Why is my sound not working on Messenger notifications?

Many Messenger users have experienced issues with notification sounds suddenly not working properly. There are several potential reasons why you may not be hearing Messenger notification sounds anymore. This article will outline the main troubleshooting steps to try and get notification sounds working again. https://www.thetechedvocate.org/top-7-ways-to-fix-facebook-messenger-notification-sound-not-working/.

Messenger Permissions

To receive sound notifications from Messenger, you need to make sure Messenger has permission to access your device’s audio. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Messenger and check if the toggle next to Sounds is enabled (source). On Android, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Messenger > App permissions, and make sure the Audio permission is enabled (source). If the sound permission is disabled, enable it and see if that fixes your notification sound issue.

Device Sound Settings

One of the first things to check is your device’s sound and notification settings. Make sure the volume is turned up and sounds are enabled for notifications.

On an iPhone, open the Settings app and go to Sounds & Haptics. Make sure that the Ringer and Alerts volume slider is turned up. You can also tap individual sounds such as “Notification” to preview the sound and adjust the volume [1].

For Android devices, open the Settings app and go to Sound. Make sure Media volume, Ring volume, and Alarm volume are all turned up. Tap Advanced and check that Other sounds and vibrations are enabled [2].

If your device’s sound settings are enabled but you’re still not hearing Messenger notifications, the issue may be with the app’s individual notification settings.

Do Not Disturb Mode

Having Do Not Disturb mode enabled on your device can prevent you from receiving Messenger notifications and sounds. Both iPhones and Android phones have a Do Not Disturb setting that mutes notifications when enabled.

On an iPhone, you can enable Do Not Disturb mode by swiping up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center, then tapping the moon icon. This mutes all notifications. You can also go to Settings > Do Not Disturb to customize which apps can bypass Do Not Disturb. Make sure Messenger is set to bypass if you want to continue receiving alerts.

On Android, open Settings and select Sound > Do Not Disturb. Toggle it on to mute notifications. You can allow exceptions for certain apps like Messenger here. Go to App notifications and select Messenger to override Do Not Disturb.

If Do Not Disturb mode is enabled on your device, this can prevent you from hearing Messenger notification sounds even if your sound settings for the app are on. Check it is disabled or set Messenger as an exception.

App Background Activity

One common reason that Messenger notifications may not be working properly is if background app activity is disabled for the app. Both iOS and Android allow you to control which apps can run processes in the background when you are not actively using the app.

On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and check if Background App Refresh is enabled. You can set it to Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data, or Off. Make sure it is not set to Off, or Messenger will not be able to run background processes.¹

On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Messenger > Battery and check if “Allow background activity” is enabled. Make sure this is toggled on to allow Messenger to run in the background.²

With background app activity disabled, Messenger will not be able to send notifications when it is in the background. Enabling background activity allows it to run processes as needed to push notifications.

However, you may wish to restrict background activity to save battery life. In that case, you will need to choose whether consistent notifications are more important than battery optimization.

Restarting Device and App

One of the first troubleshooting steps when notification sounds stop working is to restart your device and the Messenger app. A simple restart can clear any temporary glitches and get sounds working again. Here are the steps:

To restart your Android device, press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds until the phone powers off. Then press the power button again to turn your device back on and load it up completely.
(Source)

To force close the Messenger app, go to your Settings and select Apps. Find Messenger in the app list and tap Force Stop. This completely shuts down the app. Then go back and launch Messenger to start it again from scratch.
(Source)

Restarting your device and app essentially gives them a fresh start, which can often resolve notification sound issues. If the problem persists after a restart, move on to troubleshooting other potential causes.

Updating Software

One potential fix for sound issues in Messenger is to check if your software, operating system, or apps need any updates. Software and app developers often release patches and bug fixes in updates that can resolve problems like notification sounds not working properly.

On an Android device, open the Settings app and go to System > System updates to see if any OS updates are available. You can also open the Play Store app and go to Menu > My apps & games to check if updates are pending for any apps. For an iPhone, open the Settings app and go to General > Software Update to see any iOS updates. Additionally, open the App Store and tap your profile icon to view any app updates.

On Windows, go to Settings > Windows Update to see if any system updates are waiting. You can also open the Microsoft Store and click the Update button to update your apps. On a Mac, go to System Preferences > Software Update to find OS updates. And check the Mac App Store for app updates.

Install any available updates and then test Messenger notifications again. Software updates frequently include fixes for notification issues, so this may resolve your problem. Staying current with the latest versions can help prevent and troubleshoot many common technical issues.

Reinstalling Messenger

If other troubleshooting steps do not resolve the issue with Messenger notification sounds not working, reinstalling the Messenger app can potentially fix the problem. Here are the steps to reinstall Messenger on iOS and Android devices:

On an iPhone or iPad, go to the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, and select “Purchased”. Find Messenger in the list of downloaded apps, tap on it, and choose “Install”. This will completely reinstall Messenger. Be sure to open the app and log back into your account after reinstalling.

On Android, go to the Play Store, tap the hamburger menu icon in the top left, choose “My apps & games”. Find Messenger, tap on it, and select “Uninstall”. Then open the Play Store again, search for “Messenger”, and reinstall it. Log back into Messenger once it has finished installing.

Reinstalling the app essentially resets it, which can clear out any corrupted files or settings that may be causing issues with notification sounds not functioning. After reinstalling Messenger and logging back in, check if the notification sounds now work properly. If they do, reinstalling Messenger resolved the problem.

Contacting Support

If you have tried all the troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing issues with no sound on Messenger notifications, you may need to contact Messenger support directly for further help.

You can reach out to Messenger support in a few ways:

• Visit the Messenger Help Center and click “Contact Us” to send a message to the support team.
• Email [email protected] to explain your issue and steps taken.
• Message @messenger on Twitter or Facebook.
• Call the Messenger support phone number for your country. Numbers can be found in the Messenger app by going to your profile, then “Report a Problem.”

When contacting Messenger support, provide details on when the issue started, what troubleshooting you’ve tried, your device and software versions, and steps to reproduce the problem. Support agents can investigate further and provide specialized troubleshooting to restore sound on your Messenger notifications.