Have you ever noticed your TikTok app sending you notifications for likes, comments, or messages that don’t actually exist? These “ghost” notifications can be annoying and confusing.
Thankfully, there are some troubleshooting steps you can take to get rid of fake TikTok notifications.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover all the potential causes of fake TikTok notifications and walk you through various solutions to fix the problem once and for all.
Why Is TikTok Sending Fake or Random Notifications?
Before we dive into fixes, let’s first understand what causes TikTok to send fake notifications in the first place. Here are some of the most common reasons:
Buggy App Code
Like any app, TikTok can contain bugs in its code that lead to glitchy behavior like false notifications. As developers release new app versions, they’re constantly working to squash notification bugs.
Corrupted App Cache
TikTok stores temporary app data and files in a cache. Over time, this cache can become corrupted with errors that affect notifications. Clearing the cache often solves many fake notification issues.
Background App Refresh Issues
TikTok relies on being able to refresh content in the background to keep notifications accurate. If background refreshing is disabled, delayed notifications can appear as fakes.
Conflicts with Other Apps
If you have other apps that customize or override notifications, they could potentially conflict with TikTok’s notifications and cause confusion.
Server-Side Glitches
Problems on TikTok’s servers can also lead to notification delays that appear as phantom notifications on your end.
Outdated Software
Using an outdated version of the TikTok app or an old operating system can introduce notification bugs that may already be fixed in newer versions.
As you can see, issues on both the app side and server side can lead to fake TikTok notifications. The good news is there are steps you can take on your own device to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.
How to Fix TikTok Sending Fake Notifications
Let’s now walk through all the different troubleshooting techniques you can use to stop fake TikTok notifications:
1. Check for TikTok Pending Updates
The very first thing you should do is make sure you have installed the latest version of the TikTok app from your device’s app store. App developers like TikTok constantly improve the app experience and squash bugs with new releases.
To check for updates on an iPhone:
- Open the App Store app
- Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner
- Scroll down and tap “Check for Updates”
- Install any available TikTok updates.
On Android devices:
- Open the Google Play Store app
- Tap the hamburger menu in the top left
- Tap “My apps & games”
- Under “Updates,” install any available TikTok updates.
Keeping TikTok updated with the latest version will ensure you have all the newest bug fixes and performance improvements that often address notification issues.
2. Log Out and Log Back In
One quick troubleshooting step is to log out of your TikTok account entirely and then log back in. This can essentially “refresh” your notification settings and reconnect the app to TikTok’s servers.
To log out and in:
- Open the TikTok app
- Go to your profile
- Tap the “Settings and privacy” option
- Select “Log out” to fully log out of your account
- Then tap “Log in” to log back into your account
- When logged back in, check if the fake notifications continue Logging out resets the app’s connection to your account. Logging back in forces it to re-sync your notification settings and preferences which may resolve temporarily glitchy behavior.
3. Restart Your Device
It’s one of the most basic troubleshooting steps, but simply restarting your Android or iPhone can surprisingly fix a lot of app issues. Restarting clears out any glitched background processes and gives apps like TikTok a fresh slate.
To restart an iPhone:
- Hold down the Side/Power button
- When the “Slide to power off” prompt appears, drag the slider to turn off your phone
- After 30 seconds, hold the Side/Power button again to boot your iPhone back up
On Android devices:
- Hold down the Power button
- Tap “Restart” when prompted
- Allow your phone to fully restart
Give TikTok a try after restarting to see if fake notifications have cleared up. A basic restart can refresh the app’s notification ability and remove buggy background behavior.
4. Force Stop TikTok
If simply logging out doesn’t work, more aggressively force stopping the TikTok app may help. Force stopping completely shuts down all TikTok processes which when restarted can reset its notification system.
To force stop on iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
- Find TikTok and tap on it
- Tap “Offload App” to completely offload it
- Then tap “Reinstall App” to reinstall TikTok fresh
On Android:
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Select TikTok
- Tap Force Stop to force stop the app
- Open TikTok again to restart it fresh
Force stopping almost acts like a reboot of the app. When reopened, TikTok has to reload all its processes including notifications which may eliminate any fake ones.
5. Clear TikTok’s Cache and Data
Over time, cached app data and temporary files can become corrupted. Clearing the cache erases these potential errors. For TikTok, it may get rid of cached notification data that has bugged out.
