There are several common reasons why message notifications might not be coming through on an iPhone:
- Focus Mode/Do Not Disturb: If Focus mode or Do Not Disturb is enabled, it can silence message notifications. Check if any Focus mode is active in Control Center and disable it if needed.
- Notification Settings: Verify Settings > Notifications > Messages to ensure that notifications are allowed with sounds, banners, and badges enabled.
- Contact Settings: Individual contacts can have customized settings like "Hide Alerts" enabled, which mutes notifications for that contact.
- Message Filtering: If "Filter Unknown Senders" is enabled (Settings > Messages > Unknown & Spam), messages from some contacts may be filtered without notifications.
- Bluetooth and Apple Watch: Bluetooth devices or Apple Watch notification mirroring can cause notifications to redirect away from the phone speaker.
- Blocked Contacts: If a contact is blocked, their messages won't produce notifications. Check and unblock contacts in Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts.
- Software Issues: Outdated iOS or bugs can affect notifications. Restarting the iPhone and updating iOS can help.
- Other Settings: Background App Refresh must be enabled (Settings > General > Background App Refresh), and Notification Center must be enabled on the lock screen (Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Notification Center).
If the above checks don't resolve the issue, resetting all settings or visiting an Apple Store may be necessary for further diagnosis.
