6 Fixes When Google Chat App Notifications Are Not Working

Quick Tips

• You may have this problem because you have turned off notifications for the app.
• You should also ensure that general phone notifications are not disabled.

Basic Fixes

Before plunging deeper into complicated fixes, try these basic fixes.

• Close active Gmail and Google Chat: This will be helpful because if you already see messages from the service on your PC, you will not get mobile notifications. 
• Update Google Chat: Outdated apps are prone to problems; updates often include bug fixes. 

Fix 1: Verify In-App Notification Settings

You must go through the settings in the Google Chat app to ensure that notifications aren’t disabled. Here are the steps to follow.

Step 1: Open the Google Chat app. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Enable the toggle for Mobile notifications on Android or Chat notifications on iPhone.

Fix 2: Check Notification Settings for Google Chat

By default, the Google Chat app will send you notifications on your phone. However, if you have tweaked the notification settings to activate the Do Not Disturb or Focus modes on iPhone, the notifications might get paused. You must check that and enable notifications for the Google Chat app from your phone’s settings.

On Android

Step 1: Long-press on the Google Chat app icon and tap the info icon from the menu.

Step 2: Tap on Notifications and enable the toggle for Allow notifications.

Step 3: Next, tap on Notification categories and enable toggles for all your accounts.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on Chat.

Step 2: Go to Notifications and enable the toggle for Allow Notifications.

Fix 3: Check and Update Your Google Chat Status

When you set your Google Chat status to Do Not Disturb, the app mutes all the notifications until the mute duration expires. To end mute sooner, set your Google Chat status to Automatic by following the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Google Chat app and tap the menu icon in the top-left corner.

Step 2: Tap the downward arrow next to your current Google Chat status and select Automatic.

Fix 4: Enable Notifications for Individual Chats

If the Google Chat app is not sending notifications for a specific chat or group conversation, you may have disabled notifications. Here’s how to re-enable them.

Step 1: In the Google Chat app, open the group or space conversation for which notifications are not working.

Step 2: Tap the tiny arrow beside the space or group name at the top.

Step 3: Tap on Notifications and select Notify always.

Step 4: Similarly, if you’re missing notifications from a particular contact, tap the arrow next to the name at the top and enable the Notifications toggle.

Fix 5: Enable Background App Refresh for Google Chat (iPhone)

Enabling Background App Refresh on your iPhone allows apps to sync data in the background and send you timely notifications. However, if you’ve disabled Background App Refresh for the Google Chat app, notifications may not work. Here’s how to enable it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on General.

Step 2: Tap on Background App Refresh and enable the toggle for Chat.

Fix 6: Clear App Cache (Android)

Google Chat may also fail to function or send notifications if the app’s cache data is corrupt. You can try clearing the cache data for the Google Chat app to see if that resolves the problem.

Step 1: Long-press on the Google Chat app icon and tap the info icon from the menu.

Step 2: Go to Storage and tap the Clear cache option.