Fix Your Silent Android: 19 Reasons Notifications Fail & How to Solve Them

When Android stops alerting you, you miss calls, OTPs, parcel updates, the works. The good news is most notification issues come down to a handful of settings you can fix in minutes. This guide gives you quick checks first, then deeper steps for Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Pixel, plus examples from real devices. We’ll keep it plain and practical.

Why Android notifications fail

Common culprits

• Do Not Disturb or Silent mutes banners and sounds. Quick toggle it off, or allow exceptions if you rely on OTPs and calls.
• Battery optimization pauses background work, which can delay or drop pushes. Some skins are more aggressive than others.
• Data saver or no background data prevents apps from syncing in the background.
• Notification channels set to Low or Off for the specific event (for example, “Direct messages”). Android treats each channel separately.

OEM quirks

• Samsung One UI can silently “sleep” unused apps, which stops background notifications until you open them again. Fixable in Background usage limits.
• Xiaomi MIUI/HyperOS often requires Autostart plus No restrictions per app to keep real-time alerts.
• OnePlus OxygenOS battery management warns that notifications may be delayed when foreground activity is restricted.
• Pixel phones can be sensitive to Adaptive Battery/Connectivity settings and now offer Notification Cooldown to reduce noise.

Instant checks (2 minutes)

Is Do Not Disturb or Silent on?
Open Quick Settings and toggle off DND. If you need DND, add exceptions for calls, messages, or apps you rely on. On most phones you can schedule DND and set “allowed” contacts or apps.

Data/Wi-Fi connectivity and VPNs
Flaky data or an over-aggressive VPN can stall pushes. Toggle Airplane Mode, switch to Wi-Fi or mobile data, and briefly disable VPN and private DNS to test.

App-level notification switch and channels
Go to Settings → Apps → [Your app] → Notifications and make sure Allow notifications is on. Open the channels list and set important ones to High or Default so they alert on lock screen and with sound. Channels are how Android routes different types of alerts.

Fixes by scenario

You never get alerts until you open the app

• Allow background activity and unrestricted or no-restrictions power for that app.
  • Samsung: Settings → Battery and device care → Battery → Background usage limits. Turn off Put unused apps to sleep and remove the app from the Sleeping or Deep sleeping lists.
  • Xiaomi: Enable Autostart in Security/Permissions → Autostart, and set Battery saver → No restrictions for the app.
  • OnePlus: In Settings → Battery → More settings → App battery management, avoid restrictions on the affected app. OnePlus notes that restricting foreground activity may delay notifications.
  • Pixel: If delays persist, try disabling Adaptive Connectivity as a test and check Adaptive Battery behavior.

Alerts arrive late or inconsistently

• Turn off app level optimization and confirm background data is allowed.
• On Samsung specifically, the “sleeping apps” feature is a common cause of late alerts; disable it or Unrestricted the app.
• On Pixel, some users report improvements after disabling Adaptive Connectivity. Consider this as a diagnostic step rather than a permanent setting.

Lock screen shows nothing

• Check Settings → Notifications → Lock screen to show content.
• On OnePlus, verify Notifications & status bar → Lock screen notification options.

Only some categories (DMs, calls) are silent

• Open Settings → Apps → [App] → Notifications, then open the specific channel (for example, “Calls,” “Mentions”). Set Importance to High, enable Sound/Vibration, and allow Banners/Pop-ups. Channels are independent, which is why one part of an app can be quiet while others work.
• On Samsung One UI 6.1, ensure Manage notification categories for each app is enabled under Settings → Notifications → Advanced settings. A 2024 change turned this off for some upgraders, hiding channel controls.

Website notifications from Chrome are noisy or missing

• If you subscribed accidentally, Chrome on Android now shows an Unsubscribe button right in the notification. One tap silences that site.

Brand-specific steps

Samsung One UI (S23 – S25 and similar)

1. Unsleep your apps
   Settings → Battery and device care → Battery → Background usage limits.

• Disable Put unused apps to sleep if it’s too aggressive.
• Remove critical apps from Sleeping or Deep sleeping lists.

2. Tune categories and importance
   Settings → Notifications → App notifications → pick the app → audit categories and set High/Default where needed. Advanced sorting and filters live under Notifications → Advanced settings.

Xiaomi MIUI/HyperOS (Redmi, POCO)

1. Enable Autostart
   Security app → Permissions → Background autostart → allow for your app.
2. Remove power limits for the app
   Settings → Battery → App Battery Saver → set the app to No restrictions.

