You’re trying to change your Facebook notification settings and they just WON’T save 🙁
This is driving me crazy!
Maybe you turn off notifications but they keep coming back, or you enable them but never get alerts, or the settings menu is completely grayed out. I’m not gonna lie, Facebook’s notification system is broken as hell and fights you every step of the way, deadass..
Why Notification Settings Won’t Change
Facebook notification settings refuse to work for a bunch of annoying reasons, and Facebook never explains what’s blocking you, no cap.
Here’s what’s breaking it:
- Phone settings overriding Facebook – Device permissions blocking Facebook’s control
- Battery optimization killing notifications – Power saving modes restricting background activity
- App needs updating – Old versions have broken settings menus
- Do Not Disturb mode active – Silencing everything including Facebook
- Cache corruption – Temporary data preventing settings from saving
- Account restrictions – Facebook limiting your notification access
And let’s break down how to fix each one….
Check Your Phone Settings First
Facebook can’t control notifications if your PHONE has them blocked. This is the #1 reason settings won’t save!
iPhone Notification Check
Go to Settings > Notifications > Facebook. Make sure Allow Notifications is turned ON. But also check that Banners, Sounds, and Badges are all enabled, IYKYK.
If you have Focus modes set up, go to Settings > Focus and make sure Facebook isn’t being silenced by any of your Focus profiles.
Android Notification Check
So go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications. Toggle Show Notifications ON. Then tap Notification Categories and make sure ALL the categories you want are enabled, fr fr.
Samsung users especially need to check Settings > Battery > Background Usage Limits and make sure Facebook ISN’T in the Sleeping or Deep Sleeping apps list, deadass.
Check Facebook’s official notification guide for more details on permission settings.
Turn Off Do Not Disturb Mode
If Do Not Disturb is ON, Facebook notifications get blocked even when your settings say they should work!
On iPhone: Swipe down from top right (or up from bottom on older iPhones). Look for the moon icon in Focus. If it’s highlighted, tap it to turn OFF Do Not Disturb.
On Android: Swipe down from top of screen. If you see a Do Not Disturb icon, tap it to disable.
Some phones have scheduled Do Not Disturb that turns on automatically at night. Check your Focus/DND settings and disable any schedules if notifications aren’t working, no cap.
Fix Battery Optimization Settings
Battery optimization modes kill Facebook’s ability to send notifications in the background, IYKYK.
Android Battery Settings
Go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Battery. Select Unrestricted to prevent battery optimization from limiting notifications.
But also check Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization. Find Facebook in the list and set it to Don’t Optimize or Not Optimized.
iPhone Low Power Mode
If Low Power Mode is enabled, it can delay or block notifications. Go to Settings > Battery and turn OFF Low Power Mode.
This fixes it surprisingly often..
Having other Facebook issues? Learn how to fix birthday notifications if those are also broken…
Clear Facebook Cache And Data
Corrupted cache can prevent notification settings from saving properly, fr fr.
Android Cache Clear
Go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage > Clear Cache. Don’t clear data yet, just cache. Restart your phone, open Facebook, try changing notification settings again.
If clearing cache doesn’t work, THEN clear data too. You’ll have to log back in but it fixes most settings issues.
iPhone Reinstall
Delete Facebook app completely, restart your phone, reinstall from App Store. And log back in and test notification settings.
Update Facebook App
Old versions have buggy notification menus that don’t save settings correctly.
Update on iPhone: App Store, search Facebook, tap Update.
Update on Android: Google Play Store, search Facebook, tap Update.
After updating, force close Facebook completely and reopen it. Try adjusting notification settings again – they should save now.
Enable Notifications Inside Facebook App
Even if your PHONE allows notifications, Facebook’s internal settings might have them disabled!
Open Facebook app. Tap Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications. Make sure the notification types you want are toggled ON.
But scroll through ALL the categories (Posts, Comments, Friend Requests, Messages, etc.) and enable the ones you actually want, IYKYK.
If all categories are grayed out and you can’t change them, that’s because your phone settings are blocking Facebook. Go back and fix phone permissions first.
Also dealing with general notification problems? That’s a related issue…
Check For Account Restrictions
If Facebook restricted your account for policy violations, they might have limited your notification access, no cap.
Go to Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Status. Look for any active restrictions or violations.
If you see restrictions, you can appeal them through the same menu. But Facebook support is terrible so don’t expect quick responses, deadass.
Notification Categories Are The Problem
Facebook has DOZENS of notification categories and if even ONE is misconfigured, settings can break.
In Facebook app: Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Notifications. Tap each category individually and make sure they’re all set how you want.
Some categories have sub-settings. For example, People You May Know has separate toggles for Push, Email, and SMS. Check ALL of them, fr fr.
Reset Network Settings
Sometimes network connection issues prevent notification settings from syncing with Facebook’s servers.
On Android: Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This resets WiFi, mobile data, and Bluetooth but doesn’t delete your files.
On iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
After resetting, reconnect to WiFi and try changing Facebook notification settings again.
Try Desktop Settings
If mobile settings won’t save, try adjusting them from a computer instead, IYKYK.
Log into facebook.com on your computer. Go to Settings > Notifications. Make your changes there and save.
Desktop settings sync to mobile, so changes you make on computer should carry over to your phone app.
Airplane Mode DNS Cache Fix
This weird trick actually works for some people: Turn on Airplane Mode for 20 seconds. Turn it back OFF. Immediately try changing Facebook notification settings.
This clears your DNS cache and can kickstart notification syncing that was stuck, no cap.
Having trouble with other settings? Check out why you can’t edit your bio if that’s also broken…
Facebook Lite Might Work Better
If the regular Facebook app’s notification settings are completely broken, try Facebook Lite instead.
Download Facebook Lite from your app store. Log in and adjust notification settings there. Lite version has simpler settings that are less likely to glitch out, fr fr.
Once notifications are working in Lite, you can switch back to regular Facebook if you want.
When Settings Keep Resetting
You change settings, they save, but then RESET themselves back to default after a few hours or days?
This is usually caused by:
Multiple devices logged into the same account – Settings from one device overwriting the other. Log out of Facebook on all devices except the one you’re using.
App updates resetting preferences – New Facebook versions sometimes reset notification settings. Check settings after every app update, deadass.
Account sync issues – Facebook’s servers failing to save your preferences. Contact support (good luck with that though).
What Actually Works
Facebook notification settings won’t save for multiple reasons – phone permissions blocking Facebook, battery optimization killing background activity, Do Not Disturb mode active, corrupted cache, or account restrictions!
Your best fixes: Enable notifications in phone settings first (iPhone Settings > Notifications, Android Settings > Apps), disable battery optimization for Facebook, turn off Do Not Disturb mode, clear cache (Android) or reinstall (iPhone), update Facebook app to latest version.
And remember that phone settings ALWAYS override Facebook’s internal settings. If your phone blocks Facebook notifications, changing settings inside the app won’t do anything, IYKYK.
Most settings issues can be fixed in 10-15 minutes once you know where to check. But if NOTHING works after trying everything? It’s probably a Facebook server issue – just wait a day and try again 😉
If this helped you finally control your Facebook notifications, share it with friends who are also fighting with broken settings!