On an iPhone:
- Go to “Settings” and proceed to “General.”
- Tap on iPhone Storage and select TikTok from the list of apps.
- Tap “Offload App” to clear cached files.
On Android:
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Select TikTok
- Tap Storage & Cache > Clear Cache.
- Open TikTok again to let the cache rebuild.
A clean cache means TikTok has to freshly rebuild its notification data files. This may resolve notification glitches causing fakes.
6. Check Notification Settings in TikTok
It’s also worth double-checking that notifications are properly enabled within TikTok’s own app settings. Perhaps sounds were toggled off or certain notifications were disabled which is leading to confusion.
To check TikTok’s notification settings, follow these steps:
- Launch the TikTok app
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom-right
- Tap the three-dot menu button in the top-right
- Choose “Settings and privacy”
- Select “Notifications”
In notifications settings you can verify these options:
- Sounds are enabled
- Comments, Likes, Followers, etc. are enabled
- Suggested/Recommended is disabled (can cause fake notifs)
- Priority notifications are on for important accounts
Fine-tuning these preferences ensures TikTok knows exactly which notification types to send to your phone. If some were mistakenly disabled, turning them back on could resolve the fake notification problem.
7. Check Device Notification Settings
It’s also possible your device’s global notification settings are blocking or limiting TikTok in some way. Verify that TikTok has notification access enabled in your device settings.
On an iPhone:
- Go to Settings > Notifications
- Scroll down and select TikTok
- Confirm “Allow Notifications” is enabled
- Double-check notification options like Sounds, Badges, etc.
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Select Notifications
- Tap TikTok
- Make sure “Show notifications” is enabled
- Double check notification overrides and their importance.
Your device ultimately controls which apps are allowed to send notifications. If TikTok notifications are blocked or limited, it could cause syncing issues leading to fake notices.
8. Enable Background App Refresh
For TikTok to sync notifications properly, it needs to be able to refresh content in the background when you aren’t actively using the app. If background app refreshing is disabled, delayed notifications may appear as fakes.
On an iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh
- Make sure Background App Refresh is enabled globally
- Then ensure it’s enabled specifically for TikTok too
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Tap Advanced > Special app access
- Select Background > TikTok
- Make sure background permission is allowed
Allowing TikTok to refresh content while in the background or while your phone is sleeping ensures notifications can be pushed promptly as needed.
9. Reinstall the TikTok App
If you still see fake notifications after trying the above steps, the nuclear option is to uninstall and reinstall TikTok completely. This gives you a 100% fresh install of the app which can eliminate any corrupted files.
On an iPhone:
- Hold down on the TikTok app icon until it jiggles
- Tap the X to uninstall TikTok
- Open the App Store and search for TikTok
- Tap Get to freshly download and install it
On Android:
- Hold down the TikTok app icon
- Drag it up to Uninstall
- Open the Play Store app
- Search for TikTok
- Tap Install to download a new TikTok APK
While a bit tedious, a complete reinstallation often resolves persistent app issues that can’t be fixed otherwise. It gives you a completely clean slate with TikTok’s notification system.
10. Contact TikTok Support
If you still see fake notifications after trying all troubleshooting steps, your last resort is to contact TikTok’s customer support team. They may be able to diagnose notification issues on their back-end that aren’t fixable on your end.
To contact TikTok support:
- Open TikTok and go to your profile
- Tap the three-line menu button
- Choose “Report a Problem”
- On the support form, describe your issue with fake notifications
- Include details like when it started, frequency, steps tried etc.
- Submit the form and a support representative will assist you
TikTok’s team can investigate server-side issues, review your account activity, check notification logs, and troubleshoot beyond what’s possible on your own. With their help, the phantom notification problem can hopefully be resolved for good.
Once you’ve stopped fake TikTok notifications through the above troubleshooting, here are some tips to avoid similar issues in the future.
While annoying, fake push notifications are often temporary glitches that can be fixed with a few simple steps. With the comprehensive troubleshooting guide above, you should be able to say goodbye to phantom TikTok notifications for good!
You may also find it helpful to check out our related article on what to do when you get a TikTok message notification but there’s no message. That issue is often tied to the problem of fake notifications, so be sure to take a look at it if notifications and messages don’t seem to align.
