Facebook notifications allow you to quickly receive important updates without having to mindlessly scroll through your timeline. But, sometimes these notifications fail to update and won’t pop up on the background.
Usually, internet issues and incorrect setting configurations are the main reason behind this problem. However, it’s a hit-and-miss scenario and the exact cause may be different for you.
So, if you’re one of the users facing this issue, you’ve come to the right place. We have listed all the possible causes and their respective fixes below.
Causes for Facebook Notification Not Loading
Since the causes may vary depending on the user and their configuration settings, it’s wise to check for any of the following signs:
- Wrong system setting configuration
- Outdated OS
- Outdated application
- Unsuitable in-app settings
- Corrupted cache data
- App restrictions
- Unfavorable power-saving settings
- Weak network strength
Fixes for Facebook Notifications Not Loading
Firstly, we have to start by figuring out the definitive cause for this issue on your device. Then, respective to the cause, we need to apply the fixes. However, the methods are simple and can be followed in random order.
Check Your Internet Connection
Internet issues cause many concerns on an application and fluctuate its workflow. At times, an unstable internet connection is a reason for notification errors on Facebook.
At first, you can turn off your router to break the network traffic and turn it on again to get a new signal. Furthermore, you can use an ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi to boost the total bandwidth you receive. It significantly reduces the latency on your device. You can increase your network strength by turning off any background downloads and uploads as well.
Enable Facebook Notifications in-app
The most common reason for this error is an unfavorable in-app notification setting. Hence, configuring this setting from within the application might fix your issue.
Here’re the steps:
- Open the Facebook app on your device.
- Click the three bars icon on the top right side of your application window.
- Tap “Settings & Privacy” to reveal a drop-down list.
- Select “Settings.”
- Go to “Notifications” that’s under the “Preferences” panel.
There are options for you to select what type of notification you would like to receive for a particular type of content. (e.g., comments, tags, etc.). - Click on the type of content you’d like to get a notification for and enable the “Push” notification.
Turn on System Notification for Facebook
This notification option resides on the system settings of your device. Its function is similar to that of the previous one, and it permits the Facebook application to send notifications to your device. It is mainly related to the background notification you receive when the app is minimized. Follow the steps below to enable system notification.
- Open “Settings” on your device.
- Find and then click on “Notifications.”
- Search for “Facebook” on the list of apps and then turn on the notification option.
Disable Do Not Disturb on Your Smartphone
The “Do not Disturb” feature automatically puts your phone in silent mode, disables notifications, and does not “Disturb” you in any way. Here’s how you can disable do not disturb mode on your smartphone:
- Open “Settings” on your device.
- Go to “Sound & vibration.”
- Toggle off the “Do not Disturb” or” DND” feature.
Clear Facebook Cache Data
Facebook saves your user data as a part of its cache file. You can clear this app data from your device to fix the notification issues you are having and free up a certain amount of disk space as well. You can follow the steps below to clear Facebook cache data.
- Go to “Settings” on your smartphone.
- Search for or scroll down till you find “Apps” and then select it.
- Click on “Manage Apps.”
- Select “Facebook.”
- Now “Clear Data” the application and see if it resolved your issue.
Enable Background Data Usage for Facebook
Background data usage keeps an application updated with recent notifications and alerts while connected to the internet. When you enable background usage for Facebook, you give the app permission to send notifications on the background tab of your smartphone. Hence, toggling on this feature could fix your issue while using a small amount of extra data.
- Go to “Settings” on your smartphone.
- Click on “Apps.”
- Go to “Manage Apps.”
- Find and then select “Facebook.”
- Click on “Data Usage.”
- Enable your “Background data.”
Disable the Battery Saver for Facebook
Battery saver disables applications from operating in the background. This process is a countermeasure for conserving your device’s battery power. It also disables mobile data and data roaming. So, if you turn off the battery saver and any other third-party battery optimization application, your app will continuously run in the background without much interruption. Hence, the notifications are not disabled.
Here’re the steps:
- Go to “Settings.”
- Click on “Apps.”
- Open your “App list.”
- Find and select “Facebook.”
