Notifications stopped working after iOS 15.5 update - possible bug?

Question

My girl has an iPhone 6S, which received an update a few weeks ago - the iOS 15.5. After the update was installed notifications from all apps (WhatsApp, Signal, Gmail, Skype etc.) she would normally use stopped completely (push notification popups and sound).

I'm not familiar with Apple's products at all so I started digging. Focus is disabled, notifications for all the mentioned apps are enabled, no "Do not disturb" is enabled.

Important: Notifications work if the app is on the screen, e.g. if WhatsApp is opened and visible, whenever someone calls or sends a message, it will appear as a normal push notification. Once WhatsApp is off screen, push notifications stop.

I read that iOS 15 introduced redesigned notifications but since things were working fine up to 15.4 included I'm confident to point a finger at some change(s) 15.5 has introduced.

Answer 1

Troubleshooting this can be very complicated. When only some notifications arrive, it’s a lot more likely there are temporary network issues.

• https://appleid.apple.com/

I like to test things like Apple ID push alerts. If those TFA approvals arrive, you know your device is online and Apple systems are working well.

If not, you might have to do things like restart the device and uninstall / reinstall the app or make it look like it’s been uninstalled for 24 hours to reset the permissions dialog for apps.

• https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/technotes/tn2265/_index.html

We’re not seeing any bugs affecting the build but it’s hard to know if you got one or the install just didn’t land well on your device. At work, we do use an app to check on things, but it’s macOS only.

• https://twocanoes.com/products/mac/push-diagnostics/