iOS: Understanding Notifications
Summary
Notifications are a way for iOS apps to provide alerts and related information. When using iOS 5 or later, you can view notifications in the Notification Center.
This article provides an overview of notifications and some simple troubleshooting steps.
Products Affected
iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
iOS apps can provide three types of notifications:
- Sounds: Plays an audible alert
- Alerts/Banners: Displays an alert or banner on the screen
- Badges: Displays an image or number on the application icon
With iOS 5 or later, you can view the Notification Center by swiping down from the top of the screen.
Notification Center on iPhone:
Notification Center on iPad:
Note: You cannot display the Notification Center from the lock screen. You can swipe on a notification in the lock screen to open the related application.
You can see which apps provide notifications and adjust notification settings using Settings > Notifications. For additional information, refer to the User Guide for your device.
Additional Information
If you have an app that could send frequent notifications (for example, Mail with high-traffic email accounts, Twitter apps, and so on), your iOS device could wake frequently to display the notification (and affect battery life). You can disable "View in Lock Screen" for a particular app in Settings > Notifications > <app name>.
Troubleshooting notifications
Push notifications require an active Wi-Fi or cellular connection. If you are not receiving notifications for a specific app, try these steps:
- Verify that the app supports notifications.
- After installing an app or restoring a backup to a different iOS device, open the app at least once to begin receiving notifications.
- If the app requires entering or logging in to an account, you will need to do this before receiving notifications.
- Check Settings > Notifications to ensure that the app is configured for notifications.
If notifications do not appear only in the Notification Center, verify that the Notification Center setting for the app is enabled. - If you are still unable to receive notifications and you are using a Wi-Fi connection, verify that the network or firewall is not blocking access to port 5223.
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