OfferUp notifications not working? How to fix them in 2026
OfferUp search alerts that never reach your phone, or only turn up when you open the app, usually come down to OfferUp's notification settings or your phone's. Work through the checks below, each taken from OfferUp's own help.
What should I check first?
Six things, in the order of OfferUp's own troubleshooting (Manage notification preferences).
- A search alert is set. Run the search in the OfferUp app and tap the bell in the top right of the results, or the Set Search Alert button; the bell turns green with a check mark once the alert is saved. Your alerts are listed under your profile picture → Search Alerts (Get notified about items you want).
- Look in your OfferUp Inbox. OfferUp delivers every notification to the Notifications tab of your Inbox, in the app and on OfferUp.com.
- Push and email are on for search alerts. Open Account → Account Settings, scroll to Notifications, tap Manage Notifications, tap Edit next to the notification, and turn on the Email and Push Notification toggles. OfferUp says changes take effect immediately.
- Your phone allows OfferUp to send push. With device notifications off, OfferUp says it can send no push except verification codes. The iPhone and Android steps are below.
- You did not unsubscribe the email copy. Open Manage Your Email Preferences at the bottom of any OfferUp email and check the search-alert email toggle is on. OfferUp says an unsubscribe can take up to 10 business days to process.
- Nothing on the phone blocks notifications. Turn off power saving mode, Do Not Disturb and performance optimization apps, the last items on OfferUp's own list. Still stuck? Contact OfferUp support.
How do I fix OfferUp notifications on iPhone?
Three settings: notifications, Focus and Low Power Mode.
- Open Settings → Notifications → OfferUp and turn on Allow Notifications.
- Open Settings → Focus, choose each Focus you use (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work) and allow OfferUp under Apps.
- Turn off Low Power Mode in Settings → Battery: it turns off Background App Refresh.
- Open Settings → General → Background App Refresh and switch it on for OfferUp.
- Still nothing? Delete the OfferUp app, reinstall it, sign in, and allow notifications when your iPhone asks.
How do I fix OfferUp notifications on Android?
Three settings: notifications, battery and Do Not Disturb.
- Open Settings → Notifications → App notifications → OfferUp and turn on every category OfferUp lists.
- Open Settings → Apps → App battery usage → OfferUp and choose Unrestricted.
- Open Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb and allow OfferUp among the apps that may notify you.
- If Data Saver is on, let OfferUp use data without restriction.
- Update OfferUp from Google Play, or clear its cache in Settings → Apps → OfferUp → Storage & cache.
Is the search itself the problem?
Sometimes: an alert can be working and still have nothing to send.
- The keywords are not too narrow. Use the words a seller would write: “couch” as well as “sofa”, “bike” as well as “bicycle”.
- The location, price range and filters still match — especially after you move or travel.
- Try it by hand. If new listings show up but no alert came, the search is fine and the alert is the problem.
Why do OfferUp search alerts only show up when I open the app?
Because the search alert itself is an app and web notification: OfferUp delivers it to the Inbox in the app and on OfferUp.com, and push and email are separate messages that let you know about “search alerts that are waiting for you in the app” (About notifications). With push off, or held back by your phone, the alert waits in the app until you open it.
Every new listing on your phone, within minutes — with Pouncify
Pouncify checks your OfferUp search itself, on the schedule you choose, and sends every new matching listing straight to your phone within minutes of it going live — with the photo, the price and where it is.
- One search, every marketplace — OfferUp together with Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
- Alerts where you want them — the free Pouncify app for iPhone and Android, or Telegram, email or Discord.
- No OfferUp login — Pouncify watches OfferUp without a login.
- Private by design — no account with us; your logins, listings and location stay on your computer.
Pouncify runs on your Windows or Mac computer, pairs with your phone by scanning a QR code, and is free to start.
Questions
Where do OfferUp search alerts go?
To the Notifications tab of your OfferUp Inbox, in the app and on OfferUp.com. Push and email copies are optional, set per notification in Account Settings under Notifications.
Can I turn off OfferUp's in-app search alerts?
No. OfferUp calls the Inbox its default method and does not let you turn it off; you can turn off the push and email copies in Manage Notifications.
How fast are OfferUp alerts with Pouncify?
Within minutes of a listing going live on OfferUp. You choose how often Pouncify checks and during which hours.
Does Pouncify need an OfferUp account?
No. Pouncify watches OfferUp without a login, and there is no account to create with us either.
Download Pouncify Free to start · no account · Windows and macOS
Other guides: OfferUp alerts · Facebook Marketplace alerts · Craigslist alerts · Kijiji alerts · All guides.