Never miss another message on WhatsApp by enabling pop-up notifications. If you’ve got an Android device, and are unsure how to turn pop-up notifications for WhatsApp on, you’ve come to the right place.
Simply follow our step-by-step instructions below to learn how to turn on WhatsApp pop-up notifications on Android devices. For all other information, or if you have further questions, please see our FAQ section at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
How to turn on WhatsApp pop-up notifications (Android)
- Open the WhatsApp app on your device
- Tap the three vertical dots in the upper-right of the screen
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘Settings’
- On the ‘Settings’ menu, select ‘Notifications’
- You can now decide what kind of pop-up notifications to enable, and for what kind of messages (individual contacts and/or group contacts)
- To turn on individual message pop-up notifications, tap ‘Popup notification’ under the ‘Messages’ section of the Notifications Settings menu; then select whether you want pop-ups to appear ‘Only when screen “on”’, ‘Only when screen “off”’, or ‘Always…’
- To turn on group chat message pop-up notifications, tap ‘Popup notification’ under the ‘Groups’ section of the Notifications Settings menu; then select whether you want pop-ups to appear ‘Only when screen “on”’, ‘Only when screen “off”’, or ‘Always…’
- To turn on individual message pop-up notifications, tap ‘Popup notification’ under the ‘Messages’ section of the Notifications Settings menu; then select whether you want pop-ups to appear ‘Only when screen “on”’, ‘Only when screen “off”’, or ‘Always…’
Note: You can also decide on the Notifications Settings how you want these pop-up notifications to be accompanied, i.e. with a light, vibration, and/or tone.
And that’s it! Those 5 steps are all you need to turn on WhatsApp pop-up notifications on Android. For any other information, or if you have further questions, please check out our FAQ section below.
FAQs
What is a pop-up notification?
Our smartphones and tablets are loaded with apps which many of us use on a daily basis. These apps, especially social media ones, usually involve some sort of event which many users like to be aware of as and when they happen.
For example, when your post gets ‘likes’ on Instagram, when you get a new email on Gmail, or when you receive a new message through WhatsApp. Of course, you can find out whether you have any new things like this to deal with just by opening the individual apps and checking for yourself. Nevertheless, some people prefer to know without having to do so.
That’s where notifications come in. A notification is a noticeable marker attached to the app which ‘notifies’ you of the fact that you’ve received something deserving of your attention (a like, message, follow, etc.). Usually notifications are symbolised by a number, in red, attached to the app’s icon on your phone’s home screen – the number corresponding to the number of ‘notifications’ you have waiting.
A pop-up notification, on the other hand, is a notification which goes one step further. It ‘pops-up’ on screen, no matter where you are or what you’re doing (provided you have internet connection). You can typically set pop-up notifications to appear only when the screen’s on (i.e. when you’re looking at it), only when it’s off, or under any circumstance.
Why would I want WhatsApp pop-up notifications turned on?
WhatsApp is one of the world’s leading messaging platforms, owned and operated by corporate giants Meta (formerly Facebook). It is used by many millions of people all around the world every day. For some (such as many Latin Americans) it is indeed their primary form of communication.
WhatsApp allows its users to communicate via text, voice, voice-note, or video over end-to-end encrypted chat rooms. Users can also set up group chats with upwards of 250+ people in attendance (or, of course, just a few). It can be used for work, pleasure, family or personal business.
There are lots of reasons why you might want WhatsApp pop-up notifications turned on, but the most obvious is simply that you use WhatsApp for important communications – such as with your colleagues, boss(es), family or partner; people who you don’t want to miss a message from. Turning pop-up notifications on would mean that you never need to miss another message.
Can I turn WhatsApp pop-up notifications back off again?
Of course, pop-up notifications have their drawbacks. Being notified of every single message which comes through over WhatsApp can be exhausting, especially if you use WhatsApp extensively, or are part of large groups who message each other all the time.
If you turned pop-up notifications on for WhatsApp, but are now finding you never get a moment’s peace, rest assured that the power is always in your hands to turn those notifications back off again at a moment’s notice.
To do so, simply follow our instructions above, but instead of toggling pop-up notifications to ON (green), instead toggle them to OFF (grey).
Alternatively, if you simply wish to turn off pop-up notifications for a few chats or contacts, whilst keeping pop-up notifications active for the messages you can’t afford to miss, you can always ‘Mute’ select chats.
To do so, locate and tap on the group or contact in question, then tap the three vertical dots in the top right of the chat window. From the drop-down menu, select ‘Mute notifications’ and then choose for how long you wish to mute them: 8 hours, 1 week, or ‘Always’. (Note: you can change these settings again at any time by ‘Unmuting’ via the same drop-down menu.)
Does this method also work for iOS devices?
Almost, but with a few minor changes. On iOS devices, the WhatsApp ‘Settings’ menu is accessed not by the three vertical dots in the top-right, but by the ‘Settings’ icon in the bottom-right. Having tapped on this, you have to then tap on ‘Notifications’ and follow the various toggle settings to switch on or switch off pop-up notifications. Note, they may be labeled simply as ‘Show Notifications’ instead of specifically ‘Pop-Up’.