OnePlus OxygenOS (v14 – 15)

• App battery management: OnePlus’ manual explains that turning off “Allow foreground activity” can cause apps to “not run properly and app notifications may be delayed.” If you rely on alerts, don’t restrict the affected app.
• DND basics and notification styles are under Settings → Notifications & status bar.

Google Pixel (Android 14 – 15)

• Adaptive Battery is designed to help, but after a reset or update it may need time to relearn. As a test, you can relax optimizations for the problem app.
• Adaptive Connectivity has been linked to delayed pushes by some users; toggling it off can help diagnose.
• Notification History lets you recover missed alerts and fix channels.
• Notification Cooldown reduces sound spam from rapid-fire chats without muting critical alerts. Handy for sanity, even if it’s not a “fix.”

Advanced fixes (use when basic steps fail)

Background data and Data Saver
Settings → Network/Internet → Data Saver or App data usage → allow Background data and, if needed, Unrestricted data usage for priority apps.

Reset app preferences and clear cache
If one app misbehaves, Clear cache first. If multiple apps are affected, Reset app preferences to restore default notification and background settings. (Menus vary slightly by OEM.)

Safe Mode and conflict checks
Boot into Safe Mode to rule out a misbehaving utility, VPN, or battery saver app that intercepts notifications.

System update and app updates
Bugs do happen after big OS updates. Install pending system updates and update the affected apps from Play Store.

Mini case studies

• Samsung: A finance app stopped sending OTPs unless opened. Removing it from Deep sleeping and disabling Put unused apps to sleep fixed it in seconds.
• Xiaomi/HyperOS: WhatsApp only pinged when opened. Turning on Autostart and setting No restrictions restored instant delivery.
• OnePlus: A medication reminder was late by 10–15 minutes. Allowing foreground activity in App battery management removed the delay.
• Pixel: Group chats felt “bursty.” Keeping Notification Cooldown on reduced sound fatigue without missing anything important.

Prevention and better control

Set channel importance wisely
Give High importance to OTPs, calls, and reminders; keep marketing channels on Low. Channels are the backbone of Android’s notification system.

Turn on Notification History
Recover dismissed alerts and tune the right channel after the fact.

Try Pixel Notification Cooldown for overload
It quiets back-to-back alerts while keeping the first one prominent.

Keep Adaptive Battery on, with exceptions
Adaptive Battery helps most users. If one app is critical, exclude or relax optimization for that app rather than turning the feature off system-wide.

FAQ

1. Why are my Android notifications delayed?
   Usually because the phone puts apps to sleep or limits background data. Check battery optimization and data saver, then fix per OEM as listed above.
2. Why do I get alerts only when I open the app?
   Background activity is restricted. Allow Autostart/No restrictions on Xiaomi, remove from sleeping lists on Samsung, and relax App battery management on OnePlus.
3. How do I fix lock-screen notifications not showing?
   Enable lock-screen notification content and correct channel importance. On OnePlus, review Notifications & status bar settings.
4. What are notification channels?
   Separate lanes for different alert types within an app. Adjust per channel for sound, vibration, and importance.
5. How do I unsubscribe from a noisy website notification quickly?
   Chrome on Android offers an Unsubscribe button right in the notification.
6. Is Adaptive Battery bad for notifications?
   By default, no. It can delay non-urgent background work. If a critical app is affected, relax optimization just for that app.

Comparison table: where to fix OEM quirks

Practical checklist

• DND/Silent off, exceptions set for calls/OTP.
• App notifications on; channels for “calls/DM/alerts” set to High.
• Background data allowed for key apps.
• Samsung: disable sleeping or Unrestricted the app.
• Xiaomi: enable Autostart, set No restrictions.
• OnePlus: don’t restrict foreground activity for that app.
• Pixel: check Adaptive Battery/Connectivity; use Notification History.
• If still broken: clear app cache, reset app preferences, update OS/app.

Featured Snippet (Q→A)

Q: How do I fix Android notifications not working?
A: Turn off DND, confirm app notifications and channels are on, allow background data, and remove power limits. On Samsung disable “Put unused apps to sleep,” on Xiaomi enable Autostart and No restrictions, on OnePlus relax App battery management, on Pixel check Adaptive Battery.

Q: Why are notifications delayed on Android?
A: Battery optimization or sleeping-app features pause background sync. Turn off battery saving for this app.

Q: What are notification channels?
A: Separate categories inside an app, each with its own importance and sound. Set the critical ones to High.

Q: How do I see old notifications I dismissed?
A: Turn on Notification History inside Settings → Notifications.

Source: Samsung | OnePlus Support | Xiaomi | Google Help |