Messenger notifications not working? Try these fixes

Even though Facebook suffered significant drops in the number of active users, Facebook Messenger is still holding up. And it’s still, globally, in the top 5 instant messengers, as many users still cling to it for various reasons.

Now, recently, some users reported that Messenger is not showing notifications on their Android devices. For some, Messenger notifications are not working at all, while others are not getting messenger notifications until they open the app. If you are among them, I know this issue is annoying, but there’s no need to immediately deactivate Facebook and Messenger because there’s a fix.

The problem usually has to do with system management, app data corruption, or notifications don’t appear due to in-app or system settings.

Table of contents:

1. Clear cache and data from the app
2. Check Facebook Messenger and other notification settings
3. Make sure the sender is not muted
4. Reinstall Facebook Messenger

Why am I not getting Facebook Messenger notifications?

If you are not getting Facebook Messenger notifications on your Android or Messenger chat bubbles don’t show, fix the issue with these solutions:

• Clear the data and disable Battery optimization for Facebook Messenger. In addition, whitelist Messenger in the System manager (if your Android skin comes with such an app).
• Check notification settings in Messenger settings and system settings.
• If the app doesn’t work on Mobile data, allow Messenger to use Mobile data in the background.
• Check Mute settings.
• Reinstall the app or roll it back to a newer or older version via an APK.

Solution 1 – Clear cache and data from the app

Firstly, you should check the Do not disturb option. Disable Do Not Disturb. Additionally, if you see notifications but there’s no sound, inspect the system’s sound settings. After that, disable Battery Optimization and ensure that Facebook Messenger isn’t placed in a deep sleep state by the system. This is especially important if you are not getting Messenger notifications until you open the app.

You should reset the app if the DND is OFF and the notification sound is ON. That’s done by clearing the cache and data from Messenger. This will log you out of Messenger and address a temporary halt within the app.

Follow these steps to clear cache and data from Facebook Messenger:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Tap All apps (App manager or Manage apps).
4. Open Messenger.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Clear cache first and then data.
7. Go back and open Battery in the Facebook Messenger App info screen.
8. Disable Battery optimization for Facebook Messenger.
9. After that, go back once more and select Mobile data. Allow Messenger to use Mobile data in the background.
10. Reboot your device, and log in to your Messenger account again.

Thanks to Tecmo SB Guy for the tip concerning battery optimization.

Solution 2 – Check Facebook Messenger and other notification settings

Now, if notifications for a certain app are not working and coming through, the most important thing is to check notification settings. You’ll need to check both in-app and system notification settings to confirm that notifications are, indeed, enabled on your device for this particular app.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Facebook Messenger.
2. Tap on your profile pic in the top left corner.
3. Open Notifications & Sounds.
4. Enable notifications and notification previews.
5. Now, swipe down the Quick settings and open Settings.
6. Select Apps and then open All apps (on some devices App manager or Manage apps).
7. Open Messenger from the list of apps.
8. Select Notifications.
9. Now, inspect all options and ensure that all notifications are ON. Make sure to set all Messenger notifications to High priority.

On top of that, you should also make sure something else doesn’t provoke delayed notifications on your Android phone.

Solution 3 – Make sure the sender is not muted

As you might know, there’s an option to mute notifications for a specific chat or user. You can do so in the app or the Notification shade. Time options are to mute the user/group for 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you manually turn the notifications back on.

Now, once you mute a user or group chat, you won’t get any notifications. This is why you should ensure that the user/group/page is not muted.

Follow these steps to check if a particular user is muted on your Facebook Messenger chat:

1. Open Facebook Messenger.
2. If you see the crossed-out bell icon next to a chat, it means that the Chat is muted.
3. Tap and hold on to a chat until the menu pops up.
4. Then tap on the crossed-out bell icon to unmute the chat.

Solution 4 – Reinstall Facebook Messenger

Finally, if Facebook Messenger notifications are still not working on your Android, reinstall the app. You can also uninstall the Facebook app, to cover all possible reasons why the Messenger notifications are not coming through.

Follow these instructions to reinstall Facebook Messenger on Android:

1. Navigate again to Settings > Apps > All apps > Messenger.
2. Uninstall the app and clear the cache and data when prompted.
3. Navigate to the Google Play Store and install the app.
4. Reboot your device.
5. Log in again.

If you’re encountering other Facebook Messenger crashes in your IOS, you can find more information in this article. And, with that said, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in March 2020. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.