You may lose text sound notifications with incoming texts alerting you with a sound whenever you receive a text. This article explains what to do when your iPhone or iPad is not making any sounds when you get a new message.
Devices: All iPhone models (e.g., iPhone 6, iPhone 5, iPhone 6s ), all iPad models (e.g., iPad Air, iPad 2).
If you’re not getting notification sounds, then this article is for you.
See also: Apple Watch Not Getting Notifications From iPhone, Fix
How to fix sound notification problems
If iPad or iPhone notification sounds are not working, meaning if your iPhone (or iPad) does not let you know when you receive an incoming text message (e.g., iMessage), here is how to fix:
Before you do anything, make sure that you are using the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update. And if there is an update available, then follow the onscreen instructions.
1– Make sure that you do not have Do Not Disturb turned on. You may check this by going to Settings > Do Not Disturb. Set this to “Off”.
Turn Off Do Not Disturb
2– Make sure that Do Not Disturb is not turned on for any particular contacts. To check this, launch the Messages app where you can see your messages. Does any message have any moon sign? If there is, this means that you enabled Do Not Disturb for that contact:
Messages Do Not Disturb
To disable this, tab “Details” and turn off “Do Not Disturb”
3– Tap Settings > Notifications > Messages, make sure that “Allow Notifications” is turned on.
See also: Notifications Disappearing From Lock Screen? Fix
4– Your device has a mute switch (ring or silent). On your iPhone, this switch is located on the left side of your device, on your iPad, it is located on the right side of your iPad:
iPhone Ring Silent Switch
Make sure that the mute button isn’t turned on by pushing the “Ring/Silent” switch to the “Ring” position.
5– Try setting the alert to a different sound. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Notifications and select an app (e.g., Messages) and tap Sounds and select a different one.
6– Restart your device. Here is how you can restart your iPhone or iPad.
- iPhone X, 11 or later: Press and hold the volume up (or down) and the side or top buttons together until you see the power off slider. And drag the slider and wait for your device to turn off. Press and hold the side or top button until you see the Apple logo.
- Other iPhone or iPad models: Press and hold the side or top button until the power off slider appears. Then drag the slider and wait for your device to turn off. Press and hold the side or top button until the Apple logo appears.
7– Restart the Messages app. You can force the Messages app to close. Simply press the home button twice, find the Messages app, and swipe up to close it. Then relaunch again.
If you do not see the contact names, see this article.
My message notifications aren’t coming up on my phone I’ve went through all my settings and nothing is working
I use blue tooth headphones all the time. I get notifications only occasionally. Some days my watch will buzz all day long with the text messages I am receiving. Other days I look at the time and notice I have 13 texts From some of the same people but no sounds from my phone or in my ears or vibrations on the watch. What in the Apple world is this?
On my iPhone 7 I can’t get the sound to work on text messages that have sound I can’t figure out how to get the sound to work.
Can you help me figure out the problem?
thank you!!! I had the button on Silent. I didn’t even know it existed (my phone is new)
thank you so much!
I am having problems with not receiving notification when my phone is locked how do I fix that! I want to receive All notifications even when my phone is locked.
I have an iPhone 5s and suddenly there is no sound for text messages. I have checked the Do Not Disturb, on/off switch, bluetooth. What else can be done to get a sound when a new text comes in?
Try open up a message from someone, click on their name. You will see an icon for Info. Click on that and you will see Hide Alert. Make sure that is turned off. You may have to do that to all your contacts if that’s the case.
My son with iphone 5s couldn’t get notification from just my wife. It took me 3 hours clicking on everything I could to find that option, and I don’t even use Iphone. Why Apple does that? I don’t know.
Thank you, not sure how hide alerts got turned on, but working now!
Thanks. I went through all these and none of them solved my problem. I would recommend adding one more – the one that actually fixed my problem, and made me slap my forehead… check that your headphones aren’t plugged in! Lol!
Just purchased the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Before this, I had the iphone 7S. After one of the updates my microphone stopped working, which forced me to get a new phone. Before the microphone went out, I was having issues with receiving notifications. I tried everything. Now with my new iPhone 11, having same notification issues. I always get a notification if I am on my phone, but if I am not – no tone for messages EVER. I do have an iWatch, but only receive a sound notification from it every once in awhile.
I tried all of the fixes presented in this thread, but nothing is working. I’ve turned bluetooth off, I’ve checked for DND, silent mode, turned on Always instead of only while locked, deleted messages, etc… and nothing.
I need a real fix…
I am sure my iPhone is not silenced neither by hardware or software. Some messages do not alert. I was wander if the problem was that the messages I am testing have the same content. I changed the content a bit and still does not ring. Perhaps is that the sender is not in my list of contacts. So I added it to the contact list and still it does not alert; it doesn’t even display in my locked screen.
Omg, thank you, for your advice, I am new to iPhone, I just bought my iPhone 3 days ago, been fixing for almost an hour, glad I found ur website, that little thing on the side of my phone was turn off means no sounds on any of my notification. Thank u sir.
Thank you for this I too am new to my iPhone and I was looking all over for this silent button when I read your post about this “thing” I turned my phone sideways and Wala it’s above the top volume switch duh
So frustrating, my problem was on my iPad, I was not getting any sound on incoming texts, messenger texts and videos and FaceTime.
Finally got it going by switching Bluetooth on and off a couple of times. I had already tried do not disturb etc.
Thanks for the info
Thank you …Had the issue on my iPhone 6s and tried that tip …switching the Bluetooth on and off a few times and it worked . I now get sound alerts on incoming texts. Appreciate your interest.
So frustrating, my problem was on my iPad, I was not getting any sound on incoming texts, messenger texts and videos and FaceTime.
Finally got it going by switching Bluetooth on and off a couple of times.
Thanks for the info
Text message from one contact only will not ring or vibrate even after following all of Apple’s instructions. Everyone else in contacts comes through and rings on text and phone. Any suggestions??
Open up a message from the person, click on the name, you will see 3 options: Call, Fcetime, Info. Click on Info, the Hide Alert option is probably on. Click it to turn it off. Voila. Thank me later.
Excellent Luke. Thank you so much
Thanks. It works again.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU – I had somehow managed to inadvertently turn on both Do Not Disturb and DND for some contacts…doh!
Wow, I tried every suggestion to get the text notification sound back on a 6s. Finally saw that someone said to turn off bluetooth–I always keep bluetooth off but when I checked it was ON. It must have defaulted to “on” after the last OS update. All is working again.
Thank you… Thank you… this worked for me too! I tried everything!!🤗🤗
Bingo! It was the Bluetooth. How aggravating!
I tried everything and saw this post, turned off my Bluetooth and voila, my iPhone is finally making sounds again.
This makes sense. When I turn off my Apple Watch (which is on Bluetooth), it works again.
I tried all these things and more and no go for my daughters iPod Touch. Any ideas for sound text alerts for iPod? Sound is on, volume up, no do not disturb, tried everything. Thx
Thank you very much for this information as it was driving me crazy… as I didn’t know that I could silence it on an individual basis. Very helpful?