Why are my texts not making a sound?

Check Your Phone’s Sound Settings

The first step is to check your phone’s sound and media volume settings to make sure the phone is not muted or vibrating. On Android phones, you can check this by going to Settings > Sound & vibration (or Sound & notification) and making sure that your media volume slider is turned up and not muted. The ring volume controls your ringer and notifications, while the media volume controls sounds from apps like messaging, videos, games, etc (Google Support). Make sure that any ‘mute’ or ‘vibrate only’ modes are turned off if you want your messaging apps to make sounds.

You can also check the volume levels by using the physical volume buttons on your phone. Pressing these when your phone is unlocked will display the media volume slider on screen so you can confirm it is not muted or too low. Try turning your media volume up to maximum if your messaging sounds are not working (Reddit, r/samsung). If none of these steps have resolved the issue, there may be a problem with your specific messaging app, so you will need to investigate its settings next.

Check Your Messaging App Settings

One reason your messaging app may not be making sounds for new texts could be that notification sounds are disabled in the app’s settings. Open the messaging app, go to its settings menu, and confirm sound notifications are enabled. There is usually a toggle to turn notification sounds on or off. Make sure this is switched to the “on” position if you want to hear sounds for new messages.

Also check if “Do Not Disturb” mode is activated for that particular messaging app. This setting mutes all notifications from the app even if sounds are enabled in the general notification settings. Turn off Do Not Disturb in the app if it is currently on. Now test sending yourself a new text – you should hear the selected notification sound play when receiving the message.

If sounds were disabled in the app settings, enabling them should allow you to hear notifications again. Check the app sound settings if your texts are still silent after the other troubleshooting steps.

Update Your Messaging App

One potential cause of notifications not making a sound could be that your messaging app is outdated. Apps periodically release new versions with bug fixes and features, so it’s important to keep them up-to-date.

To ensure your messaging app like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Android Messages is updated, open the Play Store app. Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner and select “My Apps & Games”. This will show you a list of all your installed apps. Look for your messaging app and check if there is an “Update” button next to it. If so, tap Update to download the latest version.

Older versions of messaging apps can sometimes have sound bugs that get addressed in newer releases. Updating ensures you are running the most recent code, which may have fixed notification sound issues present in older versions. This easy fix could get your notification sounds working again in just a few taps.

Here are some helpful articles on updating messaging apps:

No audible sound for Text Messages

10 Ways to Fix Notification Sound Not Working on Android

Restart Your Phone

Power cycling your phone by turning it off and back on again can often resolve sound issues caused by software malfunctions or glitches. Completely rebooting the phone allows the operating system to clear any corrupt cache/data files and reloads all apps and services afresh. This simple fix helps reset any erroneous settings that may have caused the lack of notification sounds.

As per the Lifewire article (https://www.lifewire.com/fix-android-phone-speaker-not-working-4580298), a reboot often clears up any software glitches that may disable the sound. You can restart your Android phone by pressing and holding the Power button, or Power + Volume Up button combination, until a menu pops up allowing you to power off. For iPhones, hold down the side/top button until the “slide to power off” slider appears. After the phone is completely powered down, wait 30 seconds and then turn it back on.

Restarting your phone essentially performs a soft reset and reloads the operating system, which should restore normal audio functionality in most cases where a software bug was the culprit behind no notification sounds.

Check Connectivity and Signal

Weak cell signal or no data connection can prevent sounds from playing when receiving new texts. This is because most messaging apps rely on an internet connection to deliver notifications. Without a stable connection, the app may not be able to download notification sounds.

Start by checking if you have adequate cell signal where you are located. On both Android and iOS, you can find the signal strength indicator in the top corner of the screen. Try moving closer to a window or stepping outside, then wait a few minutes and see if sounds work when receiving new texts.

Additionally, check if your phone has a working data connection by loading a website or running a speed test. If you have no bars or a very slow connection, this could prevent sounds from coming through. Try enabling Wi-Fi on your device or toggling Airplane mode on and off to refresh the connection.

