The most common reason: you turned notifications off without realizing it
Notifications disappear for one of three reasons. The first is that you or someone else switched them off in settings. The second is that your device is in a mode that silences them — Do Not Disturb, Focus mode, or a similar feature. The third is that the app itself lost permission to send them, usually after a system update or when you changed privacy settings.
Start by checking whether notifications are on at all. On most phones and computers, there is a master switch that controls all notifications. If that switch is off, nothing will come through, no matter what individual apps say. This is the fastest place to look first because it takes thirty seconds and solves the problem half the time.
Key Takeaways
- Check your device's master notification setting first — on phones and computers, a single switch can silence everything even if individual apps are set to notify.
- Do Not Disturb, Focus mode, and similar features block notifications during certain hours or when you are using the device — turning these off restores them when ready.
- Apps lose notification permission after system updates or when you change privacy settings, and you must manually turn permission back on in settings.
- Some apps send notifications only when they are running in the background, so closing the app completely can prevent them from reaching you.
- Notification badges (the red numbers on app icons) and sound notifications are separate settings — you may have turned off sound but left badges on, or vice versa.
Check if Do Not Disturb or Focus mode is on
On iPhones and iPads, a feature called Focus mode can silence notifications from specific apps or all apps during certain times. On Android phones, the equivalent is Do Not Disturb. On Windows computers, Focus information does the same thing. On Macs, Do Not Disturb exists but works differently.
These features are useful when you want peace during meetings or sleep, but they are straightforward to turn on by accident. Swipe down from the top of an iPhone to see Control Center — if you see a Focus mode button that is highlighted or colored, that mode is active and is blocking notifications. On Android, pull down the notification shade twice and look for Do Not Disturb. On Windows, open Settings, go to System, then Focus information, and check whether it is set to On. If any of these are active, turn them off and your notifications should return within seconds.
Turn notification permission back on for the app
When you update your phone's operating system or change privacy settings, apps sometimes lose permission to send notifications. The app itself is still trying to notify you, but your device is blocking it. You have to manually restore that permission.
On iPhone, open Settings, scroll to the app name, tap it, and look for Notifications. If it says Notifications Off or Allow Notifications is toggled off, turn it on. On Android, open Settings, go to Apps, find the app, tap Notifications, and make sure Allow Notifications is on. On Windows, open Settings, go to System, then Notifications, scroll down to see which apps have notifications on or off, and toggle the one you want back on. On Mac, open System Settings, go to Notifications, find the app in the list, and make sure Allow Notifications is checked.
After you turn permission back on, the app may need a few seconds to reconnect. If notifications still do not arrive, restart the app completely — close it fully and open it again.
Check whether the app is allowed to run in the background
Some apps can send notifications only when they are actually running. If you close the app completely, it cannot notify you even if notifications are on. This is especially common with messaging apps, email, and social media.
On iPhone, go to Settings, find the app, tap Background App Refresh, and make sure it is on. On Android, open Settings, go to Apps, find the app, tap Battery, and make sure it is not restricted from running in the background. On Windows, open Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Background Apps, and make sure the app is toggled on. On Mac, this setting is less common, but some apps have their own preference for background activity — check the app's own settings menu.
After you change this setting, close the app completely and wait a minute. Then open it once so it can reconnect to your device's notification system.
Separate notification sound from notification badges
Notifications have two parts: a sound or vibration, and a badge — the small red number that appears on the app icon. You can turn one off while leaving the other on. If you turned off notification sound but left badges on, you will see the red number but hear nothing. If you turned off badges but left sound on, you will hear the notification but see no indicator on the icon.
On iPhone, go to Settings, find the app, tap Notifications, and look for Sound. Make sure it is not set to None. On Android, open Settings, go to Apps, find the app, tap Notifications, and check that Sound is not muted. On Windows, open Settings, go to System, then Notifications, find the app, and make sure Sound is on. On Mac, open System Settings, go to Notifications, find the app, and check that Sound is enabled.
If you want both sound and badges, make sure both are turned on. If you want only one, that is fine — just know that the other will not appear.
Restart your device if nothing else works
Sometimes the notification system gets stuck and a restart fixes it. This is rare, but it happens often enough that it is worth trying before you assume something is broken.
On any phone or computer, hold the power button, turn the device completely off, wait ten seconds, and turn it back on. Once it finishes starting up, open the app that was not notifying you and see whether notifications arrive now. If they do, the problem is solved. If they do not, go back through the steps above — one of the settings was probably still off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did notifications stop after I updated my phone?
System updates sometimes reset app permissions as a safety measure. Go to Settings, find the app, and turn Notifications back on. You may also need to turn on Background App Refresh so the app can run when you are not using it.
I see the notification badge on the app icon but hear no sound. What is wrong?
The notification sound setting is separate from the badge setting. Go to Settings, find the app, tap Notifications, and make sure Sound is not set to None. You can also check your device's overall volume — if the volume is muted or very low, notifications will be silent even if the app is set to make sound.
Can I turn notifications back on for just one app?
Yes. Go to Settings, find that specific app, and turn Notifications on. You do not have to turn them on for every app — each one is controlled separately. You can also choose which apps get sound, which get badges, and which get both.
My app is open but I still am not getting notifications. What should I close?
Close the app completely — not just minimize it. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom or swipe down from the top-left corner, find the app, and swipe it away. On Android, open Recent Apps and swipe the app away. Wait a few seconds, then open the app again so it can reconnect to notifications.
Do I need to restart my phone to fix notifications?
Usually not. Restarting helps only if the notification system itself is stuck, which is rare. Try the settings changes first — they fix the problem in most cases. If nothing works after checking all the settings, then restart and try again.