and some other users believe is a fix:

I also have had no missed texts since I downloaded the 14.3 public beta,, did a hard reboot, and reset network settings. Been 5 days now so I am pretty optimistic that this is at last solved……..

I haven’t seen anyone report having more problems after installing 14.3 — the hard reboot and reset network settings probably isn’t necessary, but obviously can’t hurt…………………..

Source

While we’ve already highlighted the ‘no notifications’ problem, coming to light is another use-case, which is being encountered by the some of those facing the notifications issue.

As per reports, the messages/texts are automatically being read by the system without device users realizing they ever received one. Here’s a screengrab of some of the recent reports:

IST 11:00AM: A Verizon user who got on touch with the carrier support over this issue was told that the problem is at Apple’s end. They were also asked to install the Verizon text messaging app, something which the user said actually fixed the issue for them (and proved that the issue needs to be resolved by Apple).

Here’s the user’s comment:

Trust me on this one, totally not Verizon. I have spent hours on with both of them. Finally Verizon gave me a work around and a way to prove that it is Apple not Verizon. Install the Verizon Message Plus app – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/message/id621469412

It is their texting app, just like your native Apple texting app. It isn’t as nice but it does work, you should be able to group text on it and send media to Android phones. Give it a try. Let me know if it works. Still doesn’t solve the problem with the Apple Texting app which is annoying.
Source

IST 11:00AM: Someone who contacted Apple Support over this issue said the support person shared a workaround which has worked so far. Following is their exact comment and the screenshot shows the workaround allegedly given by Apple Support.

Ok, so the apple support people have suggested this to me and so far it is working!! it may of course be random and stop again but thought I’d share so you can try just in case. So far, all coming through
Source

Let us know in comments below if this workaround works for you.

IST 12:00PM: Someone posted the following screenshot on the iOSbeta subreddit, indicating Apple is aware of the issue, and is working to fix it.

You can read the complete discussion on Reddit here.

IST 12:00PM: We have tried to give any and every important bit of info on the matter so far. If none of the workarounds listed above has worked for you until now, you are encouraged to send a feedback to Apple on this. Head here to do that.

If any other workaround – which isn’t listed here – has worked for you, we’d appreciate if you can explain the steps in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

IST 02:30 pm: A few more workarounds have surfaced based on the user interactions on Reddit. While resetting the Keyboard Dictionary helped someone, creating a shortcut for the relevant contacts is another way out.

Here’s how the user explained it.

The only reliable workaround I’ve found is creating a Shortcut Automation for some of my important contacts. Just create one based on “When I get a message from X” and you don’t have to set any action. You’ll get a Shortcut notification that “When I get a message from X” automation ran and you’ll know you have a message from them.
Source

Downgrading is also an option, which may not be suitable for all as it may compromise the device’s backup. So to do or not to do, is completely your call.

IST 05:11 pm: Apple has released the iOS 14.3 RC update for developers and public beta testers. With it, the company has added a host of new features and has also fixed some bugs and issues.

We’ve shared part of the release notes of iOS 14.3 RC that highlight the fixes that come with the update: (Via)

– Some MMS messages may not be received
– Contact groups failed to display members when composing a message
– Some videos would not appear correctly when shared from the Photos app
– App folders may fail to open
– Spotlight search results, and opening apps from Spotlight may not work

– Bluetooth could be unavailable in Settings
– MagSafe Duo Charger could wirelessly charge your iPhone at less than the maximum power
– Wireless accessories and peripherals using the WAC protocol could fail to complete setup
– The keyboard would dismiss when adding a list in Reminders while using VoiceOver

As you can see, there’s no mention of the push notification error being fixed with the update, however, users can still hope for Apple to fix the problem with the official iOS 14.3 update which is expected to be released on December 14 along with Apple Fitness+.

IST 11:00 am: While Apple is yet to fix the notification bug problem, users seem to be finding effective temporary workarounds. We’ve shared two new workarounds below that seem to have fixed the problem for some.

