If you woke up today (May 1st, 2026) in Mainland China and noticed your phone has been unusually quiet, you aren't alone. Since approximately 9:30 AM, a massive wave of users across the country reported that iOS notifications for overseas apps—specifically Telegram and X (formerly Twitter)—have stopped working.
The strange part? Your VPN is on, your messages load fine once you open the app, but your lock screen remains empty. Here is a breakdown of what is happening and how to fix it.
The Symptom: Selective Silence
Unlike a total internet outage, this issue is surgical.
Domestic Apps (WeChat, Ele.me, etc.) are pushing notifications perfectly.
Overseas Apps (Telegram, X, etc.) are not sending any notifications.
App Connectivity is fine; the apps work perfectly once opened.
This suggests that the Apple Push Notification service (APNs)—the dedicated "pipe" Apple uses to send alerts to your phone—is being filtered or interfered with at the domestic gateway when it tries to deliver data for specific "foreign" apps.
The Technical Reason
Apple’s notification system (APNs) usually bypasses your app's proxy settings. Even if your Telegram app is using a proxy, the system-level notification often tries to connect "Directly" to Apple’s servers to save battery and reduce latency.
Evidence suggests that Chinese network providers (or the GFW) are now identifying and dropping notification packets for specific apps when they originate from a domestic IP address. In short: If Apple’s push traffic goes "Direct," the notification gets blocked.
How to Fix It: Route Apple Push through Proxy
The most effective solution discovered so far is to force your device to handle Apple’s push notification traffic through your overseas proxy/VPN.
1. Update Your Proxy Rules (Clash, Surge, Shadowrocket)
If you use a rule-based proxy client, you need to change the behavior for Apple’s push domain. Usually, these are set to DIRECT. You must change them to PROXY.
Add this rule to the top of your list:
Domain Keyword:
push.apple.comAction:
Proxy(or your preferred overseas node)
Recommended Rule Set:
Many users are finding success using the specialized "Apple All" rules from the Blackmatrix7 repository. You can add this URL to your external rule providers:https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blackmatrix7/ios_rule_script/master/rule/Surge/Apple/Apple_All_No_Resolve.list
2. The "Toggle" Reset
After updating your proxy rules, some users find their notifications are still "stuck." Try this reset sequence:
Force close Telegram/X.
Go to iOS Settings > Notifications.
Find the affected App and toggle "Allow Notifications" OFF.
Open the App and stay inside it for 10 seconds.
Go back to Settings and toggle "Allow Notifications" back ON.
3. Alternative Clients
If the official Telegram app remains silent, some users report that third-party clients like Swiftgram or Nicegram are still pushing notifications successfully under certain configurations.
Does the Device Model or Apple ID Matter?
Initial reports are mixed, but here is what we know:
Regional Variance: Users in Zhejiang and Guangdong reported the issues first, suggesting a phased rollout.
Apple ID: While switching to a US or HK Apple ID helps with app availability, the push issue is tied to the IP address of your current connection.
Hardware: Both "National Version" (CH/A) and imported iPhones (HK/US) are experiencing this, as it is a network-level block, not a hardware restriction.