It seems that iOS 15’s meeting of various problems will not end anytime soon. In addition to numerous annoying iOS 15 issues such as fast battery drain, poorly functioning hotspot, and random app crashing, many iOS users are now complaining about not being able to hear app notification sounds on their iPhone. While the problem is common to the Mail app, I can independently confirm that other apps like Slack and Gmail, and even the Messages app, are also in the grip of the problem. But don’t worry, we found a few workable tricks that can help you fix iPhone app notification sounds if they’re not working on iOS 15 or iPadOS 15.
Tips to Fix iPhone App Notification Sound Not Working on iOS 15, iPadOS 15
However, what could be the reason behind the app notification sounds issue? Like other iOS 15 issues that have surfaced recently, this one appears to be caused by a software bug. We’re sure Apple will find a fix soon. Until then, these hacks might work. Before we get started, it’s worth checking if the alert slider on the iPhone activates Silent mode. Swiping right turns off the mode and you can easily get notifications. If it’s already disabled, you can refer to these tips that might help you fix the problem.
1. Set Your Notification
To fix iPhone app notification sound not working issue, the first thing you need to do is to adjust the notification setting. Both iOS and iPadOS allow you to perfectly customize an app’s notification setting so you can choose the alert sound you want and also choose a preferred badge style.
- Go to the Settings app on your iOS/iPadOS device and select Notifications.
- After that, select the app for which you want to customize the notification settings. You can choose the badge style, enable/disable sounds and badges, hide notification previews from the lock screen, and even tweak notification grouping.
It would be appropriate to talk about ways to change the notification settings of the stock email app, as a lot of iOS users are complaining that they can’t hear the notification sounds for the Mail app. You can also change the ‘Messages’ notification settings, among others.
- Go to the Settings app and then select Mail.
- Select Notifications and then tap Customize Notifications.
- Select the desired email account and turn off/on the settings for Alerts and Badges.
It’s worth noting that if you enable the Alerts toggle, a new Sounds section will appear. Tap on it and then choose from a huge collection of alert tones and ringtones.
2. Update Apps
If you haven’t updated apps for a while, there’s a good chance that the “app notification not working” issue was caused by the old version. So, try updating the apps on your device. For this,
- Go to the App Store and then click on Your Profile in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and then update one app at a time or update all apps at once.
3. Disable Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode
If you are not getting notifications for phone calls or other app notifications, be sure to check if Do Not Disturb or Focus modes are disabled to block notifications. By doing so,
- Visit the Settings app and then select Focus.
- Once there, turn off the toggle next to the DND and Focus options.
- You can also disable the options via the Control Center. To disable a Focus or Do Not Disturb option, scroll down and tap on the Focus option.
4. Disable Notification Summary
Another reason why you can’t hear app notifications on iPhone could be the Notification Summary option. If enabled, this will show all notifications at a given time in iOS 15. Make sure you disable it. For this,
- Go to Settings and select Notifications.
- Now, select the Scheduled Summary option and turn it off.
5. Disable Attention Alerts
This is another hack you can try to get notification alerts. The Attention Alerts feature checks users’ attention before dimming the screen brightness, expanding a notification when the phone is locked, or lowering the volume of certain notifications. What you should do:
- Select Face ID & Passcode through Settings.
- Enter your password.
- Now, scroll down to reach the Caution Caution Alerts option. Tap on it to disable it.
6. Reset All Settings
Aside from the force restart, factory reset is my troubleshooter. This option can be tried when a strange or common problem arises. For the notification issue, this might work too.
- Simply launch the Settings app on your device and go to the General option.
- Select Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad and then Reset All Settings.
- Now, you will be asked to enter your device password. After that, hit Reset All Settings again to finish.
- After your device restarts, open the problematic apps and let them send you notifications.
7. Delete and Reinstall Apps
If you still cannot hear the notification sound of any app on your iOS device, I recommend deleting and reinstalling the apps. There is no doubt that while it is a solution that few people would happily go for, it is quite effective for solving app-related issues. Note that it will delete all related data so make sure to backup apps before going with this option.
- Touch and hold an app and select Uninstall app from the menu.
- After that, tap on the Delete app option in the menu and confirm.
- After a while, go to the App Store and download it again.
8. Update Software
Haven’t been able to fix the app notification issue yet? There is no need to panic as we still have an effective solution. For better or worse, software update has turned out to be a reliable troubleshooter to fix random iOS/ipados issues these days.
So, if none of the above-mentioned tricks worked to get rid of the problem, update the software on your iPhone or iPad. It will most likely fix the problem.
- To do this, open the Settings app on your device and select General.
- After that, tap on Software Update and then download and install the latest version of the software.
9. Enable Announcement Notifications
There’s also an option for Siri to announce notifications for you when you’re wearing headphones or driving with CarPlay. If you’re not receiving app notifications when your iPhone is connected to CarPlay or a compatible headset, enabling Announce Notifications may help. To activate:
- Go to Settings and select Notifications.
- There, enable the Announce Notifications option. You can also enable the Headset option under the “Announce When You Connect” section.
- After that, you can go to any app (we chose Facebook) via Settings and enable Announce Notifications to have Siri send you notifications without you having to say “Hey, Siri”.
note: Aside from all the options we’ve given you, there’s one simple thing you can do specifically for message notifications. When you open a chat window in any application and reply to a message, always exit this window before exiting the application. If not left, you may miss notifications.
Fix App Notification Sounds Issue on iPhone, iPad
Hopefully, the problem is now behind you. In most cases, customizing the notification setting and updating the problematic apps can help you get rid of the problem. If they don’t work, deleting and reinstalling the apps will fix the problem.
Anyway, which of the above mentioned tricks worked for you in solving the problem? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
