It can be frustrating to receive a notification for a new LinkedIn message, only to open the app and not see any new messages. There are a few potential reasons why this might happen:
You archived or deleted the message
If you tend to archive or delete messages in LinkedIn after reading them, it’s possible you took this action before opening the notification. The notification remains even if the message itself is no longer in your inbox.
To avoid this confusion, you may want to get in the habit of opening messages directly from notifications before archiving or deleting them. You can also double check your archived messages folder to see if the “missing” message was moved there.
The sender deleted the message
The sender has the ability to delete a message after sending it. If they do this before you open the notification, you will see the notice but not find the message content.
There is no way to recover or view deleted messages sent to you. The sender would need to resend the message for you to view it.
It was a connection request, not a message
Connection requests also generate notifications in LinkedIn. If you received a connection request but thought it was a message, this could explain not seeing an actual message when you open the app.
Check your notifications tab for “Connection Request” notices to see if someone sent you a request rather than a direct message.
There was a glitch or delay
Like any app, LinkedIn may occasionally have bugs or glitches with notifications. It’s possible for a notification to be pushed to your device without an actual update to your account.
Give it a few minutes and check again to see if the expected message appears. If not, it may have just been a notification error without an associated message.
You have notifications silenced
If you have notification sounds or vibrations disabled for the LinkedIn app, it’s easy to miss noticing a new message right away. You may then see the notification later and think it just arrived.
Double check your device notification settings for the LinkedIn app. If sounds are muted, you may not realize you received a message earlier until you launch the app later and see the notice.
The message went to another folder
By default, LinkedIn messages go to your primary inbox. But you can organize incoming messages into different folders.
It’s possible the “missing” message was sorted into another folder like updates, announcements, or invitations. Check the other available message folders to see if that’s where the message ended up.
You previewed it from the notification
On iOS devices, you can preview message content directly from the notification by pressing down on the notice. On Android, some notifications allow you to swipe down to preview.
If you previewed the message this way but didn’t fully open it, it may seem to disappear when you launch the app since you’ve already viewed the content.
Your account was temporarily glitchy
In very rare cases, a technical glitch with your account could result in incorrect or missing notifications. This is unlikely, but could happen if there was a temporary connectivity issue.
Try fully closing out of the LinkedIn app and logging out, then logging back in. If the message still doesn’t appear, contact LinkedIn support for help troubleshooting.
You have multiple LinkedIn accounts
People sometimes maintain multiple LinkedIn accounts for business and personal use. Notifications could be going to a different account than the one you typically check.
Log into your other accounts to see if the missing message appears there instead. Keep your notification settings consistent across accounts to avoid confusion.
Your phone mixed up the app
On Android devices, it’s possible for the notification shade to mismatch the app associated with a particular notice. You may have received a notification from a different app but LinkedIn displayed it.
This is a rare bug but can explain seeing a LinkedIn notification with no matching message content. Try rebooting your device to clear any glitched notifications.
You dismissed the notification
Many messaging apps allow you to swipe away a notification to dismiss it. If you accidentally swiped away or dismissed the LinkedIn message notification, it will disappear without you having read the message.
You will need to open the message itself from your inbox to view that conversation again. Dismissing the notice does not remove the actual message.
Your phone deleted it
Most devices automatically clear older notifications after a certain period of time, to prevent notification shades from getting overloaded. Very old LinkedIn message notifications may be removed this way.
If significant time passed between receiving the notice and checking for the message, your device may have cleared it out already. The message itself would still be in your inbox.
You’re viewing the wrong inbox
The LinkedIn mobile app has a few sections where you can view messages. There’s your primary inbox, but also tabs for things like connection requests.
Ensure you are looking at the main messages section of the app. The notification may refer to a message in a part of the inbox you’re not checking.
LinkedIn had server issues
During periods of server problems or maintenance at LinkedIn, some notifications may not match up properly with your actual account updates.
If the issues are on LinkedIn’s end, there is not much you can do except wait for the problem to be fixed. Notifications should return to normal after server maintenance is complete.
The app or OS needs updating
Using outdated versions of the LinkedIn mobile app or an old operating system can also lead to cases where a notification appears without an associated message.
Make sure you have installed the latest updates for LinkedIn and your device OS. Keeping your software updated helps prevent bugs.
Rebooting/reinstalling the app
As a last resort, try force quitting and reopening the LinkedIn app, or uninstalling and reinstalling it completely. This can clear out any corrupted cached data that may be causing notification issues.
A full app reinstallation should get notifications working properly again. Just be sure to avoid swiping away or dismissing them so you can view the messages.
Contacting LinkedIn support
If none of these suggestions fix the problem of getting message notifications without associated content, reach out to LinkedIn customer support. They can look into the issue and your account notifications further.
Provide details on when it happens, what troubleshooting you’ve tried, and steps to reproduce it. Support can then investigate and resolve any app errors causing the missing notifications.