Several users have said that iPhone 18 Pro text alerts are not working properly. More specifically, iPhone 18 Pro users have reported problems with getting the notifications that let them know they have received a text message. This issue has shown up for some users after they updated to the latest iOS 27 version. It seems that for many users with this issue, text notification sounds and banners may or may not show up to indicate a new message. In this article, we will give some troubleshooting tips to try and resolve this issue.
Problems with message notifications may affect iMessages, SMS messages or both. This problem can result from many different causes. Some of these include:
- Sound, notification and app settings
- Sound or notifications being routed to another device
- Possible software bugs
Several users experiencing this problem have also stated that the red message indicator dot does not appear on the messaging app icon when they receive a new message. Without proper indication that a new text has arrived, users can miss important texts. They may never realize they have received a text, and so they won’t read or reply to the text. This can result in annoyed business partners or worried family members.
Some Basic Things to Try
Before starting down the list of troubleshooting tips, make sure you have the latest updates on your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any available updates.
Check Settings
- Is Focus on? You can go to the Control Center and check if Focus is on.
- Check Silent Mode. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics. If you have Silent Mode on, turn it off.
- Check if any of your conversations have Hide Alerts enabled. Go to your conversation, then tap the image, name or number that appears at the top of your screen. Look to see if Hide Alerts is toggled to the On position.
- Check if you are Screening unknown senders.
- Go to Settings and tap Apps. Scroll down to find Messages, then select it.
- Under Unknown Senders section, turn off Screen Unknown Senders.
- You can also reach this from the Messages app: in the conversation list, tap the filter button, tap Manage Filtering, then turn off Screen Unknown Senders. If you would rather keep screening on but still be alerted by some unknown senders, tap Allow Notifications there and turn on the categories you want — Apple’s example is time-sensitive texts, like verification codes. The categories available vary by country and region.
- Under Settings > Notifications, select Messages.
- You can change the Banner Style from Temporary to Persistent so you don’t miss seeing the banner.
- Under Sounds, try selecting a different Alert Tone or Ringtone.
Emergency Bypass and Repeat Alerts
- Emergency Bypass gives a contact the option to override a Focus, such as Do Not Disturb, so their important messages get through. Apple suggests it for a family member, caretaker or colleague. In a conversation with that person, tap the contact icon at the top of the conversation, tap Info, tap Edit, tap Edit Contact Info, then tap Text Tone and turn on Emergency Bypass. You can choose their alert tone on the same screen.
- Repeat Alerts sets how many times a notification repeats. Go to Settings > Notifications > Messages, tap Customize Notifications, tap Repeat Alerts, then choose an option. Apple says alerts repeat at two-minute intervals.
Apple notes that if you mute a conversation with Hide Alerts, senders receive a note indicating that you have notifications silenced. And when your Focus or sleep schedule pauses notifications, your status appears in the Messages app to let people know you’re not receiving messages — you can turn this off in one-to-one conversations by tapping the contact icon at the top of the conversation and turning off Share Focus Status.
Restart iPhone
- Press and hold both the side button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears on the screen.
- Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your iPhone to turn off.
- To turn it back on, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Other Things to Try
Although some users have reported that none of the troubleshooting tips they have tried have worked for them, some have reported success with one or another suggested solution.
Exiting Conversations
Although not a fix, users have reported that when they first exit a conversation before they close the Messages app, they will receive their new text notifications. Specifically, after reading or opening a message:
- Tap the back arrow in the top-left corner of the Messages screen.
- Once you are on the Messages screen that lists all of your conversations, you may close the app.
Reset iMessage
- Go to Settings > Apps then scroll down and select Messages.
- The top option should be iMessage. Tap the toggle to the right of iMessage to turn off iMessage.
- Restart your device.
- See if the problem persists when iMessage is turned off. If this does work for you, this may represent a useful workaround.
- Because most users will want iMessage enabled, try re-enabling it by going to Settings > Apps > Messages and toggling the iMessage switch to the On position.
Use Another Device
As an alternative, if the other steps here fail, you may choose to rely on another Apple device for your text notifications (for example, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac). This certainly doesn’t seem like a convenient long term workaround, and so if the steps here have failed to fix the issue, you may want to contact Apple Support for further advice on solving the problem.
