“Login approval” notification never arrives: Push token refresh failure

You try to log into Facebook, you hit that familiar security step, and it says something like “Approve this login from another device.” You think, “Cool, I’ll just tap Approve on my phone,” because that’s usually painless. Then… nothing happens 😐. No banner. No vibration. No “Login approval” prompt. You wait. You refresh. You open Facebook. Still nothing. Meanwhile the login screen keeps staring at you like it’s waiting for a signal from outer space 🛰️.

When the “Login approval” notification never arrives, people often blame internet speed, Focus modes, battery optimization, or even assume the account is hacked. Sometimes those things matter, sure. But there’s a very specific, very common root cause that explains the “everything else works, but approvals never show up” pattern: push token refresh failure.

And once you understand what a push token is and how it refreshes, you’ll see why this issue feels so stubborn, why it can happen “randomly” after months of normal use, and exactly how to fix it without spiraling into endless retries.

Definitions: Push Tokens, Token Refresh, and Why They Matter 🧩

Let’s keep this simple but accurate.

When an app wants to send you a push notification, it doesn’t just “send it to your phone.” It sends it to Apple or Google’s push service, and that service delivers it to your device.

On iPhone, apps use Apple Push Notification service (APNs). Apple’s overview is here: Apple Push Notification service (APNs).

On Android, many apps rely on Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). Google’s official docs are here: Firebase Cloud Messaging.

To make delivery possible, your device gives the app a unique identifier known as a push token (sometimes called a device token on iOS or registration token on Android). Facebook stores that token on its servers, so when it needs to notify you, it knows where to send the alert.

Here’s the catch that causes your headache: push tokens can change. They refresh when you reinstall apps, restore phones, change certain device settings, update the OS, toggle notification permissions, or sometimes just because the push service rotates them.

A push token refresh failure happens when the token changes on your device, but the app fails to update Facebook’s servers with the new token. From that point on, Facebook keeps sending “Login approval” notifications to a token that is no longer valid. The push service basically shrugs, and you get… silence 🔕.

If you want a clear concept explanation of device tokens and how they’re used in APNs, Apple’s APNs documentation makes the model very concrete: Device tokens and APNs.

Why It’s Important: Login Approvals Are the “Second Door” 🚪🔐

A password is the first door. Login approval is the second door. When the second door doesn’t open, you’re locked out even with the right key.

This matters because:

You can’t “brute refresh” a missing push. Retrying approvals often doesn’t help because the delivery channel itself is broken.

It creates false panic. People assume compromise, when the real problem is a stale token and a missed update.

It breaks recovery loops. If you can’t approve, you can’t finish login, which means you can’t get into settings to fix notification permissions easily, which is why it feels like a trap 😵‍💫.

Here’s a metaphor that tends to click instantly: the push token is your phone number for notifications 📞. If your “notification phone number” changes and Facebook keeps dialing the old one, you’ll never receive the call, no matter how loudly you wait for your phone to ring.

And yes, there’s an emotional side too. When you’re locked out and the approval never arrives, it feels like the platform is ghosting you at the worst possible moment. That frustration is valid. The good news is this is usually fixable with a clean set of steps.

How It’s Applied: What Actually Breaks in the Real World ⚙️

In practice, token refresh failures show up after events that disturb the app’s identity on the device. Common triggers include:

App reinstall or “Offload App” on iOS
Reinstalling can generate a new token, but if the app doesn’t successfully sync it to Facebook servers, pushes go nowhere.

Phone migration or restore from backup
Restores can cause token rotation. If Facebook runs but token registration doesn’t complete, approvals vanish.

Notification permission toggles
Turning notifications off and back on can restart registration flows. If the re-register fails mid-way, the token on Facebook’s side becomes outdated.

Network or firewall constraints during registration
Token sync is a network call. If it’s blocked at the moment it tries, the app might not retry correctly.

Aggressive battery/background restrictions (especially Android)
Some devices restrict background network calls so aggressively that token registration never “sticks,” even though the app appears fine.

A quick, practical table to help you identify it:

A Simple Diagram: Where the Failure Happens 🧠📡

Picture this flow in your head:

Your device creates NEW push token ✅
Facebook app should send token to Facebook servers ✅
Facebook servers send “Login approval” push to token ✅
Push service delivers to your phone ✅

Now the broken version:

Device creates NEW token ✅
App fails to update Facebook servers ❌
Facebook servers send push to OLD token ❌
Push service cannot deliver 🔕
You never see approval 😵‍💫

That’s it. That’s the whole story.

How to Fix It: The Clean, High-Success Playbook 🛠️✨

The goal is simple: force a successful push token re-registration.

1) Confirm notifications are allowed at the OS level
On iOS: Settings → Notifications → Facebook → Allow Notifications ON
On Android: Settings → Apps → Facebook → Notifications ON
This sounds basic, but token registration can be skipped or deprioritized if permissions are off.