- Click on “Battery Saver.”
- Finally, select “No restrictions” for background settings.
Check Your “Sleeping Apps” List
An application on the “Sleeping apps” list is disabled from running in the background and is abruptly put to sleep. Hence alerts and notifications are not shown. However, keep in mind that this feature only exists in newer phones. Hence, it’s favorable to check if Facebook is on this list on your device.
- Open “Settings.”
- Go to “Device Care.”
- Tap on “Battery.”
- Select “App Power Management.”
- Open “Sleeping apps.”
- Check if Facebook is on this list. If it is, then hold down “Facebook” to reveal its system options and disable the sleeping app feature.
Update/Reinstall the Facebook Application
Bugs and glitches prevent the app from functioning at full capacity. Hence, you can update an application to resolve these bugs and malfunction by implementing the latest security patches.
Similarly, when you delete an application, it removes all its cache files from your system and it downloads the latest version of that app compatible with your device when you reinstall it.
Follow these steps to check for Facebook update:
- Head towards the app store of your device.
- Search for “Facebook.”
- Tap on Update.
If updating Facebook does not solve this problem, try uninstalling Facebook and then reinstall it.
Update Your System Software
An outdated operating system could be incompatible with the features provided by newer versions of an application. Hence, it’s better to check and update your system software to the latest version available.
- Open “Settings” on your device.
- Go to “About phone.”
- Click on “Update.”
An alert pops up asking you to download the latest update file (if available). Download and install this file while following the information provided on the screen.
Force Stop Facebook
When you force stop an application, it doesn’t gain access to the cache files in your device. Hence, these volatile data will get discarded from your system. Furthermore, it kills the current session the app is running on and can be used as a troubleshooting mechanism to fix a misbehaving application.
- Go to “Settings” on your smartphone.
- Search for or scroll down till you find “Apps” and then select it.
- Click on “Manage Apps.”
- Search for “Facebook” and select it.
- Now “Force Stop” the application and see if it resolved your issue.
Log Out From All Devices
If your notification issue is an account-specific problem and not app-related, logging out from all devices (if you use multiple devices) could fix this corruption within your account. Hence, try the steps shown below and see if you start receiving the notifications.
- Open the “Facebook” app on your device.
- Tap the three bars on the top right-hand corner of your application window.
- Click on “Settings & Privacy.”
- Select “Settings.”
- Go to “Password and Security.”
- Click “See all” that’s right beside the “When you’re logged in” panel.
- Finally, click “Log out of all sessions.”
Clear the Browser Cache Files
If you use Facebook from the browser, then clearing the cookies and cache files piled up on your browsers can free up some disk space, and hence, it could fix the issue you’re facing.
On Windows
- Open your browser.
- Click the three dots on the top right-hand side of this window.
- Select “More Tools.”
- Click on “Clear Browsing Data.”
- Select the time range for clearing your browser files.
- Checkmark the option box for “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
- Finally, “Clear data.”
On Android
- Open the browser on your android phone.
- Tap the three dots that are on the top right-hand side of the browser.
- Select “Settings.”
- Go to “Privacy and security.”
- Select “Clear browsing data.”
- Choose a time range for clearing your data. Setting it to “All Time” clears all your search history, cache files, and cookies that piled up since you started using this particular browser.
- Checkmark the box for “Cookies and site data” and “Cached images and files.”
- Finally, click on “Clear data.”
Update Your Browse
Constantly updated websites, such as Facebook, are configured often and require the latest version of browsers to run efficiently. An older version browser misses out on some of the features provided by these newer and updated websites. Hence, updating your browser could see you get your notifications back.
The following steps are shown in Google Chrome. Nevertheless, the process is similar for other browsers as well.
- Open your browser and click the three dots on the top right-hand corner of your screen.
- Hover towards “Help” and click on “About Google Chrome” in the expanding menu.
- Once you’re on this page, Chrome automatically starts checking for the latest updates and installs them.
Hopefully, one of the methods mentioned above fixed your problem. Sometimes, ongoing server issues could be the cause of your problem as well. However, in this case, you will have to wait for the developer to patch up this issue.