Workaround 1:

I saw on Twitter that someone suggested to disable Apple Watch messages notifications. I did that just now and text alerts are working like normal on my 11 Pro (iOS 14.2) so far. When I turn my MacBook Air on, I’m going to do the same and see if it’s an iCloud issue. (Source)

Workaround 2:

Before you leave your text messaging chat window, always back out to the main chat window so that you don’t leave the chat window open on any one particular contact. It should be left open in the main chat window that lists all of your text messaging conversations. (Source)

IST 05:25 pm: Apple has released the iOS 14.3 software update and it appears that missing notification issue has been addressed, at least according to the official changelog.

We’ve shared part of the changelog below which lists all the bugs that have been addressed with this new update.

– Some MMS messages may not be received
– Some Messages notifications may not be received
– Contact groups failed to display members when composing a message
– Some videos would not appear correctly when shared from the Photos app
– App folders may fail to open
– Spotlight search results, and opening apps from Spotlight may not work

– Bluetooth could be unavailable in Settings
– Devices could be prevented from charging wirelessly
– MagSafe Duo Charger could wirelessly charge your iPhone at less than the maximum power
– Wireless accessories and peripherals using the WAC protocol could fail to complete setup
– The keyboard would dismiss when adding a list in Reminders while using VoiceOver

IST 12:10 pm: It seems that some iPhone users who installed the iOS 14.3 update are still noticing that some notifications do not show up. This is despite the fact that Apple claims that the issue has been addressed with the new software.

hey just letting you know that even after updating to ios 14.3 I just got another text with no notification ? (Source)

Hi @AppleSupport The update to iOS 14.3 did NOT fix the problem of notifications on iphone (Source)

iOS 14.3 came out and I still don’t get iMessage notifications lol @Apple y’all got to fix this smh (Source)

Fortunately, there appears to be a couple of workarounds that fix the issue for some as one user claims that the notification issue disappears after a hard reset while another individual says the problem does not appear after installing iOS 14.3 from scratch.

IST 10:25 am: It appears that some users who complained about not receiving notifications on iOS 14 have fixed the problem by simply turning off the Attention Aware feature from the Face ID & Passcode settings page.

iPhone users with having problems of not getting notifications!! Go into settings, click Face ID & Passcode, then turn off attention aware features!! (Source)

if you haven’t been receiving your message alerts, turn off attention aware features in your settings

settings > face ID and passcode > attention aware features (Source)

guys if you’re not getting message notifications go to settings > face id + passcode > and turn off attention aware features. it lowers your alert sounds when it thinks you’re looking at your phone even if you arent. (Source)

Quite a few users are seemingly unaware that notifications on the iPhone behave differently when the device is connected to an accessory like the Apple Watch.

Hence it is important to mention here that notifications won’t ring on the iPhone while it is connected to the Apple Watch and locked. But if the iPhone is unlocked and in use, notifications will behave like they normally would.

This is only the default behavior though and can be customized according to the user’s liking. More more info, check this official support article.

Again, the above is not valid for everyone as there are plenty of other users not getting notification alerts while using the phone too. But this point was still important enough to deserve clarification.

While someone says removing the mobile number from their Google account (Gmail and its account recovery settings) helped them, turning off iMessage followed by rebooting the phone and re-enabling them resolved the issue for another person.

Adding another workaround to the list of possible solutions, someone shared that suspending the line and reactivating it fixed the issue on their unit. You can also give these workarounds a try and see which one works for you.

A Twitter interaction between staff writers of reputed publications like The Atlantic and The Verge again confirms this issue is quite widespread.

You can check out other replies on this thread by heading here.

Another day, another workaround for this infamous issue. A Twitter user recently tipped us with a new one that has worked for some users and you are free to give it a go.

As per one of the affected users, uninstalling the concerned apps (like Signal and Telegram in their case) and re-installing them again, resolved the issue for them. Another user says that accessing the apps from a different iPhone helped them.

Here’s how they explain the usecase:

Try opening each app on your new phone and logging in. Then reset Bluetooth connection a couple of times. Then restart your Iphone once or twice.

