The most common reason notifications disappear is a single setting buried in your phone

Your iPhone stops showing notifications for one of three reasons: a setting is turned off for that specific app, your phone is in a mode that silences them, or the app itself isn't allowed to send them. Most of the time it's the first one — you or an update changed a single toggle without you realizing it. The fix usually takes less than a minute once you know where to look.

Start by checking whether the problem is everywhere on your phone or just one app. Open your phone and try to trigger a notification from the app that's not working — send yourself a message in that app, or have someone else send you one. If you see nothing, the problem is with that app's settings. If other apps' notifications work fine, you've narrowed it down.

Key Takeaways

  • Check Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and make sure "Allow Notifications" is turned on for the app that isn't working.
  • If your phone is in Focus mode (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, or a custom one), notifications from most apps are blocked until you turn the Focus off.
  • Some notifications only appear as badges or in the notification center, not as banners on your screen — swipe down from the top to see them.
  • If an app updated recently and notifications stopped, go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and turn "Allow Notifications" off and back on.
  • Restarting your iPhone fixes notification problems more often than any other single step.

Check if notifications are turned off for that specific app

Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Notifications. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Find the app that isn't sending notifications and tap it.

Look at the very first toggle: "Allow Notifications". If it is gray and off, tap it to turn it on. This is the master switch for that app — if it is off, you will not see any notifications from that app no matter what else you change. Turn it on and wait a few seconds, then test the app again by triggering a notification.

If "Allow Notifications" is already on, scroll down in that same app's settings. Look for "Sounds" and "Badges". If both are off, the app is sending notifications but your phone is not showing them to you in any form. Turn on at least "Sounds" or "Badges" so you know when something arrives. You can also check "Lock Screen", "Notification Center", and "Banner Style" — if all three are off, notifications exist but you have to hunt for them.

Turn off Focus mode if notifications stopped everywhere

If notifications from all apps disappeared at once, your phone is probably in Focus mode. Focus mode silences most notifications until you turn it off. Your iPhone comes with built-in Focuses like Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, and Driving, and you can create custom ones.

Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center. Look for a Focus button — it usually shows the name of the active Focus, like "Do Not Disturb" or "Sleep". If one is highlighted, tap it to turn it off. Notifications should start coming through again within a few seconds.

If you want to keep a Focus on but allow notifications from certain people or apps, go back to Settings > Focus > [Focus Name] and scroll down to "Allowed Notifications". You can add specific apps or contacts that will still notify you even when the Focus is active. This is useful if you want Sleep mode on but still want calls from family to come through.

Check whether your phone is in silent mode

Look at the left side of your iPhone, near the top. You will see a small switch. If it is pushed down toward the bottom of the phone, your phone is in silent mode and will not make notification sounds. Flip the switch up so the orange or red indicator is not showing.

Silent mode only affects sounds — notifications will still appear on your screen and in your notification center, but you will not hear a sound or feel a vibration. If you want vibrations even in silent mode, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn on "Vibration".

Restart your iPhone to reset notification systems

If you have turned on "Allow Notifications" for the app and turned off Focus mode, but notifications still are not coming through, restart your phone. This resets the notification system and fixes the problem in most cases.

To restart, go to Settings > General > Shut Down. Hold the slider that appears and drag it to the right. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Let go and wait for your phone to turn back on.

After your phone restarts, test the app again. If notifications now work, you are done. If they still do not work, move to the next step.

Reinstall the app if notifications still are not working

If restarting did not fix it, the app itself may have a problem. Delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store. This clears out any corrupted settings the app is holding onto.

Press and hold the app icon on your home screen. Tap "Remove App" and then "Delete App". Confirm by tapping "Delete". Now open the App Store, search for the app by name, and tap the cloud icon to reinstall it. Sign in if prompted, and wait for the installation to finish.

Once the app is reinstalled, go back to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and turn on "Allow Notifications" again. Test it by triggering a notification. In most cases, this solves the problem.

Check your notification center if notifications are arriving but hidden

Sometimes notifications are being sent and your phone is receiving them, but they are not showing as banners on your screen. Instead, they sit in your notification center waiting for you to look for them. Swipe down from the top-left corner of your screen to open notification center and see all the notifications that have arrived.

If you see notifications in the notification center but they are not appearing as banners on your lock screen or home screen, go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and look for "Banner Style". Change it from "None" to either "Temporary" (appears for a few seconds then disappears) or "Persistent" (stays until you dismiss it). This will make notifications visible on your screen instead of hiding them in the center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some apps show a red badge with a number but no banner?

The app is sending notifications but you turned off the banner or sound for it. Go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name] and turn on "Sounds" or change "Banner Style" to "Temporary" or "Persistent". The red badge (called a badge) will still show even if banners are off — it is just a counter of unread items.

Do I need to turn notifications back on after I restart my phone?

No. Restarting your phone does not change your notification settings. Whatever you had turned on or off before the restart will still be the same after. Restarting just clears out temporary problems in the notification system itself.

What if notifications work for some apps but not others?

Check the settings for each app individually. Go to Settings > Notifications and look at each app that is not working. Turn on "Allow Notifications" for those apps. If one app still does not work after that, try reinstalling just that app instead of restarting your whole phone.

Can I get notifications from an app even if I have Do Not Disturb on?

Yes. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, scroll to "Allowed Notifications", and add the app or contact you want to hear from. That app will notify you even when Do Not Disturb is active. All other apps will stay silent.

Why did notifications stop working after an app update?

Updates sometimes reset notification settings to their defaults. Go to Settings > Notifications > [App Name], turn "Allow Notifications" off, wait five seconds, and turn it back on. This usually restores notifications after an update.