Android notification issues? Try these simple 11 fixes

If your smartphone fails to receive various notifications, be preared for confusion and frustration. You may miss important messages, meeting details in an email, potluck invitations, the latest news, and calendar events when real-time alerts don’t work on your Android phone or tablet. Manually opening every app to check messages is time-consuming and inconvenient.

There are several reasons behind notifications not working issue on Android. You can’t pinpoint the problem to a specific factor. Let’s start with the basics and move to advanced tricks to begin receiving instant notifications.

1. Disable Do Not Disturb (DND)

If you enabled Do Not Disturb (DND) on your Android phone, the system blocks all notifications and calls to deliver a distraction-free environment. Sometimes, you may forget to disable DND after a meeting and stop getting notifications. Let’s disable DND.

Swipe down from the top and turn off Do Not Disturb mode from the quick toggles menu. If you want to exclude specific apps from an active DND mode, follow the steps below.

1. Open Settings on your Android phone.
2. Select Notifications.
3. Tap Do Not Disturb under the General menu.

4. Select Apps.
5. Tap Add apps and select relevant apps.

From now on, you will continue to receive notifications from essential apps even in active DND mode.

2. Check app notification settings

Do you face notification issues from a specific app only? Check the notification settings for troubling apps.

1. Head to Settings on Android.
2. Scroll to Notifications.
3. Select App settings.

4. Check the list of installed apps and enable notification permission for them.

3. Check notification channels

Most apps support notification channels on Android. If you disabled notification channels for installed apps, you won’t get alerts. Let’s take Slack as an example. You can tweak notification permission for different organizations in Slack and tweak them to your preferences.

1. Long tap the troubling app and open the info menu.
2. Select Notifications.

3. Check notification channels and enable permission.

4. Check app settings

Did you mute selected chat threads and groups in WhatsApp or Telegram? You won’t get notifications unless you unmute such conversations. We will take WhatsApp as an example here.

1. Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.
2. Look for the mute icon beside a chat thread.

3. Long tap on such conversations and select the unmute (speaker) icon at the top.

4. Repeat the same for all such conversations and start getting real-time notifications.

5. Notification settings on the lock screen

If notifications don’t appear on your Android phone’s lock screen, follow the steps below to make changes.

1. Open the Notifications menu in Android settings (refer to the steps above).
2. Select Notifications on the lock screen.
3. Tap the radio button beside Show conversations, default, and silent.

You’ll now receive notifications on your Android phone’s lock screen.

6. Disable Battery Saver mode

An active Battery Saver mode on your Android phone delays notifications, disables location services, and turns off background activities. Your phone doesn’t listen to the ‘Ok Google’ command either. You should either put your phone on charge or disable the Battery Saver mode.

1. Launch Settings on Android and scroll to Battery.
2. Select Battery Saver.

3. Disable the Battery Saver toggle from the following menu.

7. Disable adaptive battery

Adaptive Battery mode reduces performance and background activity to extend your Android phone’s battery life. It may interfere with app notifications too. The option is enabled by default on most Android phones. Follow the steps below to disable it.

1. Open the Battery menu in Android settings.
2. Select Adaptive preferences.
3. Disable the Adaptive Battery toggle.

8. Lock essential apps in the background

Android OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) like Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and Vivo implement an aggressive battery-saving mode to kill inactive apps in the background. You can lock essential apps in the multitasking menu to continue receiving notifications without any issues.

1. Swipe up and hold from the bottom to open the recent apps menu.
2. Long tap an app icon and select Lock this app.

The system makes an exception for locked apps and won’t completely kill them from running in the background.

9. Check background data settings for affected apps

If you disabled background data permission for an app, notifications won’t work until you open the app.

1. Long tap an affected app icon and tap i to open the app info menu.
2. Select Mobile data & Wi-Fi.
3. Enable the Background data toggle.

10. Update apps

Android developers frequently release app updates to add new features and fix bugs. Notifications may not work on your Android phone due to an outdated app build. Head to the Google Play Store and install pending app updates.

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
2. Select your account picture in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Manage apps & devices.
4. Tap Update all.

11. Update Android OS

Most flagship Android phones get regular updates and monthly patches to ensure a secure and smooth user experience. Some apps may develop incompatibilities with outdated Android software and fail at basics like real-time notifications.

1. Open System in Android Settings.
2. Select System update.

3. Download and install the latest Android build on your phone.

Get instant messages on Android

If you accidentally dismiss an important notification, head to Settings and check the notification history. You also have the option to snooze notifications to receive them at a convenient time.