Here’s why that fixes some notification problems: your new Iphone is NOT automatically connecting to the apps with your log-in info (some of them accept face recognition so you have to go thru the steps on each app). You can see the apps and see the settings, but you can’t tell they are NOT logged in on your new phone. Turning Bluetooth on & off and restart just clears out old settings.

03:00 pm (IST): With each iterative update, the chances of Apple actually fixing the issue seem to be diminishing. The bug, quite unfortunately, persists on the recently released iOS 14.4 stable update as per a bunch of reports.

Oh Dear!!! I have just updated to IOS 14.4 and nothing has changed! This is totally ridiculous.
Source

12:55 pm (IST): A couple of users say that turning on banners and previews for lock screen notifications helped for some reason. Of course, you are free to do the same through Settings > Notifications > Shows Previews > Always.

Got to notifications then select banners allow always. Then scroll down in the notifications menu to messages. Then select allow notifications. It worked as I just did it myself and had a friend message and boom, it works! This has been painstakingly annoying over the last few months to work out. But got there. Hopefully, this helps
Source

04:25 pm (IST): One of the affected users has hopefully found out a potential workaround to make notifications of iMessages work. Here are the steps.

Finally signed out of iMessage, then turned it back on BUT I did not sign in to iMessage using my Apple ID, so I can only receive messages using my phone number, not my apple addresses. THIS WORKS! It has worked consistently for me for about a month now. I am receiving all notifications with sound on my Apple watch, AirPods, and iPhone depending on which I choose the notification to come through.
Source

11:10 am (IST): Going by the latest reports, the issue has made its way to iOS 14.4.1 as well. As for new workarounds, some have mentioned that replacing the SIM card worked for them as the issue could be carrier-related.

17:10 pm (IST): As per one of the users who got in touch with Apple Support, disabling the notifications for the Messenger and then rebooting the unit once followed by re-enabling the notifications did the trick for them.

I just spoke with an Apple representative and they told me to go into settings, turn off notifications for messager, fully shut down my phone, then once it back on to go into settings again and turn back on notifications for messenger, then to have someone text you while your phone is off so it should appear on your lock screen. Hope this helps!

14:00 pm (IST): One of the affected users has shared another workaround that has to do with ‘Show alerts,’ so give it a try. Here’s what the user has to say:

I’m using an IPhone SE and what worked for me was to long press on each individual contact in messages and turn on “show alerts” the update temporarily turned them off. Mine are working now. Hope this helps 🙂

12:40 pm (IST): iPhone 12 Pro users who are facing the issue with notification alerts have shared the disabling Wrist detection is what resolved the issue for them.

If you turn off wrist detection off on your watch app, that works. However then you sacrifice functions that should be available to you if you own the Iwatch. It is a mess. I am very disappointed at Apple.
Source

16:30 pm (IST): Another workaround has been shared by one of the users who uses a watch along with an iPhone, and here is what they say:

As mentioned earlier go to;

https://support.Apple.com/en-us/HT204791

Basically all I had to do was shut notifications off on the Apple Watch app. And everything works properly.

This is all you need to do:

Open Apple Watch app on iPhone

click in MY WATCH

scroll to MESSAGES. And hit > check “custom” and cleck “Notifications off”

check “Notifications off”

text messages will still show up on your Apple Watch

16:45 pm (IST): Going by the information shared by one of the users, a senior tech has told them the engineers are looking into the problem in question. Heres what the users shared:

I have been working with a senior tech at apple for about 1 month now she has been really nice although no fix yet. I just finished speaking with her again tonight. She says the engineers are working on it and trying to figure it out. But seems they’re at a loss. This has only impacted me for about 1 month and drives me mad. I get no text notifications in an important group chat. The messages are there and the little red number to alert how many texts are there but no buzzing or banners when phone is locked or unlocked. If I don’t sit on the phone waiting for a message I don’t know there is one. Too many iOS updates with no fix.

Logging out of iCloud and then logging in again is another workaround that may help. All you have to do is go to Settings, tap your account name to log out from the iCloud settings. Log in again to see if the issue is resolved.

16:45 pm (IST): And the saga continues as the issue has reportedly made way to the update version 14.4.2 as well.

