iOS 14 text notification issues

For me, having iMessage on, even when signed out of iMessage results in no audio notifications. So I turned iMessage off completely. If my iPhone is unlocked, I get the audio alert. If locked, I get the alert on my Apple watch. I would prefer to get the audio alert on both but have not figured out how to do that yet. Wifi and bluetooth are both turned on.

While I would prefer iMessage on my phone to be on, this is an acceptable compromise for now. My phone sits in a charging cradle when at my desk, so not locking the phone is not a big deal.

I wish there was some sort of logging tool so that I would know what is actually happening (why is the audio being suppressed when I get a visual alert on my iPhone without the audio?) I've lived the Samsung life for a year. Despite this problem, not going there. Don't need another hobby. This is a complicated problem and systems are interacting in unexpected ways.

Ok guys, afeter 4 months trying to fix this problem and reading this discussión almost everyday, I finally have my notifications working. What I did? I changed my cell phone provider. My daughter has an iPhone 12 pro and she changed her cell phone service to Movistar (I am not sure what is the name of this company in your countries) but as soon as she changed she began to experience the notifications disfunction, that alerted me and I decided to change Movistar to Claro (another local provider in Colombia), after installing the new SIM card I made a network reset and voila, everything is working now.

This link was also the reason why we decided to test other options, I know it is in spanish, but maybe it could help you

https://comunidad.movistar.es/t5/Soporte-M%C3%B3vil-Empresas/MOVISTAR-TE-DEJA-SIN-COBERTURA-SI-TIENES-UN-IPHONE-***-IOS-13/td-p/3979835

I really hope this works for you guys

Mine continues to fail most of the time, esp in my home on wifi. I've given up on trying to find a pattern as to when it works vs fails to notify. I only know that I will consistently receive notifications if I turn OFF the bluetooth on my phone.

[Edited by Moderator]

Or you can turn Bluetooth off on the phone. What I have happily found is that I can turn it back on after a while and still get the notifications. However, I also found, after a tip from this forum, that there was an additional problem. For a couple of the people who message me, the setting "Hide alerts" was turned on (see above Nigel169 for

how to check this). This can recur after an update.

I have been fighting this issue since Feb when I got the new iWatch 6. My chat tonight with support told me the watch will notify when the phone is locked and if the watch is off the phone will notify. Did a test and that is what happened. So my question is this happening to anyone with the watch 3? If so I am going to return the watch.

Since turning off Bluetooth on nearby devices, notifications have begun waking the lock screen again. Working for both SMS and iMessages. Yay! (iPhone 11, iOS 14.4.2)

It's not a fix for everyone, but hopefully that can help a few others with the same problem.

In response to allensinmarietta: Yes, definitely reject the advice to "reset all settings, re-enter all settings, and then reload all apps." It's Apple's default recommendation when they have no idea what to do to fix a problem. Total BS. And, as you say, very onerous and time-consuming, which Apple seems not to care about. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Meanwhile, the fix I used is holding. I'll repost it here:

1) Go to Settings.

2) Go to Sounds & Haptics

3) Toggle "Change with Buttons" to OFF.

4) Exit Sounds & Haptics, exit Settings.

So while this isn’t a solve for everyone’s issues it is a solve for my lack of sound notifications. I turned off the “change sound with buttons” selection under Settings - Sounds & Haptics. My vibrations are now “loud enough/strong enough” again to notify me that a message is coming through.

I suspect this is due to my use of tik tok and having my actual sound turned down a bit more than I was used to. Prior to that my sound was rarely truly on and prior to the ios14 update the button adjustment on sounds of text notifications was never as greatly affected by the volume control from a vibration standpoint.

I know this isn’t a fix for every scenario but it has greatly improved my perception of notifications.

Ok. I was in the same scenario except we were sharing an Apple ID.

Perhaps you have done this already, but try some tests on receiving messages while your wife has the watch on her wrist and unlocked (ie has entered her passcode) and then with her watch off her wrist.

That is what I did and found that I received message notifications while my iPhone was asleep with black screen when her watch was just sat on the table. When it was on her arm and unlocked I had no notifications.

I do think that my phone was somehow trying to send those alerts to her watch, as is supposed to happen, but they just weren’t getting there.

Apple is NOT here. This is a user-to-user technical support site operated by Apple. You need to click on the Get Support link at the top right of this page.

But if you have a Watch everything is working as it should. When you turn off Bluetooth you disconnect your Watch and all notifications then go to your iPhone. When you turn BT back on notification sounds are sent to your Watch (assuming you have the sound on). It has always been that way.

Hi All,

I’ve been affected with this problem for months. Tried every possible solution but none of them worked.

Here is how I fixed it. I hope all those who have this problem have multiple apple devices with their Apple ID used in other devices too.

The solution is not in the device where you have the problem. The solution is to signout your Apple ID from all other devices and reset by erasing all content and settings. After this is done, the notification issue got resolved.

Not unfollowing

Actually go into the persons iPhone contact info & make sure the hide alerts tab is turned off

I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think when you update, it automatically turns it on for the people that you have open in your messages

I discovered that I will only get Messages notifications in one device at time. My phone won't get sound notifications unless I quit messages on my MacBook Pro. It started in iOS 14 and persists on iOS 15.

My laptop can be asleep and closed and I still won't get notifications on my iPhone unless I quite Messages.

This might be how Messages is designed to work now. It's annoying as heck. I walk my business with my laptop open carrying my phone. I want notifications on both devices.

I was having the same issue but I fixed it by deleting the message app on Home Screen then readding it back to Home Screen. Also make sure your badges is turned on by Settings, Messages, Notifications, Badges

Hope this helps everyone

I reset all settings and this worked for me. Good luck!