While Facebook may no longer be the trendiest social media platform in the world, Facebook Messenger remains popular with millions of people worldwide - so that's plenty of people who can get irritated when Facebook Messenger notifications are not working.
If you are one of those lost souls, fear not! Think of us as some sort of metaphorical life raft, floating past you on the river of despair in which you currently find yourself drowning. Or maybe you don't mind that much, but it'd just be nice to know when someone has sent you a message. Either way, we'll give you some tried-and-tested tips to help resolve this particular problem.
And when you're done with that, you may want some help to turn off suggested posts on Facebook.
How To Fix Notifications Not Working On Facebook Messenger
You'll know this is your issue if you keep missing messages on Facebook Messenger, and only notice them when you finally open your app because you're wondering why nobody has messaged you in the last three days.
And this time, it definitely has nothing to do with that party you went to and that embarrassing thing you definitely didn't do.
There are plenty of reasons why this might be happening. And consequently, plenty of potential fixes. Here's what we recommend you try.
Check Your Internet Connection
First things first: make sure you have an active internet connection on your device. Although this might seem obvious, it may be the case that your phone has lost connection either to your WiFi network or your cellular network.
If your internet is down, that will explain why notifications aren't coming through. Fix this, and your issue may well be fixed.
Check Notification Settings For Phone and In-App
Your next port of call is to make sure you haven't switched off your notifications, either on your phone overall, or in-app.
- On your Android device, press and hold the app then go to app info. Alternatively, you can access this through your Settings menu.
- Go to Notifications, and switch on the All Messenger notifications option.
If you are on iPhone:
- Open Settings and go to Messenger.
- Go to Notifications and switch on Allow Notifications.
Within the Messenger App itself:
- Open the app and tap on your profile picture.
- Go to Preferences, then select Notifications and Sounds.
- Check notifications are enabled.
Enable Background App Refresh
Background app refresh allows apps to automatically refresh without you having to open them. Then, when they detect a message, you will receive a push notification.
If you've disabled background app refresh, this won't work.
- On an Android device, open the Facebook Messenger App info menu.
- Go to Mobile Data and WiFi.
- Enable Background Data and Unrestricted Data Usage.
On iPhone:
- Open your Settings Menu and select General.
- Select Background App Refresh.
- Make sure that it is switched on for Facebook Messenger.
Make Sure Do Not Disturb Is Off
Another fairly obvious, but surprisingly common reason for issues like this is because people haven't noticed that they've turned on Do Not Disturb mode.
As the name suggests, this mode will disable notifications so as to prevent you from being disturbed.
On an iPhone, this is known as Focus mode. To turn it off, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > Turn off Do Not Disturb.
On Android, go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb > Turn off Do Not Disturb.
- Read More: How To Turn Off Reels On Facebook
Check For Updates
It's also possible that the reason you aren't getting notifications is because something is in need of an update.
Most commonly, this will be Facebook Messenger. You can check for updates through the App Store on iPhone or the Play Store on Android.
Occasionally though, it may be that your phone OS needs an update. You can check for this under your Settings menu.
If you do see any pending updates, install them, and see if this resolves your issue.
Restart Your Device
This is another solution that seems too obvious to work. But it's incredible how often resetting your phone will miraculously resolve a misbehaving app.
Plus, it doesn't take long or much effort. So it's well worth trying before you attempt our next solution.
Reinstall Facebook Messenger
If you've made it this far and nothing has worked, then you may be left with little room for manoeuvre. Reinstalling Facebook Messenger may help you to remove any bugs that have crept in, and replace it with a shiny, new, uncorrupted version of the app.
There's a reason we put this at the end. But sometimes, you don't have any more options.
Have You Muted a Specific Person?
This is a slightly different issue, but we'll cover it anyway. If you find yourself receiving notifications from some people but not others, or one specific person, then it's likely that you have inadvertently muted that contact.
You can check this by opening your Messenger app. Anyone who has been muted will have a crossed-out bell icon next to their chat.
To resolve this, press and hold on the conversation, and select Unmute notifications from the pop-up menu.
These solutions should resolve the Facebook Messenger notifications issue in the vast majority of cases. If, however, you are still struggling, we'd recommend contacting Facebook to report the issue. They'll then be able to offer further support, if possible.
Meanwhile, check out if you can still poke someone on Facebook in 2022.