You open Discord on your phone and see no alerts for new messages, mentions, or DMs. Push notifications have stopped arriving, even though you know people are messaging you. This problem usually happens because of incorrect notification settings in Discord, your phone’s operating system, or a combination of both. This article explains the exact causes and provides step-by-step fixes to get your Discord mobile push notifications working again.
Key Takeaways: Fixing Discord Mobile Push Notifications
- Discord Notification Settings > Server > Notification Overrides: Each server and channel can override global notification preferences. Check these individually.
- Phone System Settings > Discord > Notifications: Ensure Discord is allowed to send notifications and that “Allow Notifications” is toggled on in your phone’s settings.
- Discord Mobile App > User Settings > Notifications: Verify that push notifications are enabled for the types of alerts you want (messages, mentions, friend requests).
Why Discord Mobile Push Notifications Stop Working
Push notifications on Discord mobile rely on a chain of settings. If any link in that chain breaks, notifications stop arriving. The three main causes are:
1. Discord notification settings on the server or channel level. Discord lets you customize notifications per server and per channel. If you have muted a server or set a channel to “Nothing,” no push alerts will come from that source.
2. Phone operating system restrictions. iOS and Android both have system-level permission controls for notifications. If Discord’s permission is denied or restricted, the app cannot send alerts even if its internal settings are correct.
3. App-level notification preferences. Discord’s own notification settings allow you to choose which events trigger a push. If these are set to off for messages, mentions, or friend requests, you will not receive those alerts.
Additionally, battery optimization features on Android can delay or block notifications. On iOS, Focus modes or Do Not Disturb can silence Discord alerts.
Steps to Fix Discord Push Notifications on Mobile
Follow these steps in order. Test notifications after each step by asking a friend to send you a message or mention in a server where you have permission to see the channel.
- Check Discord’s Server Notification Settings
Open Discord on your phone. Tap the server name at the top of the channel list. Tap Notification Settings. Make sure All Messages or Only @mentions is selected, not Nothing. Scrolling down, check Suppress @everyone and @here and Suppress all role @mentions if you want those alerts. If a specific channel is muted, tap the channel name in the server list, then tap Notification Override and set it to All Messages. - Check Discord’s Global Notification Settings
Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner. Tap Notifications. Under Text Notifications, make sure Direct Messages and Friend Requests are toggled on. Under Voice Notifications, toggle on Incoming Call and Deafen if desired. Scroll down to Push Notifications and ensure Mobile Push Notifications is enabled. Also check that Notification Sounds is not set to None. - Check Phone System Notification Settings (iOS)
Open Settings on your iPhone. Tap Notifications. Scroll down and tap Discord. Toggle Allow Notifications on. Under Alerts, enable Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners. Under Sounds, select a sound other than None. Ensure Badges is on if you want the app icon badge count. - Check Phone System Notification Settings (Android)
Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Apps & notifications. Tap See all apps and select Discord. Tap Notifications. Toggle All Discord notifications on. Tap each notification category (Messages, Mentions, etc.) and set them to Sound or Alert. Also check Battery settings for Discord. Tap Battery and select Unrestricted to prevent Android from delaying notifications. - Disable Battery Optimization for Discord (Android Only)
On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Discord > Battery. Tap Battery optimization. Select Don’t optimize or Unrestricted. This prevents the system from killing Discord’s background process, which stops push notifications from being delivered. - Check Focus Modes and Do Not Disturb (iOS) / Do Not Disturb (Android)
On iPhone, open Settings > Focus. Check if any Focus mode (Work, Sleep, Personal) is active and has Discord added to the allowed apps list. If a Focus is on, tap it and under Allowed Apps, add Discord. On Android, open Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Do Not Disturb. Ensure Discord is not blocked. Tap Apps and confirm Discord is allowed to override Do Not Disturb. - Force Close and Reopen Discord
On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom and pause, then swipe the Discord preview up to close it. On Android, open the recent apps screen and swipe Discord away. Wait 10 seconds, then reopen Discord. This resets the app’s connection to the push notification service. - Restart Your Phone
A full restart clears temporary system glitches that can block notifications. Press and hold the power button, then tap Restart (iPhone) or Restart (Android). After the phone boots, open Discord and test notifications. - Reinstall Discord
If nothing works, delete the Discord app from your phone. On iPhone, press and hold the Discord icon, tap Remove App > Delete App. On Android, press and hold the Discord icon, tap Uninstall. Then go to the App Store or Google Play Store, download and install Discord again. Log in and test notifications.
If Discord Still Has Issues After the Main Fix
Notifications Work on Wi-Fi but Not on Cellular Data
This indicates a network restriction. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular and ensure the toggle for Discord is on. On Android, go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage > App data usage, select Discord, and ensure Background data is allowed. If you have a data saver feature enabled, add Discord to the list of apps that can use data in the background.
Notifications from One Specific Server Stop Arriving
The server owner or an admin may have changed notification settings for the entire server. Open Discord, tap the server name, tap Notification Settings. If the server has Server Notification Defaults set to Nothing, you will not receive any notifications unless you set a channel override. You can override this by tapping a specific channel and selecting All Messages under Notification Override.
Notifications Arrive but No Sound or Vibration
Check your phone’s volume. On iPhone, ensure the ring/silent switch is not set to silent. On Android, check that media and alarm volumes are not turned all the way down. In Discord’s notification settings (User Settings > Notifications), make sure Notification Sounds is set to a sound file, not None. On Android, also check that the notification channel for Discord is not set to Silent in the system settings.
| Setting Location | What to Check | Expected State |
|---|---|---|
| Discord Server > Notification Settings | Server-level notification default | All Messages or Only @mentions |
| Discord User Settings > Notifications | Mobile Push Notifications toggle | Enabled |
| iOS Settings > Notifications > Discord | Allow Notifications toggle | On |
| Android Settings > Apps > Discord > Notifications | All Discord notifications toggle | On |
| Android Settings > Apps > Discord > Battery | Battery optimization | Unrestricted |
| iOS Focus or Android Do Not Disturb | Discord allowed to bypass | Yes |
After completing these steps, your Discord mobile push notifications should work reliably. If they still do not arrive, the issue may be on Discord’s server side. Check the Discord Status page to confirm push notification services are operational. As a final advanced step, you can try resetting your Discord notification settings entirely by going to User Settings > Notifications and tapping Reset Notification Settings at the bottom. This clears all custom overrides and returns to defaults, which often resolves stubborn notification problems.