Messages are arriving but your phone stays quiet — check these in order.
⚡ Quick checks
- Open the app and look at Chats. If there are unread messages, the messages are fine and it's the notifications that need fixing — keep going.
- Is Do Not Disturb or Focus on? On both iPhone and Android these silence everything, including Tribe.
- Is the app up to date? Check the App Store or Google Play for an update.
You said no when the app first asked
Why this happens: the app only asks once. If you tapped Don't allow, it stays off until you change it in your phone's settings.
How to fix it:
- iPhone: Settings → Notifications → Tribe → turn on Allow Notifications
- Android: Settings → Apps → Tribe → Notifications → turn on
How to avoid it next time: if you reinstall the app, tap Allow when it asks.
Notifications are on but still nothing arrives
Why this happens: the phone has put Tribe to sleep to save battery, which is common on Android.
How to fix it:
- Android: Settings → Apps → Tribe → Battery → set to Unrestricted (the wording varies by phone: Not optimised, No restrictions).
- Force-close the app and open it again.
- Ask a friend or your university admin to send you a test message.
If it still doesn't buzz, log out of the app, log back in, and allow notifications again when prompted.
Emails arrive but the app doesn't notify
Why this happens: you're signed into the app with a different email address from the one your invitation went to, or you haven't signed into the app at all.
How to fix it: open the app, go to Profile, and check the email shown. If it's not the one you use for Tribe, log out and sign in with the right one.
🙋 Still stuck?
Send us:
- Your phone model and whether it's iPhone or Android
- Whether unread messages show inside the app
- A screenshot of Settings → Notifications → Tribe
Send it to support@tribeadmissions.com and we'll pick it up from there — nobody should be missing messages for long. 🙂
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