iMessage alert sound not working if not in app - iOS 17 / iPhone 15 Pro

Just updated to iPhone 15 pro and with it iOS 17 from iPhone 11 Pro and iOS 16.x


Going through the phone transfer process and one thing suddenly is not working that worked with no issue before. The transfer process brought all my existing settings with it and I’ve compared and they are ALL exactly the same. That said I’ve gone through every setting and confirmed I am all good. I’ve fully disabled focus and do not disturb. I have no shortcuts running. I’ve disabled my Bluetooth completely. I do not have any custom tones for iMessage or phone.


Notifications are set with Badges plus Sounds

Sound is classic > glass (though I’ve tried others)


What I’ve noticed …


1) on Lock Screen, message sent either mms or sms is received …. Unlock phone, iMessage app shows badge, no sound received

2) phone unlocked on Home Screen, message sent either mms or sms is received … iMessage app shows badge, no sound received

3) in iMessage app on list page, message sent either mms or sms is received …texting dots are seen, sound alert is received and new message is visible

4) in iMessage app, in message from person sending, message sent either mms or sms is received … system sound is heard, texting dots are seen, message is visible


I’ve force shut down the app and restarted my phone a number of times.


I think this is a bug but anyone else also seeing this.

iPhone 15 Pro, iOS 17

Posted on Sep 24, 2023 8:53 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Sep 26, 2023 4:00 AM

Same here, have to have any of the banners in a blue dot in order to imessage and email sound work. Not a good privacy

8 replies

Nov 8, 2023 9:28 AM in response to runny3mede

I have all 3 choices selected in the Messages setting - Lock Screen, Notification Center and Banners, and I have a banner style selected under the main Notification setting. I am still not getting sound on messages when the screen is locked. Is this what you meant, or is there something else. Just got the 15 Pro last night and this is beyond annoying. Thank you.

Sep 24, 2023 5:28 PM in response to runny3mede

I ended up contacting apple support and was able to resolve the issue. I’m unsure whether this is an iOS issue or an iPhone issue but it seems that Apple has made a change somewhere. With my iPhone 11 Pro using iOS 16, I was able to set up my message alerts to use only badges (no banners, Lock Screen alerts or , notification center alerts) plus a tone. It seems now the only way tones will work when the app is closed. I.e. on Lock Screen or on Home Screen is to have all 3 alert settings enabled. This is truly annoying. I don’t need banners and sound. One or the other is more than enough. for me I prefer just the tone. I know there’s a message but I’m not further distracted by who is messaging or even seeing the message before I open the app. If I’m working I’m strong enough to leave the phone until I have a break in what I’m doing but I find that if I know who is messaging I’m more likely to treat it as if someone’s approached my desk vs a voicemail. I guess that says something about me that I treat text messages as if someone has just called me, just in written format.


anyway, it’s fixed.

iMessage alert sound not working if not in app - iOS 17 / iPhone 15 Pro

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