If you don't receive Messages notifications on your iPhone or iPad
If you don't get Messages notifications in the way that you want, you might need to check your settings or a paired device, like an Apple Watch.
Before you begin
If your device is silenced, your notifications will not alert you with a sound. Choose the sound, frequency and appearance of your notifications.
If the Messages app is open and active on your device, you don't receive a notification for each new message.
If you use an Apple Watch, notifications will go to either your Apple Watch or iPhone – not both. Choose where your notifications appear.
Check whether a Messages conversation has been muted
In Messages, tap the conversation you haven’t received notifications from.
Tap the image or icon at the top of the conversation.
Turn off Hide Alerts.
When you turn Hide Alerts on, the Hide Alerts icon
appears next to the conversation. This will only stop notifications for that conversation, not for everything on your iPhone. You still receive all other messages and view notifications for them on your Lock Screen.
Check whether a Messages conversation has been filtered
In iOS 26, Filter Spam for Messages is on by default. When you also turn on Screen Unknown Senders, you don't receive a notification for messages from unknown senders or for messages identified as spam. These messages appear in the Unknown Senders filter or the Spam folder in the Messages app.
You can move messages in your Spam folder to your conversations list or view a message from an unknown sender and mark them as known, and then you will receive notifications for these messages.
Check your notifications settings for Messages
In the Settings app, tap Apps.
Tap Messages.
Turn on Allow Notifications, then customise the appearance, sound and behaviour of Messages notifications.
Always receive notifications from a specific contact
If you set a contact as an emergency contact, sounds and vibrations will come through even when all other notifications have been silenced:
Open Contacts.
Select the contact you always want to receive notifications from, then tap Edit.
Tap Ringtone or Text Tone, then turn on Emergency Bypass.
Choose whether notifications appear on your Apple Watch or iPhone
If you use an Apple Watch, notifications go to either your Apple Watch or iPhone – not both. To choose where your notifications appear:
In the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch.
Tap Notifications.
Tap an app to view its options.
To use the same notification settings on apps that appear on both your Apple Watch and iPhone, tap Mirror my iPhone.
Other apps allow you to customise your notifications. Tap Custom, then choose an option:
Allow Notifications: notifications appear in Notification Centre and your Apple Watch will alert you.
Send to Notification Centre: notifications are sent directly to Notification Centre without your Apple Watch alerting you.
Notifications Off: the app won't send you any notifications.
If you customise an app's notifications, you can also group notifications from that app. Tap Notification grouping, then choose an option: Off, Automatically or By App.
Learn more about receiving notifications in the way you expect on your iPhone