2) Force a fresh token registration by toggling notifications
Turn Facebook notifications OFF, wait 10 seconds, turn them ON again, then open Facebook and leave it open for a minute. This gives the app a clean window to register.

3) Update the app and the OS
Token registration bugs happen. Updating increases the chance the registration logic is current.

4) Disable battery restrictions for Facebook (Android especially)
Set Facebook to Unrestricted or “Don’t optimize.” Background restrictions can prevent token sync. Google explains background limits and why they affect app behavior here: Android background execution limits.

5) Log out and log back in (only once)
This can trigger a fresh device registration event on Facebook’s side. Don’t loop it repeatedly.

6) Last resort: reinstall Facebook, then immediately open it and keep it foregrounded
If you reinstall, do it strategically: after install, open Facebook, keep it active on a stable network, and don’t instantly background it. You want the token sync to complete.

A small personal experience style note, because this one is relatable: I’ve seen people “reinstall to fix it” and accidentally make it worse because they reinstall, open the app for three seconds, then background it, and iOS/Android never completes the registration handshake. When they later try to approve a login, the approval vanishes again. The reinstall wasn’t wrong, the timing was.

Examples: What “Token Refresh Failure” Looks Like in the Wild 🌍

Example 1: The phone upgrade trap
You move to a new iPhone. Facebook works. You can browse. But login approvals never arrive. The old phone had the registered token; the new phone’s token never successfully registered.

Example 2: Android power manager sabotage
On certain Android builds, Facebook is put into a “sleeping apps” list. The token refresh happens, but the background call that registers it gets blocked. Result: no approvals until you open the app, and even then it’s inconsistent.

Example 3: Permission flip-flop
You turned notifications off because you needed quiet, then turned them on later. Everything seems normal, but approvals never arrive again because the token re-register step silently failed.

Anecdote: The “It Only Works When I Open the App” Moment 😅📲

A friend once told me, “Facebook approvals only show up if I open Facebook first, which defeats the point.” That line is basically the signature smell of push delivery failing while in-app fetching still works. We fixed it by removing battery optimization on Android and re-toggling notifications to force token refresh. Next login attempt, the approval popped up instantly. The relief wasn’t just technical, it was emotional, because being locked out makes you feel powerless, and a clean fix gives control back 🫶.

Frequently Asked Questions: 10 Niche Questions, Real Answers ❓🧠

1) Why do I get normal Facebook notifications but not login approvals?
Login approvals can be treated as a different notification category or rely on a fresher device registration state. A stale token can selectively break certain pushes.

2) Can a token go stale without reinstalling?
Yes. Tokens can rotate as part of the push service lifecycle.

3) Does VPN matter here?
Not usually for token math, but some VPNs or DNS filters can block the registration call that updates the token on Facebook servers.

4) Why does it work on Wi-Fi but not mobile data?
Sometimes mobile networks or data saver settings block background network calls needed for token registration.

5) If I have two phones logged in, which one gets the approval?
Usually the one with the most recently registered valid token, though Facebook may use multiple tokens if both are healthy.

6) Can I force Facebook to resend the approval notification?
You can retrigger the login attempt, but if the token is stale, resending won’t help until the token is updated.

7) Does “Clear cache” fix token refresh failure?
Sometimes on Android, but it’s less reliable than addressing permissions and background restrictions.

8) Is this the same as not receiving any push notifications at all?
It can be, but some users notice it first with login approvals because those are time-sensitive and obvious.

9) Will switching authenticator methods help?
Yes as a workaround. Using an authenticator app or backup codes bypasses push entirely, but you still want to fix pushes for future approvals.

10) How do I know the token is the real problem?
If approvals consistently don’t arrive, especially after reinstall/restore/permission changes, and suddenly start working after a clean notification toggle + foreground open, token registration was very likely the culprit.

People Also Ask: “Users Also Asked” 🧠💡

Why does Facebook ask for login approval but never sends it?
Because the approval request exists server-side, but the push delivery path can fail if the device token isn’t registered correctly.

Is this a Facebook outage?
Usually no. If it were, you’d see widespread reports and other pushes would often be impacted. Token issues tend to be device-specific.

Can I approve logins without push notifications?
Often yes, using authenticator codes, SMS, or backup codes depending on your setup, but those methods have their own delivery risks.

Why does opening Facebook suddenly make the approval appear?
Because the app fetches pending security prompts when it becomes active, which can “catch up” when push fails.

Conclusion: The Approval Didn’t Fail, the Address Did 📬🔐

When a “Login approval” notification never arrives, the most common explanation is not that Facebook forgot you, and not that your account is doomed. It’s that the system is trying to deliver a push notification to an old, stale, or invalid destination because the push token refresh didn’t register properly.

Once you treat it like an address problem, the fix becomes calm and methodical: ensure permissions are on, reduce background restrictions, force a clean token refresh by toggling notifications, and give the app a stable moment to re-register.

You’re not locked out because you did something wrong. You’re locked out because the approval knock is going to the wrong door 🚪🙂.