Finally, test if you can reproduce the issue in different locations. If sounds only work in certain areas with better signal, weak connectivity is likely the cause. You may need to contact your carrier if the problem persists.

Toggle Airplane Mode

One simple step to try is turning Airplane Mode on and off. Airplane Mode disables all wireless connectivity on your phone, including cellular service, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and more. By toggling Airplane Mode off and back on, you essentially reset all the wireless connectivity and radio functions on your device.

This can help resolve temporary connection issues that may be preventing sounds from coming through properly in texts or messaging apps. Here are the steps to toggle Airplane mode on and off:

1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Tap on the Airplane Mode option.
3. Toggle the switch on to enable Airplane Mode.
4. Wait about 30 seconds, then toggle Airplane Mode off again.

Once you turn Airplane Mode off, wait a few minutes as your phone reconnects to cell service and Wi-Fi. Then open your messaging app and check if sounds are now working properly when receiving new texts.

Toggling Airplane Mode essentially restarts the radios on your phone, which can fix temporary glitches without needing to restart your entire device. If sounds in texts still don’t work after toggling Airplane Mode, you may need to move on to other troubleshooting steps.

Clear App Cache and Data

Clearing the app cache and data for your messaging app can often resolve issues with sounds not working properly. Over time, cache files and data can become corrupted or too large, which can cause performance issues or bugs. By wiping the cache and data, you essentially reset the app back to a clean state which often solves problems.

To clear the cache and data for an app on Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications and select the messaging app. Tap Storage & Cache and then tap Clear Cache and Clear Data. Be aware this will sign you out and delete all offline data, but won’t affect actual messages which are stored in the cloud.

According to one source, clearing app cache and data is one of the top recommended troubleshooting steps for notification sound problems on Android. Resetting the app removes any corrupt files that may be interfering with the proper functioning of sounds.

Check Operating System

Very old operating system versions may not support newer messaging apps or have limited functionality for sounds. For example, Windows 7 and earlier may not fully support sound for newer apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Android versions before 5.0 Lollipop also lack full support for newer messaging apps. Even recent operating systems have some limitations – Windows 10 supports sound notifications but lacks a dedicated API for messaging apps.

If you are using an older OS, consider upgrading to a newer version if possible for full messaging app support including sounds. Alternatively, try toggling notification settings within the OS itself. On Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions. On Android 5.0+, adjust notification settings in the Settings app. Updating to the latest OS version is recommended for the best experience with newer apps.

Sources:

IOS 17.0.1 No sound for iMessage/Text on iPhone 13 Max

Use text or visual alternative to sounds

Try a Different App

You should test whether sound works properly in a different messaging app to determine if the issue is caused by your primary app or is more widespread.

Download a popular alternative messaging app like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or Facebook Messenger. Open a chat and have someone send you a message with sound enabled. If you receive an audible notification from the test app, it indicates your primary messaging app is likely the cause of the sound issue.

App-specific problems could be due to outdated software needing an update, corrupted cache/data, or a bug in the latest release. If a different app provides audible notifications, you can narrow down the problem to your main messaging application.

However, if no notifications make a sound even in new apps, it is probably an operating system or hardware-related problem instead. You would then need to troubleshoot other areas like your OS version, connectivity, speaker, etc.

Back Up Data and Reset Phone

If none of the previous troubleshooting steps resolve the no audio issue, a factory reset should clear any software bugs causing the problem. Back up important data first, as a reset will wipe the phone. Options for backup include transferring files to a computer, uploading media to cloud storage, and syncing contacts and calendars to an online account. After fully backing up the phone, go to Settings > System > Reset options and select Factory data reset. Tap Reset phone and confirm to wipe the device. This should reset all settings and installed apps, clearing any problematic software leading to the audio not working.

According to Google support forums, a factory reset resolved no audio issues for many Pixel phone users when other troubleshooting failed (source). Resetting the phone essentially gives you a clean software slate, which should restore functionality if audio problems stemmed from bugs or corrupt settings.