16:45 pm (IST): A user on iOS 14.5 has stated they’re facing the same issue. Apple support is blaming the beta for that and suggesting the person concerned to switch to version 14.4.2 instead to resolve the issue (which as per the reports above is already bugged with the same issue).

Here’s what the user said:

@AppleSupport
I’m not receiving iMessage/text notifications on iOS 14.5. My message thread conversation is out of sorts too.

And here’s what support said:

Hello there. We’ll be happy to help. With you being on a beta version, that may be the cause right there. We recommend removing that profile, and getting back to iOS 14.4.2, to see if that helps.

18:25 pm (IST): While the issue reportedly continues to persist in iOS 14.5.1, here’s another user-shared workaround that may help:

It’s not a software or firmware issue — just poor placement of a button within the WatchApp menu.

I’ll assume you wish to receive notifications to your iPhone instead of to your Watch.

For ‘Messages’, go to your WatchApp on your phone.

WatchApp>>Notifications>>Messages>>hit ‘Custom’ and select ‘Notifications Off’ then, for WhatsApp, hit ‘Back’ one step and scroll down to WhatsApp and slide green button off. Ta daaa!

18:25 pm (IST): Incoming is another users shared workaround.

Hey, guys — a tech fixed this for me today!!! I let him screen-share on my iPhone, and this is what he did:

1) Go to Settings.

2) Go to Sounds & Haptics

3) Toggle “Change with Buttons” to OFF.

4) Exit Sounds & Haptics, exit Settings.

And now my text notification sound works again, and so does my phone ringer, which had not been working either. A miracle!!

17:25 pm (IST): And the saga continues as the problem has reportedly made its way to iOS 14.6 as well.

P.S. Given the mysterious ways of Apple, I have no idea if this will work for the rest of you, but it’s worth a try, especially since it’s so easy to do.

05:25 pm (IST): One of our readers has mentioned that the problem most likely is due to the intentional change in iOS 14 which prevents notifications from appearing on the Apple Watch and the iPhone.

According to Apple, you’ll get notifications as follows:

If your iPhone is unlocked, you’ll get notifications on your iPhone instead of your Apple Watch.

If your iPhone is locked or asleep, you’ll get notifications on your Apple Watch, unless your Apple Watch is locked with your passcode.

So if you’ve noticed that you’re only getting notifications on one device, this might just be the reason. Unfortunately, there’s no way to go around this at present.

Many thanks for the tip, David Rajala!

Apple has released the iOS 14.7 beta 3 update, however, there’s no mention of a fix for the missing notifications problem. While we’re yet to come across any reports from those who’ve installed the update, it’s likely that the issue persists.

Apple is set to revamp notifications with the iOS 15 update. So it seems users will have to wait until the stable version of iOS 15 rolls out to see if the problem gets addressed with the new iOS version.

Going by the experience shared by one of the affected users at Apple community, deleting the recently added application one by one is what could help, as it worked for them. Take a look at what the user has to say:

Then one day, during the app update, I faced the “storm” of notifications (100+ notifications appeared) that reached my phone at the same time. So I assumed that there’s an app or several apps triggering the problem are being kicked from RAM/” push” listening during the update.

But after the “storm” the normal behavior hadn’t returned, so I’ve started removing apps that were recently updated one by one, and voila, after removing one of these apps, I faced the notification “storm” again, but this time normal behavior persisted.

To make the proof, I tried to install/remove the app several times, and the result was positive all the time:

Installing -> enabling notifications for the app -> no pushes

Removing the app -> notification storm -> pushes are back

In my case, the problematic app was immobilienscout24.

I believe the easiest way to find the problematic app is to reset settings and then enable notifications for a bunch of apps, check if notifications are working fine, and enable notifications for another bunch.

The first iOS 15 public beta update has been out for a few days and there are no widespread reports of missing notifications. This indicates that there might be at least some improvement over the previous iOS versions.

Of course, there aren’t as many beta testers as regular users so it’s hard to know whether the problem has acutally been fixed with the iOS 15 update.

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