How to Fix No Sound or Text Message Alerts on iPhone

You may not receive new text notifications due to a setup error or software bug. Usually, the problem is temporary and you can fix it with some quick, straightforward fixes.

If text messages are not showing up on your iPhone, your device is not showing notifications for incoming SMS or iMessages, or your locked iPhone is not making sounds when receiving text messages, check out these handy solutions to fix these issues.

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1. Check notification settings for messages

If text messages are not showing up as notifications on your iPhone, make sure to allow the Messages app to show them on the lock screen, notification center, and elsewhere.

To do this, follow these simple instructions:

1. Open Settings and tap Notifications > Messages.
2. Make sure Allow Notifications is green.
3. Next, check the boxes for Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners.
4. Tap Sounds and select Loud Message Tone.
5. If you can’t see the actual message content on your iPhone’s lock screen, tap Show Preview and select Always.

Once you complete the above steps, new text messages via SMS and iMessage should appear on your iPhone and make a sound when the device is locked.

2. Make sure the person isn’t muted

When you mute a person or group, your iPhone won’t alert you when they send you a new text or iMessage. Below, you’ll learn how to fix this:

1. Open the Messages app and browse your conversations.
2. Swipe left on the conversation with the gray slashed bell icon.
3. Now, tap the bell icon to unmute this message thread and get alerts.

3. Turn off Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb

After putting your iPhone in silent mode, there will be no notification sound for new texts. To fix this, press the silent switch above the iPhone volume button to turn off silent mode.

Second, when your iPhone is in Do Not Disturb mode, it will not vibrate or play sounds for new texts. You can fix this by opening the iOS Control Center and making sure the Do Not Disturb symbol (crescent moon) is not purple. If it is, tap it to turn off Do Not Disturb.

Also, iOS 15 and later have Focus Mode that lets you configure which apps and people you want to allow notifications from. If you use one of these modes, turn it off from the Control Center or Settings app.

4. Force Quit the Messages App

On an iPhone with Face ID, when you are in the Messages app, slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold until you see the App Switcher. Now, swipe up on the Messages app card to force quit it.

On the other hand, if your iPhone has a Home button, quickly double-click it to bring up the App Switcher, then swipe up on the Messages app card to force close it.

After a few seconds, open the app again and hopefully, this will fix the notification issue.

5. Make sure iMessage is enabled

Before you proceed, you must check that iMessage is activated and turned on. To do this, visit Settings > Messages and make sure iMessage is enabled.

Next, tap Send & Receive and check that your phone number and email are correct here.

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6. Restart your iPhone

Often, your iPhone may not work properly due to temporary glitches. Usually, a quick restart can solve these problems.

To turn off your iPhone, use the physical button or go to Settings > General and tap Shut down. After a minute, turn on your iPhone using the power button or plug in a charger.

7. Turn off filter unknown senders

iPhone allows you to automatically filter spam and text messages from strangers. With this feature enabled, you may miss some meaningful text notifications in rare cases. Also, if someone who is not in your contact list sends you a message, the Messages app will sort their texts into a separate list and will not notify you.

To fix this, visit Settings > Messages > Unknown and Spam and turn off Filter unknown senders.

8. Disconnect Bluetooth devices

If you forget and connect a Bluetooth headset or device to your iPhone, the new text message sound may be output through it instead of the speakers on the device. To fix this, open the Settings app and turn off Bluetooth. Alternatively, you can disconnect these devices from the iOS Control Center by tapping the Bluetooth icon.

9. Make sure the person isn’t blocked

After you block someone, they won’t be able to call or text you. If you’re not receiving texts from a specific person, make sure they weren’t (accidentally or intentionally) added to your block list.

1. Open Settings and tap Messages.
2. Tap Blocked Contacts.
3. If the person is listed there, swipe left on their name or number and tap Unblock.

10. Make sure custom text tone isn’t set to ‘None’

Have you ever set ‘None’ as the alert tone for a specific contact and forgotten about it? If it is, here’s how to restore it and set the appropriate tone for new texts from that person:

1. Tap the person’s name in Contacts or the Phone app.
2. Tap Text Tone and choose a different alert tone other than “None.” Tap Done to save this change.
3. If you don’t see a text tone in step 2, you probably don’t have a custom text tone set for this person. So, move on to the next fix.

11. Enable Notify Me

Are you getting too many group iMessage notifications, muting conversations when you’re not in the mood? If yes, go to Settings > Messages and turn on Remind Me. Now you’ll get notified only when someone mentions you in a muted conversation. This way, you can limit unnecessary text notifications and still pay attention to those that specifically mention you.

12. Disable text message forwarding

When you choose to receive texts on your Mac or iPad, sometimes new text notifications may not appear on your iPhone. To fix this, visit Settings > Messages > Text Forwarding and turn it off for your other Apple devices.

13. Are you using an Apple Watch?

If you have text notifications enabled on your Apple Watch, it may not display them or play the alert sound on your iPhone. To fix this, make sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are running the latest versions of iOS and watchOS, respectively. You can also choose to turn off text notifications on your Apple Watch through the Watch app.

14. Do you have the Messages app open on your Mac?

If you keep the Messages app open on your Mac, new messages may appear there and your iPhone may not play the text notification sound for them. To fix this, quit the Messages app on your Mac. Or, if you’re already working on your computer, you can use it there.

15. Other Solutions

If none of the above solutions help, don’t worry—hope is not lost.

The first thing you can do is make sure your mobile plan allows you to receive text messages. Make sure your cellular plan is active and that you have no outstanding bills.
If you think a glitch is preventing your device from receiving iPhone text notifications, you may need to update your iPhone’s firmware. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Sometimes, known bugs like text notification failures are fixed by installing the latest iOS update.

Successfully getting text notifications on iPhone

Not getting text messages on your iPhone is annoying, but you should start receiving notifications again after trying the above solutions.

Once everything starts working as expected, consider using iMessage in unique ways to add to your app experience. For example, how would talking about the weather and playing a game sound?