WhatsApp for Samsung Galaxy C7 (2017)

Most WhatsApp issues on older Samsung phones come from aggressive battery optimization that closes the app in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Battery and set it to Unrestricted (on older firmware, look under Settings > Device maintenance > Battery > App power management and remove WhatsApp from the sleeping/deep-sleeping apps list). Also keep WhatsApp updated through the Play Store, since the C7's older Android version is more prone to compatibility bugs with newer WhatsApp builds. See how others solved this on Reddit

WhatsApp has restructured its notification channels over time, so your old settings may have been reset. Open WhatsApp > Settings > Notifications and confirm Message and Group notifications are toggled on with a sound and popup, then go to phone Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications and make sure each channel (Messages, Group notifications) is enabled. If they still misbehave, clearing WhatsApp's cache via Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Storage > Clear cache usually restores normal behavior without deleting chats. See how others solved this on Reddit

Silent notifications usually mean the WhatsApp notification channel got set to the 'Silent' importance level or Do Not Disturb is filtering it. In Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications, tap the Messages channel and switch it to 'Alerting'/'Make sound and pop on screen,' then assign a notification tone. Also check Settings > Sounds and vibration > Do Not Disturb to ensure it isn't muting WhatsApp during certain hours. See how others solved this on Reddit

This typically happens when WhatsApp is also open on WhatsApp Web or a linked device, which clears the phone notification once the message is seen elsewhere. Unlink sessions you aren't using via WhatsApp > Settings > Linked devices. If it persists, check that no third-party cleaner or 'memory boost' app is wiping the notification shade, and confirm WhatsApp notifications are set to stay on the lock screen under Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications. See how others solved this on Reddit

Grouped summaries appear when Android batches notifications instead of showing each chat separately. Inside WhatsApp > Settings > Notifications, turn on 'Use high priority notifications' so message previews pop at the top of the screen, and make sure the Messages channel is enabled under Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications. Because the C7 runs an older Android version with limited per-channel controls, updating WhatsApp to the latest Play Store build also helps restore separate per-chat alerts. See how others solved this on Reddit

Updates can reset per-app notification permissions, so first confirm Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications is fully enabled and that WhatsApp is allowed Autostart/background activity. Then exclude WhatsApp from battery saving under Settings > Device maintenance > Battery > App power management (remove it from the sleeping apps list). As a final fix, reinstall the latest WhatsApp from the Play Store and restore your chats from the Google Drive backup so it registers fresh notification channels. See how others solved this on Reddit