WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. A key feature of WhatsApp is the ability to get notifications when you receive a new message, allowing you to respond quickly. However, many users have experienced issues where WhatsApp notifications no longer make a sound when a new message comes in. This can be frustrating if you rely on the audible alert to know when you’ve received a new WhatsApp message.
Possible Causes
There are a few common reasons why your WhatsApp notifications may have suddenly stopped making sounds:
- Your phone’s ringer or notification volume is turned down or muted.
- Do Not Disturb mode is enabled on your phone.
- Your phone is in silent mode.
- WhatsApp notifications are muted in your phone’s settings.
- The notification sound is disabled for WhatsApp.
- Your phone’s sound profile is set to vibrate only.
- There’s an issue with your phone’s audio hardware.
- Your phone is experiencing a software glitch.
Let’s explore each of these causes in more detail.
Phone Volume or Mute Settings
The most obvious reason your WhatsApp notifications are suddenly silent is because your phone’s ringer or media volume has been turned down or muted. This disables all sound from your phone, including notification sounds. Check your phone’s volume buttons and make sure the ringer volume is turned up. Also, make sure your phone isn’t in a muted state, which completely mutes all sounds.
Do Not Disturb Mode
Many smartphones have a Do Not Disturb mode that silences notifications and calls for a set period of time. If you have Do Not Disturb enabled, you won’t hear WhatsApp notifications. Check your Do Not Disturb settings and make sure WhatsApp notifications are allowed while the mode is on. Alternatively, you can disable Do Not Disturb entirely to hear WhatsApp sounds again.
Silent/Vibrate Mode
similarly to Do Not Disturb, placing your phone in silent or vibrate only mode will mute notification sounds. Check that your phone’s sound profile is set to either Normal or Loud to enable audible alerts. Taking it out of silent/vibrate will resolve the issue if this was the cause.
Muted Notifications in Settings
You can specifically mute WhatsApp notifications within your phone’s settings. Go to the apps section of your phone settings, select WhatsApp, and make sure notifications are enabled and the sound option is turned on. If notifications were mistakenly muted, unmuting them here should re-enable WhatsApp sounds.
Disabled Notification Sound in WhatsApp
Separately from your phone settings, you can mute notification sounds directly within the WhatsApp app. Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications > Sound and make sure a notification tone is selected. If the sound was accidentally disabled, simply pick a new notification sound.
Vibrate Only Sound Profile
Some Android phones allow you to switch between sound profiles, like loud, vibrate only, or mute. If your phone’s profile is set to vibrate only, no audible alerts or notifications will play. Open your phone’s sound settings and change the profile back to loud or normal.
Phone Hardware Issue
In rarer cases, a hardware issue with your phone’s speaker or audio components can prevent notification sounds from working. For example, if the speaker is damaged or obstructed with debris, it may not make sounds properly. Try cleaning the speaker grill carefully with compressed air. If sounds in apps and media are also inaudible, you may need to have your phone inspected for hardware damage.
Software Glitch
A bug or glitch in an app or your phone’s operating system can sometimes break notification sounds. For example, a WhatsApp update may introduce a bug that affects notifications. Or your Android or iOS version may have a glitch that disables all app sounds. Updating all apps and performing a system software update often resolves software issues like this. A reboot can also clear any transient glitches.
How to Fix WhatsApp Notification Sounds
Based on the common causes above, here are systematic steps to troubleshoot missing WhatsApp notification sounds:
- Check your phone’s ringer and media volume settings. Turn up the volume if muted.
- Disable Do Not Disturb or Silent Mode if they are enabled.
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications and ensure they are enabled and the sound is on.
- Go into your phone’s Settings > Apps > WhatsApp and check notifications are on.
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version in case of a bug.
- Update your phone’s operating system in case of an OS glitch.
- Force close and restart the WhatsApp app.
- Restart your phone to clear any software glitches.
- Check for obstruction or damage to your phone’s speaker.
- Test with different ringtones/notification sounds in WhatsApp.
- Factory reset phone if no other solutions work.
Following these steps methodically should reveal what is causing the missing notification sounds and allow you to fix the issue.
Preventing WhatsApp Notification Sound Issues
Once you have resolved your WhatsApp notification sound problem, there are some steps you can take to prevent it from recurring:
- Be careful when muting volumes or enabling silent modes on your phone.
- Double check WhatsApp notification settings if sounds stop.
- Update WhatsApp and your phone OS regularly for latest fixes.
- Reboot your phone on occasion to clear any temporary glitches.
- Avoid exposing phone to moisture or hardware damage.
- Install antivirus software to detect any malware issues.
Following best practices for your phone’s care and maintenance will reduce the likelihood notification sounds will randomly stop working.
Conclusion
WhatsApp notification sounds not working can be annoying and cause you to miss messages. However, the problem is usually caused by a change in volume settings, notification permissions, or software bugs that can be easily fixed. Methodically go through volume settings, app notifications, software updates, and hardware checks until you isolate the issue. With the right troubleshooting steps, you can get your WhatsApp sound alerts working again in no time.