---
title: "Push Notifications Troubleshooting | Documentation"
description: "Solutions to common problems with push notifications. Covers permission issues, blocked notifications, missing notifications, broken subscriptions after updates, and browser compatibility."
canonical_url: "https://website-staging.stokkd.com/docs/troubleshooting/push-notifications-troubleshooting"
meta:
  "og:description": "Solutions to common problems with push notifications. Covers permission issues, blocked notifications, missing notifications, broken subscriptions after updates, and browser compatibility."
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> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://website-staging.stokkd.com/llms.txt)

## Overview

This guide helps you resolve common issues with push notifications. For general information about setting up notifications, see [Setting Up Push Notifications](https://website-staging.stokkd.com/getting-started-push-notifications).

## Common Issues

### Problem: Tapped “Enable Notifications” but nothing happened

**Symptoms:**

- Clicked or tapped “Enable Notifications” button
- No browser permission prompt appeared
- Notifications status still shows as disabled

**Solution:**

Your browser may have previously blocked notifications for this site. To fix:

1. **Look for lock icon** - Find the padlock icon (🔒) in your browser’s address bar and tap/click it
2. **Find Notifications setting** - Look for “Notifications” in the site permissions list
3. **Change to Allow** - Change the setting from “Block” to “Allow” or “Ask”
4. **Reload the page** - Refresh the browser to apply the permission change
5. **Try enabling again** - Go to **My Profile → Notifications** and tap “Enable Notifications” again

**If you see “Notifications blocked” text on the Notifications tab, this is definitely the issue.**

**Why this happens:** Once you block notifications for a site, browsers remember that choice and prevent the site from asking again. You must manually change the permission in browser settings.

### Problem: Allowed notifications but not receiving any

**Symptoms:**

- Permission granted and subscription active
- No notifications arriving on device
- Test notifications not received

**Solution:**

Try these steps in order:

1. **Check Do Not Disturb mode** - Ensure your phone or computer’s Do Not Disturb mode is OFF; DND blocks all notifications system-wide
2. **Check device notification settings**:
   - **Android:** Settings → Apps → \[Browser name] → Notifications — ensure notifications are enabled
   - **iOS/iPadOS:** Settings → Notifications → \[Browser or App name] — ensure notifications are allowed
   - **macOS:** System Settings → Notifications → \[Browser name] — ensure notifications are allowed
3. **Send test notification** (if available):
   - Go to **My Profile → Notifications**
   - Tap **Send Test** button (if visible)
   - This confirms whether delivery pipeline is working
4. **Check notification preferences**:
   - Review your notification category preferences in **My Profile → Notifications**
   - You may have opted out of the specific category the notification was sent in
   - Ensure relevant categories are toggled ON
5. **Verify subscription status**:
   - Notifications tab should show “Notifications enabled” or similar active status
   - If it shows “Enable Notifications” again, your subscription was lost

**Why this happens:** Multiple layers control notification delivery: browser permission, device settings, OS-level Do Not Disturb, and app-level preferences. All must be properly configured.

### Problem: After app update, stopped receiving notifications

**Symptoms:**

- Notifications worked before update
- No notifications received after updating app
- Subscription appears disconnected

**Solution:**

This can happen if browser’s site data was cleared, or on rare occasions after a significant app update. To fix:

1. Go to **My Profile → Notifications**
2. Check the subscription status:
   - If it shows “Enable Notifications” (not currently subscribed), tap the button to re-subscribe
   - If prompted for browser permission, allow it
3. Your subscription should be restored

**Your subscription is normally preserved automatically across app updates.** This issue is rare but can occur with major browser updates or if cache was cleared.

**Why this happens:** Push notification subscriptions are stored in browser cache. Cache clearing or certain update processes can remove the subscription data, requiring re-subscription.

### Problem: Browser says push notifications are not supported

**Symptoms:**

- Error message about unsupported feature
- Can’t enable notifications
- “Push notifications not available” message

**Solution:**

Some browsers and browsing modes do not support push notifications:

- **Not supported:**
  - Older browser versions (update to latest version)
  - Private/Incognito browsing mode (use normal browsing mode)
  - Some less common mobile browsers
- **Supported browsers:**
  - Chrome (desktop & Android)
  - Safari (macOS & iOS/iPadOS)
  - Edge (desktop)
  - Firefox (desktop & Android)

**To fix:**

1. Ensure you’re using a supported browser from the list above
2. Update the browser to the latest version
3. Make sure you’re not in a private/incognito window
4. Try accessing the site in normal browsing mode

**Why this happens:** Push notification support requires specific browser APIs that aren’t available in all browsers or browsing modes, especially private browsing which intentionally limits persistent features.

## Tips for Reliable Notifications

- **Enable once per device** - Your subscription is remembered until you disable it or clear browser data
- **Don’t clear browser data** - Clearing cookies and site data removes your subscription; you’ll need to re-enable notifications afterward
- **PWA provides best experience** - On mobile/tablet, the installed PWA provides the most reliable notification delivery, even when app is not actively open
- **Use category preferences** - Filter out unwanted notification categories rather than disabling push notifications entirely
- **Check preferences regularly** - Adjust notification categories as your needs change

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