iPhone iMessage notifications not working

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone here can help because I’m honestly at my limit with this issue.

I currently have an iPhone 16 Pro running the latest iOS 26.3.1, and I’m experiencing a persistent problem where I randomly don’t receive iMessage notifications. The messages do come through, but:

• The screen doesn’t light up
• No notification sound
• No alert at all

I only notice the message later when I manually check.

The most frustrating part is that this issue started back on iOS 16, and has continued ever since across multiple devices:

• iPhone 12 Pro Max (where it first began on iOS 16)
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• Now iPhone 16 Pro

Initially, I thought it might be a device issue, but clearly that’s not the case.

I was restoring from backups during those upgrades, so I contacted Apple Support. They suggested setting up the phone as new (no backup) in case something was corrupted. I followed their advice when I got the iPhone 16 Pro — completely fresh setup — and the issue STILL persists.

At this point, the only common factor left is my iCloud account, which makes me suspect the issue might be tied to it somehow.

I’ve already spent a lot of time trying to troubleshoot this:

• Checked all notification settings (they’re correct)
• Focus modes are off
• Do Not Disturb is off
• Sounds and alerts are enabled
• Background app refresh is on
• iMessage is properly activated

Nothing has solved it.

I’m honestly exhausted dealing with this. Missing messages without any alert is a serious problem.

Has anyone experienced something similar or found a fix?

Could this actually be an iCloud-related issue, or is there something else I might be missing?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.