You open Facebook and there’s 47 notifications sitting there. But your phone never buzzed. Not once. And you’ve been waiting all day for that one reply, that one comment, that one message from your crush.
What the actual fuck Facebook!
I’m not going to lie to you – this is the most annoying thing about Facebook right now and it happens to everyone. Your phone’s working fine, Instagram notifications pop up instantly, but Facebook? Facebook’s just ghosting you like you did something wrong. And if Facebook’s also logging you out constantly, you’re not alone in this nightmare.
Make it make sense…
Check If You Accidentally Muted Everything
So the first thing you gotta do is check if notifications are even turned on because half the time someone turned them off and forgot. Maybe it was you, maybe it was your little brother playing with your phone, who knows.iPhone people – open Settings > scroll to Notifications > find Facebook > turn on Allow Notifications. Make sure everything’s green not gray. Banners, sounds, badges, all of it.
But wait there’s more because Facebook developers must think we’re some kind of asshole. You also gotta check INSIDE the Facebook app. Tap the menu (three lines bottom right) > Settings & Privacy > Settings > scroll down to Notifications > make sure Mute Push Notifications is OFF.Android gang – go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Notifications > toggle on Show notifications. Then do the same Facebook app check I just mentioned.
Why is this so complicated though…
That Stupid Moon Icon Is Ruining Your Life
Do Not Disturb mode. That little moon icon you turned on three weeks ago and completely forgot about? Yeah that’s blocking everything and you’re sitting there like “why isn’t Facebook notifying me” when it’s literally trying but your phone’s like nah.
Turn that shit off right now!
On iPhone swipe down from top right (or up from bottom if you got an older one). See that moon or “Focus” thing highlighted? Tap it off. Android people just swipe down from the top and tap whatever’s glowing – Do Not Disturb, Focus Mode, Silent Mode, whatever your phone manufacturer decided to call it today.It’s giving exhausting…
And while you’re at it check Airplane Mode too because I’m not playing, people have that on and wonder why nothing works. That little airplane should NOT be colored.Just Restart The Damn Thing Already
Everyone says “have you tried turning it off and on again” and you wanna punch them in the face but honestly? It works. Like actually works. I’m not hallucinating.
iPhone – press Volume Up real quick, then Volume Down real quick, then hold the Side button till you see the Apple logo. Android – hold power button, tap Restart, done.Why though…
Because your phone’s been running for like 8 days straight with 47 apps open in the background and everything’s just glitching out. A restart fixes that. It’s like when you’re having a bad day and take a nap and wake up slightly less ready to fight everyone.
Update Facebook Before I Lose It
Go to the App Store or Play Store right now. Search Facebook. If there’s an Update button tap it. I don’t care if updates are annoying, I don’t care if they change things you like, just do it because running old versions causes stupid problems like notifications not working.This is so dumb!
And while it’s updating go get a snack or something because wathcing that progress bar is about as fun as watching paint dry in slow motion.The Cache Is Probably Being Messy
Android users only – your phone collects all this temporary junk in Facebook’s cache and sometimes it gets corrupted and breaks stuff. Go to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage > Clear Cache. NOT Clear Data unless you wanna log back in.
iPhone users you’re screwed…
Apple doesn’t let you clear cache because they must think you’re too dumb to handle it or something. Your only option is deleting the whole app and reinstalling which we’ll get to instaed of wasting more time here.Delete and Reinstall (The Nuclear Option That Actually Works)
If nothing else worked it’s time to just nuke Facebook off your phone and start fresh. Yeah it sucks but sometimes it’s the only thing that fixes this nightmare.
iPhone – long press the Facebook icon > Remove App > Delete App. Then go to App Store, download it again, log in.
Android – Settings > Apps > Facebook > Uninstall. Then Play Store, install it, log back in.
This better fucking work!
You’re not losing anything important because all your Facebook stuff is on their servers not your phone. You just gotta log in again which takes 30 seconds.Background App Refresh Is Probably Off
Here’s something that catches everyone – if Background App Refresh is off, Facebook can’t check for notifications when the app isn’t open. So like… it’s just sitting there doing nothing. iPhone people go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh > turn it on for Facebook specifically. Android it’s different for every phone but usually Settings > Apps > Facebook > Battery or Background Data > allow it to run in the background.So many settings I swear…
Maybe It’s Not Even Your Phone
Before you throw your phone out the window maybe check if Facebook’s servers are just down because sometimes it’s not you it’s them. Their whole system goes to shit and nobody’s getting notifications.
Search “is Facebook down” on Twitter (or X or whatever) and you’ll see immediately if everyone’s losing their minds. Or check MakeUseOf or HelpDeskGeek for updates. If it’s Facebook’s problem there’s literally nothing you can do except wait and be mad about it.Update Your Phone’s OS Too I Guess
Sometimes it’s not Facebook it’s your actual phone software being outdated. Old OS versions have bugs and compatibility issues with new app versions.
iPhone – Settings > General > Software Update > install whatever’s there. Android – Settings > System or About Phone > System Update > download it.My phone’s updating again…
When All Else Fails Contact Facebook Support (LOL)
So you tried everything and it’s still broken. At this point you can try contacting Facebook support but good luck with that because they’re about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. In the app go to menu > Help & Support > Report a Problem. Type out your rage. Maybe someone reads it maybe they don’t. Or join one of those Facebook tech support groups where people actually help each other. And if Messenger’s also giving you problems, check out our guide on fixing Messenger not sending messages because these issues love to happen together.I’m so over this honestly…
Bottom Line – It’s Usually Something Simple
I’m not going to sugarcoat it – Facebook notifications breaking is annoying as absolute hell. But 80% of the time it’s just Do Not Disturb being on, notifications being disabled, or the app needing an update.
The other 20% of the time you gotta do the nuclear option and reinstall everything. And yeah sometimes it’s just Facebook’s servers being trash and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.Try the simple stuff first!
Check your settings. Turn off Do Not Disturb. Restart your phone. Update the app. That fixes it for most people. If you’re still here reading this and nothing worked… I feel for you. Some people go months with broken notifications and Facebook support just keeps suggesting the same basic shit everyone already tried. It’s genuinely frustrating and you’re not crazy for being mad about it.But one of these solutions usually works so don’t give up yet…
If this article actually fixed your notifications and saved you from losing your mind, share it with your friends who are dealing with the same bullshit – they’ll thank you for it!