TikTok notifications getting stuck on your device and won’t go away? This frustrating issue can happen on both iOS and Android devices. The constant barrage of outdated TikTok notifications cluttering up your notification tray is annoying.
In this guide, we’ll outline some steps to troubleshoot and fix TikTok notifications that linger long after you’ve seen them or when new notifications fail to come in. Follow along below to clear your notification tray of pesky TikTok alerts.
Why Your TikTok Notifications Get Stuck
Before diving into the solutions, let’s first understand why TikTok notifications can get stuck open and won’t clear from your notification bar:
Buggy App Behavior
Sometimes TikTok just doesn’t behave properly. Bugs in the app’s code can cause notifications to behave erratically and not clear properly. An app update could introduce new bugs or remove notifications bugs.
Connection Issues
If you have a poor internet connection or limited access when receiving notifications, this can prevent them from clearing normally. The app may fail to “communicate” properly with TikTok’s servers to clear the notifications.
Outdated Software
An outdated version of the TikTok app or your device’s OS could also be a factor. Running the latest versions helps minimize software-related issues.
Notification Settings Misconfigured
Your TikTok or device notification settings may have been toggled off, preventing proper notification delivery and clearing. Diving into the settings often reveals disabled alerts.
Now that you know what’s behind those lingering alerts, let’s move on to the fixes!
How to Fix TikTok Notifications That Won’t Go Away
Follow the troubleshooting steps below, ordered from easiest to most intensive fixes, until your TikTok notifications start behaving normally:
1. Check for Network Connectivity Issues
Start by ensuring your device has a stable, strong internet connection via WiFi or cellular data. Connectivity issues can interfere with TikTok communicating properly to clear notifications.
Run a speed test and switch networks if speeds are low. To run a speed test, you can use tools such as fast.com.
The test automatically starts as soon as you visit the site. You’ll see a large orange circle with a dot progressing around it as your download speed is measured.
Move closer to your router if WiFi is weak. Turn Airplane mode on and off to refresh the connection.
2. Check for Widespread TikTok Outages
Rather than troubleshooting your own phone when notifications seem stuck, it pays to first check sites like DownDetector that aggregate user-reported issues. This helps you identify if TikTok is globally down before wasting time debugging your device.
DownDetector lets anyone quickly report app outages which are then tallied in real-time to spot trends.
Follow these steps to leverage DownDetector for insight into TikTok disruptions:
- Open your web browser and navigate to DownDetector.com
- Search for TikTok or go directly to TikTok’s status page.
- Glance at the big status indicator for overall health stats. Red means reports of problems. Green is normal.
- Scroll down and view the incident timeline charting reported issues, segmented by problem type.
- Under that read the most recent user-submitted comments detailing the issues encountered with TikTok.
If you notice spikes in reports around when your notifications got stuck, accompanied by related commentary, this signals broad TikTok malfunctions rather than just your phone glitching.
3. Restart Your Device
A simple device reboot can clear up temporary glitches causing issues with your TikTok notifications.
To reboot, hold down your device’s Power button until the Power off slider appears. Slide to power down completely.
Wait 30 seconds, then turn your device back on and unlock it. This refresh often fixes small system problems.
4. Force Close the TikTok App
Sometimes fully force closing TikTok makes your notifications start behaving normally again on app relaunch. This dumps any glitched background processes causing notification issues.
On iPhone:
- Swipe up from the very bottom edge of your screen to bring up the app switcher view.
- Swipe left or right until you see the TikTok app preview.
- Swipe up on the TikTok preview to force close the app.
On Android:
- Open your Android device’s Settings app.
- Tap Apps or Application Manager.
- Tap TikTok.
- Tap Force Stop to force close it.
Reopen TikTok and check if the notifications clear properly now.
5. Verify TikTok Notification Settings
It’s possible TikTok couldn’t save your notifications settings, which may have resulted from changes made to TikTok’s notification settings within the app. Double-check that alerts are enabled properly.
To verify notification settings:
- Open the TikTok app and tap Profile > Settings and Privacy button.
- Scroll to the “Content & Display” tab and select “Notifications.”
- Check that notifications are disabled for the types you do not want to receive.
Toggle any notification types ON that you want active. If prompts appear to confirm enabling, choose Allow.
