Getting a new email on your iPhone should be as simple as hearing that familiar ping. But after upgrading to iOS 18.4, quite a few users have run into a weird problem: no notification sounds when new emails arrive. Not sure why it happens, but it’s frustrating when all you get is silence, especially if you’re expecting important messages. Users posted in multiple forums saying their alerts just disappeared, and it’s kind of dumping the expectation that your phone will tell you when something pops up. This guide aims to cover the tricks that might bring back those sounds, so you don’t miss urgent emails again.
How to Fix Missing Email Notification Sounds on iPhone after iOS 18.4
Fix 1 – Uninstall and Reinstall the Mail App (if you’re using the built-in app)
This tends to help because, for some reason, iOS updates sometimes mess with app permissions or notification settings for the native Mail app. By reinstalling it, you’re basically giving it a fresh start and maybe clearing out glitches that stopped notifications from firing.
- On your home screen, find the Mail app. It might be in a folder, so don’t forget to check there.
- Hold the Mail icon until a quick menu pops up or it jiggles, then tap Delete App. Confirm the deletion—yes, it’s not gone forever, since it’s built into iOS, but deleting can sometimes reset its notification permissions.
- Head over to the App Store. Use the search bar to find Mail, and tap Reinstall.
- Wait for the app to install completely, then open it up. Make sure your email account(s) still work and check notification settings afterward.
Sometimes, just deleting and reinstalling the native app can help the OS reconfigure notification permissions properly. On some setups, the first reinstall might not fix everything, so a reboot afterward can be a good idea, especially if no sounds are heard after setup.
Fix 2 – Double-check Notification Settings for Mail
This is the most common fix because iOS has a knack for turning off notifications without telling you. Maybe the update reset your preferences or you accidentally toggled something. When notifications are off, you won’t get any sounds, even if everything else seems right.
- Open Settings and go to Notifications.
- Scroll down and find the Mail app. Tap on it to see its notification options.
- Ensure that Allow Notifications is turned on.
- Check under Alerts. Make sure at least one of these types (Lock Screen, Notification Center, Banners) is enabled.
- Tap on Sounds and pick a tone if it’s not already selected. Sometimes the default gets muted or set to silent.
- Also, turn on Badges if you want the little red dots to show up.
Now, for some users, the problem was that the notification sound was turned off or set to a silent tone. Re-enabling sounds and ensuring notifications are allowed for Mail is often enough to get sound alerts working again, especially after an iOS update, which can sometimes reset these settings automatically.
Fix 3 – Check the Lock Sound Setting
There’s this tiny, often overlooked setting in Settings > Sounds & Haptics called Lock Sound. If this is switched off, your phone won’t make the clicking sound when locking or unlocking. Because of course, Apple sometimes has to make things more confusing than necessary, and our notification sounds might also be affected.
- Open Settings.
- Tap on Sounds & Haptics.
- Make sure the Lock Sound toggle is turned on. If it was off, turning it on might also fix other sound glitches, including notification sounds.
This fix is kind of a shot in the dark, but, on one setup it worked instantly—on another, it did nothing, so don’t lose hope if it doesn’t magically fix everything first time.
Other stuff to try if the above doesn’t work
Sometimes, restarting the phone or toggling airplane mode can nudge iOS to reinitialize the notification services. Also, if you’re using a non-Apple email client or third-party apps, make sure those apps have proper permission settings and notification toggles turned on, because they can behave differently than the native Mail app.
And if you’re really stuck, some users have reported that a full reset of notification settings via Apple’s official support page or a free restore of the device can do the trick—it’s kind of extreme but worth considering if nothing else works.
Hopefully these tricks get those brief email notification sounds back. Because weirdly, iOS updates don’t always play nice, and sometimes it just takes a little fiddling to get everything back on track.