Turn on notifications for text messages in Settings
Text message notifications on iPhone are controlled through the Messages app settings, not through a master notification switch. You need to open Settings, find Messages, and turn on the notification types you want — alerts, sounds, badges, or all three. Most people want at least sound and a badge (the red number on the Messages icon), so you see new texts right away.
The steps are the same whether you use iMessage, regular SMS texts, or both. Once you turn notifications on, your iPhone will alert you to incoming messages the way you set it up. If you have already turned notifications off and forgotten about it, this is why you stopped seeing alerts.
Key Takeaways
- Open Settings, scroll to Messages, and tap Notifications to find all text alert options in one place.
- Turn on "Allow Notifications" first — without this, no other notification settings will work.
- Choose your alert style (Banner, Sounds, or Badges) based on how you want to be interrupted: banners pop up on screen, sounds play a tone, and badges show a red number on the Messages icon.
- If you turned off notifications for a specific contact or conversation, you need to unmute that thread separately in the Messages app itself.
- Do Not Disturb mode silences all notifications including texts, even if notifications are turned on in Settings.
Step-by-step: Enable text notifications in Settings
Step 1: Open Settings on your home screen. It is the gray icon with white gears.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap Messages. You will see a list of options for how Messages behaves on your phone.
Step 3: Tap Notifications. This is where all the alert controls live.
Step 4: Make sure the toggle next to "Allow Notifications" is turned on (it will be green). If it is gray, tap it to turn notifications on. Without this step, nothing else matters — your phone will not alert you to texts at all.
Step 5: Below that, you will see "Sounds" and "Badges". Turn on both by tapping the toggles. Sounds means your phone plays a tone when a text arrives. Badges means the red number appears on your Messages icon so you know you have unread texts.
Step 6: Scroll down to "Alert Style When Unlocked" and choose Banner. This makes a notification appear at the top of your screen when your phone is unlocked and a text comes in.
Step 7: Go back to Settings home and check that Do Not Disturb is turned off. If it is on, your phone will silence all notifications even though they are enabled in Messages settings.
What each notification setting does
The notification options in Messages Settings control different ways your phone tells you about incoming texts. Understanding what each one does helps you set up alerts the way you actually want them.
Allow Notifications: This is the master switch. If it is off, your phone will not alert you to any texts, no matter what else you turn on. Always make sure this is on.
Sounds: When this is on, your iPhone plays a tone when a text arrives. The tone is the default text sound unless you have changed it in Sounds & Haptics settings. If you turn this off, texts arrive silently.
Badges: A badge is the red circle with a number on your Messages icon. It shows how many unread texts you have. Turn this on if you want a visual reminder that you have messages waiting. Turn it off if you find the red number distracting.
Alert Style When Unlocked: This controls what happens when your phone is unlocked and a text arrives. Banner means a notification slides down from the top of the screen. List means it appears in the notification center. None means no visual alert on screen (you will still get sound and badge if those are on).
Alert Style When Locked: This controls what you see when your phone is locked. Most people leave this on Banner so they can see who texted without unlocking the phone.
Unmute notifications for a specific person or conversation
If you have turned off notifications for one particular contact or group chat, you need to unmute that thread in the Messages app itself, not in Settings. This is different from turning on notifications for all texts — it is a per-conversation setting.
Open Messages, find the conversation you want to unmute, swipe left on it (or press and hold it on newer iPhones), and tap the bell icon with a line through it. The bell will change to a solid bell, meaning notifications are back on for that conversation. You will now get alerts when that person or group texts you.
Check Do Not Disturb is not blocking your texts
Do Not Disturb is a separate feature that silences all notifications, calls, and alerts on your phone. Even if you have turned on text notifications in Messages Settings, Do Not Disturb will override that and silence your texts.
To check if Do Not Disturb is on, open Settings and tap Focus (on newer iPhones) or Do Not Disturb (on older models). If you see a toggle that is on, tap it to turn it off. You can also swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to open Control Center and look for a moon icon — if it is highlighted, Do Not Disturb is on. Tap it to turn it off.
Some people turn on Do Not Disturb at night and forget to turn it off in the morning. If you are not getting text alerts during certain hours, check whether a scheduled Do Not Disturb is active. You can set Do Not Disturb to turn on and off automatically at certain times, which is useful at night but easy to forget about.
What to do if you still are not getting text alerts
If you have turned on notifications in Messages Settings and Do Not Disturb is off, but you still are not getting alerts, check these things in order.
First, make sure your iPhone has sound turned on. Check the physical mute switch on the left side of your phone — it should not have a red line showing. If it does, flip it back so no red line is visible. Also check that your volume is not turned all the way down. Press the volume up button a few times to make sure sound is at a reasonable level.
Second, restart your iPhone. Hold down the power button until you see "Slide to Power Off", then slide to turn it off. Wait 10 seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on. Restarting fixes many notification problems.
Third, check whether notifications are turned off for a specific contact. Open Messages, find the conversation, swipe left or press and hold, and look for a bell icon with a line through it. If you see that, tap it to unmute the conversation.
Fourth, go back to Settings > Messages > Notifications and make sure "Allow Notifications" is still on. Sometimes a software update or a change you made elsewhere can turn this off without you realizing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I not getting sound when texts arrive?
Check three things: the physical mute switch on the left side of your phone should not show a red line, your volume should be turned up (press the volume up button), and Sounds should be turned on in Settings > Messages > Notifications. If all three are correct and you still have no sound, restart your phone.
Can I get different notification sounds for different people?
No, iPhone does not let you set custom notification sounds per contact in Messages. All texts use the same default text tone. You can change the default tone in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Text Tone, but it will apply to all incoming texts.
What is the difference between Banner and List alert styles?
Banner notifications slide down from the top of your screen and disappear after a few seconds. List notifications appear in your notification center but do not interrupt what you are doing. Most people prefer Banner because it is more noticeable.
Do I need to turn on notifications separately for iMessage and regular texts?
No, the Messages app handles both iMessage and SMS texts, and one notification setting controls both. When you turn on notifications in Settings > Messages > Notifications, you get alerts for all incoming texts regardless of type.
Will turning on notifications drain my battery?
No, text notifications use almost no battery power. The drain comes from your screen staying on or from apps running in the background, not from notifications themselves.