WhatsApp notifications are delayed or missing
Why WhatsApp notifications arrive late on jailbroken devices, and the fixes that work — including the tweaks that raise the memory limit.
Updated
Note
This is the jailbreak cause of missing WhatsApp notifications. If you sideloaded the app and get no notifications at all, that's a different problem entirely — why sideloaded apps don't get notifications.
Notifications arrive minutes late, or not at all, and your contacts see only one tick. It happens when WhatsApp is closed or in the background.
It is not caused by Watusi. It happens on stock WhatsApp with nothing injected. Here's what's actually going on, and what fixes it.
The fix, first
The recommended fix on Dopamine. Two community tweaks raise the memory ceiling on WhatsApp's notification extension — only that extension, not the system, not other apps.
- FixWANotifs by
0xkuj— raises the limit so the extension is no longer killed mid-push. Needs a userspace reboot after installing. - WAJetsamFix by
Allukardh— raises it from 24 MB to 40 MB.
Careful
Both target the extension used by the App Store WhatsApp. They have not been tested with sideloaded or TrollStore builds, which may differ. Both are independent community projects — not affiliated with or endorsed by Fouad's Tweaks.
Reduces the memory the extension uses by keeping other tweaks out of it.
- Open Choicy Settings → Applications and find WhatsApp.
- Tap App Plugins and select ServiceExtension.
- Turn on Disable Tweak Injection.
Some people fix it by deleting WhatsApp and reinstalling without restoring a chat backup. WhatsApp updates its database from inside the extension, and a large restored history makes that work heavier.
Costly, and only worth trying if the others fail.
Why it happens
WhatsApp's ServiceExtension
Since dropping iOS 9, WhatsApp uses an app extension called . It receives each push, decrypts it, writes the message to the database, sends the delivery receipt, and shows the notification — all without launching the app.
The 24 MB ceiling
iOS enforces a fatal 24 MB memory cap on notification service extensions.
The moment ServiceExtension crosses it while handling a push, iOS's
process kills it instantly.
Putting the two together
When the extension is killed, the notification is never shown and no delivery receipt is sent — which is exactly why your contacts see a single tick. WhatsApp's servers resend anything undelivered, so the messages turn up later, once the extension restarts with lower memory use.
On a jailbroken device, tweaks that inject into every process add to that memory, pushing a borderline setup over the line. Watusi injects into the extension too, because several of its features live there.
Note
It genuinely isn't just Watusi. Community members reproduced the problem after
removing Watusi entirely and after changing Choicy's injection settings — the
extension still hit the cap. Recent WhatsApp builds approach 24 MB on their
own. For comparison, Telegram's and Discord's notification extensions stay well
under the limit, which is why they're reliable. (Investigation by emmaflex.)
Why it varies so much between people
- Newer devices and newer iOS tend to handle the same setup fine.
- iOS 16 and older hit the limit more often, jailbroken or not.
- Jailbroken devices carry the extra memory of injected tweaks.
- Large chat backups push a borderline setup over the edge — several people found a fresh install delivered notifications normally until they restored a big history.
It's several factors at once, which is why the same WhatsApp version behaves differently on two phones.
Tip
You can watch this happen. Install CocoaTop (TrollStore) and look at the
live memory of the ServiceExtension process — on affected setups it climbs
toward 24 MB right before notifications stop.
On jailbroken iOS 13 and 14, several system processes get killed by Jetsam for the same reason, which is why Cr4shed shows a pile of crash reports.
In short
WhatsApp's ServiceExtension exceeds the 24 MB limit iOS enforces on
notification extensions. Jetsam kills it, so notifications are delayed, dropped
or delivered without a receipt.
- On Dopamine: install FixWANotifs or WAJetsamFix.
- Everyone else: disable tweak injection into the extension with Choicy, or reinstall without restoring a large backup.
Because it depends on device, iOS version, WhatsApp version, backup size and tweak environment all at once, no single fix works identically for everyone. It also affects some non-jailbroken users on older devices with large chat histories — more evidence that it originates in WhatsApp and iOS, not in Watusi.
History
This first appeared in 2022, after WhatsApp 22.8.75 moved more work into the
ServiceExtension — particularly once Linked Devices shipped to everyone.
It returned in 2026 through the same mechanism: WhatsApp has simply kept growing until the extension approaches 24 MB unaided, made worse by large restored backups and, on jailbroken devices, injected tweaks.
Credits
Thanks to the community members who investigated this and shared their fixes:
emmaflex— the detailed investigation confirming the extension hits the Jetsam limit, plus the CocoaTop, chat-backup and cross-device observations.0xkuj— FixWANotifs.Allukardh— WAJetsamFix.
Did it work?
Yes — what's next
- Back up and restore Watusi chats manuallyiCloud backup doesn't work on a sideloaded WhatsApp, but you can copy your chats yourself with the Files app.
- Why sideloaded apps don't get notificationsThe signing rule behind missing push notifications on sideloaded apps, what's possible for WhatsApp and for Instagram, and the ways around it.
Not yet
Check the common fixesCrashes, “Unable to Verify App”, apps that stop after a weekStill stuck? Tell us which guide and step you're on, and the exact error.