Web push notifications not working? Fix it by symptom

Symptom: the prompt never appears

1. You tapped “Not now” recently — prompts are capped for a few days. Try a private window.
2. The site’s permission is “Block” — reset it in the browser’s site settings.
3. The browser uses a quiet UI (Chrome, Edge) or blocks non-click requests (Firefox, Safari): look for a bell icon in the address bar.
4. You’re on iPhone in a Safari tab — Home Screen required.
5. The script didn’t load: an ad blocker or Content-Security-Policy may block it. Add data-debug="true" to the Pusharoo snippet and check the console.

Symptom: subscribed, but nothing arrives

1. Check OS settings: the browser must be allowed to notify (macOS System Settings, Windows Notifications, Android app settings).
2. Turn off Focus / Do Not Disturb, or look in the notification centre — the message may be there silently.
3. Desktop browsers must be running (Chrome and Firefox can run in the background).
4. Confirm the worker: https://yoursite.com/sw.js opens and shows JavaScript.
5. Check for two service workers competing for the same scope; merge them (existing worker).
6. Send a test to just your device and watch the browser DevTools console in the worker context (testing guide).

Symptom: “origin not allowed” or subscribe fails

• The site address registered in Pusharoo must exactly match the page origin — https, same domain (www is accepted automatically).
• Push requires HTTPS; http:// pages can’t subscribe (localhost is allowed for development).
• Service workers can’t be served from a different domain; the file must be on your own origin.

Symptom: it worked, then stopped after a change

• A CDN or caching plugin is serving an old sw.js. Bypass cache for /sw.js and your manifest (Cloudflare steps).
• A JS optimiser (Rocket Loader, minify/combine, “delay JavaScript”) is rewriting the worker or snippet — exclude them (WordPress caching notes).
• A theme or plugin update removed the snippet from your header.

Symptom: iPhone shows nothing

• iOS/iPadOS must be 16.4 or later.
• The site must be added to the Home Screen and opened from that icon — not from Safari.
• Your manifest must exist and use "display": "standalone" (PWA guide).
• Check Settings → Notifications → your web app’s name.

Symptom: works in Chrome, fails in one browser

Browser	Usual cause
Brave	“Use Google services for push messaging” is off (fix)
Firefox	Prompt requested without a click
Opera Mini	No service worker support
Safari on iPhone	Not opened from the Home Screen
Samsung Internet	Battery optimisation delaying delivery

Symptom: blocked by security headers

A strict Content Security Policy can block the snippet (script-src) or its API calls (connect-src); a Service-Worker-Allowed mismatch or a worker served with the wrong MIME type stops registration. Check the console for CSP violations and the Network tab for the /sw.js response type — it must be JavaScript, not HTML.

Symptom: Android delays or misses notifications

• Allow notifications for the browser in Android settings (Android 13+ asks once).
• Disable battery optimisation for the browser if your phone maker is aggressive.
• Long-press a previous notification to check the site wasn’t silenced.

Questions

Keep reading

More in Browsers & devices: Firefox push notifications: how they work · Safari push notifications on the Mac · Microsoft Edge push notifications · Web push notifications on Android · PWA push notifications on iOS and Android · How to turn off website notifications · Samsung Internet notifications, explained · Push notifications in Opera and Opera GX · Brave push notifications: why they fail and how to fix it · Website notifications on a Chromebook · How to get website notifications on your iPhone · All guides