6. Check Device Notification Settings
Along with app-level notification settings, it’s equally important to verify your Android or iPhone has alerts enabled globally for TikTok:
On iPhone:
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Scroll down and tap TikTok.
- Confirm Allow Notifications is enabled along with options for Lock Screen, Banners, Sounds, etc.
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps & Notifications.
- Tap Notifications > Advanced > App notifications.
- Tap TikTok and enable Allow notifications as well as any other alert preferences.
If TikTok notifications were disabled at the device level, toggling them back ON should permit proper notification delivery and dismissal moving forward.
7. Clear TikTok’s Cache
A buildup of cached temporary data can sometimes disrupt TikTok from clearing notifications appropriately. Wiping this data forces the app to start fresh.
Note that clearing app data will delete any saved login info and settings, so you’ll need to log back into TikTok.
To clear TikTok cache on your iPhone or Android:
1. Open the TikTok app:
- Locate the TikTok app on your iPhone and tap to open it.
2. Go to your Profile:
- Tap the Profile icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Access Settings and Privacy:
- In the top right corner of your profile page, tap the three-line menu icon (☰).
- From the menu that appears, select “Settings and Privacy.”
4. Find the “Free up space” option:
- Scroll down to the “Cache & Cellular Data” section.
- Tap on “Free up space.”
5. Clear the cache:
- You’ll see the amount of storage space currently used by the cache.
- Tap the “Clear” button next to “Cache.”
- Confirm by tapping “Clear” again in the pop-up window.
With a clean slate after wiping TikTok’s locally stored data, notifications should now work normally when you relaunch the app.
8. Update TikTok to the Latest Version
Having an outdated version of TikTok can introduce notification bugs that newer versions have fixed. Updating provides the latest code optimizations.
On iPhone, open the App Store, tap your profile icon > Check for Updates. Search for TikTok manually if no updates show.
On Android gadgets, open the Play Store > My Apps & Games > Check for Updates. Search for TikTok if needed to queue the latest update.
Install any available TikTok updates to see if it resolves your lingering notification issue.
9. Toggle TikTok Notifications Off and Back On
If all else fails, try resetting all of TikTok’s notifications by toggling them off completely, then turning alerts back on. This essentially rebuilds your notifications which may clear up any glitches.
- On your iPhone or Android phone, disable Allow Notifications for TikTok completely (covered above in Step 6). This turns all TikTok alerts off.
- Force close TikTok again (Step 4 instructions).
- Open TikTok and re-enable notifications by repeating Steps 5 and 6 covered earlier.
- Monitor your notifications over the next day to see if the problem repeats or if disabling then re-enabling did the trick.
10. Try Logging Out and Back Into TikTok
Still battling wonky notifications that stick around? Attempt logging out from TikTok completely then logging back in. This resets your app session and forces a refresh of your account info and notification settings.
To sign out:
- Open TikTok and tap the Profile icon.
- Tap the ellipsis (three dot) menu icon.
- Choose Log out. Confirm logging out.
Then open TikTok again to log back in with your username and password. Cross your fingers that resetting the app session clears the notifications glitch for good!
11. Test TikTok Notifications on Another Device
To better isolate if the notifications issue is tied specifically to your iPhone or Android device rather than your TikTok account, install TikTok on another gadget if possible.
Borrow a family member’s phone or use your tablet and try sending yourself test notifications. See if the notifications dismiss properly on that secondary device.
If TikTok alerts work fine elsewhere, then something is probably misconfigured with notifications on your original phone rather than the TikTok app itself.
12. Contact TikTok Support
If you still see TikTok alerts sticking around after trying all other troubleshooting, reach out directly to TikTok’s support team:
- Open TikTok > Tap Profile > Settings and privacy > Report a problem.
- Look for the “Submit a report” link at the bottom of the TikTok help page and tap on it.
- Complete the support request form with details on the problem.
Explain the notification glitches you’re continuing to encounter in further detail. TikTok Support can investigate why your particular account may be malfunctioning with regards to notifications not clearing properly from your device.
Hopefully, TikTok Support can resolve the lingering alerts once and for all! But in most cases, one of the troubleshooting tips above should successfully shake those old TikTok notifications from your notification bar at last.
If you’re still seeing notification issues even when TikTok seems up, check out our guide on how to fix TikTok notifications not working for additional fixes to bad notifications.
