WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the handy features it offers is the ability to turn on alerts, so you don’t miss any important messages or calls.
Why should you turn on WhatsApp alerts?
Here are some key reasons to enable alerts for WhatsApp on your device:
- Get notified instantly when you receive a new message. This helps you respond quickly without having to manually check the app.
- Get alerted when someone calls you on WhatsApp, so you don’t miss the call.
- Customize alerts for specific chats and groups. You can set different notification tones and pop-up previews.
- Mute alerts during your busy hours or at night. The Do Not Disturb mode silences notifications when you need to focus.
- Works when the app is running in the background. You can get alerts even if WhatsApp is not open.
Having your alerts enabled ensures you stay up-to-date with important conversations on WhatsApp. You don’t have to worry about forgetting to respond to messages and can avoid missing time-sensitive communication.
How to turn on WhatsApp notifications on Android
Enabling alerts on Android devices is quick and straightforward. Follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the 3-dot menu in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Toggle the Show Notifications switch on. This enables alerts for all chats and groups.
- Scroll down and tap on a specific chat or group to customize its notifications.
- Enable popup notifications, sounds, and vibrate as per your preference.
You can also manage WhatsApp notifications in the Settings app of your Android device:
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications.
- Select WhatsApp Messenger.
- Tap Notifications and customize as needed.
This way you can granularly configure popup, sound, vibration and priority settings for WhatsApp alerts.
How to enable WhatsApp notifications on iPhone
The process is very similar on iPhones as well. Follow these instructions:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Enable Allow Notifications to turn on alerts for all chats.
- Tap a specific conversation to customize its notifications.
- Enable Sounds, Alerts and Badge App Icon as needed.
You can also change WhatsApp notification settings from the Settings app on your iPhone:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Scroll down and select WhatsApp.
- Enable Allow Notifications and customize options.
This allows granular control over popup, banner, sound and badge notifications for the app.
Customize notifications for individual WhatsApp chats
WhatsApp allows tuning notification settings for specific conversations and groups separately. Here are the customization options:
- Popup notifications – Get a popup preview when receiving a new message.
- Notification tone – Set a custom sound for new messages.
- Vibrate – Make your phone vibrate when a notification arrives.
- Priority – Give a chat or group high priority to bypass Do Not Disturb.
- Show previews – Enable to show message contents in notifications.
To configure these for an individual chat on Android:
- Open the chat you want to customize.
- Tap More options > Mute notifications.
- Toggle overrides like Popup, Tone, Vibrate as desired.
And on iPhone:
- Open the chat.
- Tap the contact’s name at the top.
- Tap Custom Notifications to toggle overrides.
Using these per-chat controls, you can fine-tune WhatsApp alerts as per your needs.
Mute WhatsApp groups and chats
If there are some WhatsApp conversations you want to temporarily mute alerts from, that’s easy to do as well:
- Open the chat/group you want to mute.
- Tap the More options menu (Android) or contact’s name (iPhone).
- Enable Mute to silence all notifications.
- Choose a duration – 8 hours, 1 week, Always mute.
The chat will remain muted for the selected duration, after which alerts will resume automatically. This is great for muting noisy groups or low priority chats.
Use Do Not Disturb mode
The Do Not Disturb mode on your phone is another easy way to control WhatsApp interruptions:
- Enabling DND mode will silence all WhatsApp alerts during those hours.
- You can allow exceptions for priority chats and groups to bypass DND.
- On iPhone, enable Do Not Disturb While Driving to mute notifications when driving.
- Android also offers a Wind Down mode to automatically mute at your bedtime.
Leverage these modes to automatically silence WhatsApp when you need to avoid distractions or focus.
Disable non-critical notifications
You can disable some non-essential WhatsApp notifications that may not be important:
- Media auto-download alerts when receiving images/videos.
- Message receipts and read alerts.
- Group updates like participants added/removed.
- Notifications when contacts come online/go offline.
Disabling these can help avoid unnecessary interruptions. Just toggle them off in WhatsApp Settings > Notifications.
Conclusion
Having alerts enabled for WhatsApp is recommended so you never miss an important message or call. Both Android and iPhones make it easy to configure notifications at the system and per-chat level.
Use the customization options wisely to filter out noise and mute low priority conversations when required. This will ensure only the essential WhatsApp alerts come through when you need them.
With these tips, you can take control over your WhatsApp notifications and enable alerts in a smart, optimized way that suits your usage and priorities.
| Platform | Steps to Enable Alerts |
|---|---|
| Android |
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| iPhone |
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Key Customization Options
- Popup notifications
- Custom notification tones
- Priority and previews
- Mute chats and groups
- Do Not Disturb
Enabling and personalizing WhatsApp alerts ensures you stay up-to-date with important conversations. Configure notifications thoughtfully based on your priorities to avoid unnecessary distractions.