Android notifications not showing? 8 fixes for Samsung and Pixel

You open the app and there are five new messages. Nothing buzzed, nothing lit up the screen, and nothing sat on the lock screen. Or the alerts show up an hour late. It feels like the phone is broken, but it almost never is.

Android has several layers that can hide an alert: the app's own switch, the lock screen setting, Do Not Disturb, and the battery system that puts apps to sleep. Samsung and Pixel phones name these a little differently. The steps below go from the quickest check to the one that fixes most delayed alerts.

Why are Android notifications not showing?

• The app is blocked. Notifications are off for that app, or for one category inside it.
• The lock screen hides them. The setting is on Don't show notifications, or silent ones are hidden.
• Do Not Disturb is on. It can run on a schedule you forgot about.
• Battery limits. The phone puts the app to sleep, so alerts arrive late or only when you open it.
• The app is signed out or out of date. No login, no alerts.
• A software bug. Often after an update, and a restart or update clears it.

Fix 1: Turn notifications on for the app

Start here. On Android 13 and newer, apps have to ask for permission to send notifications. If you tapped Don't allow once, the app stays quiet until you change it.

You can also touch and hold an alert when it arrives and tap the settings icon. Android takes you straight to that app's controls.

Fix 2: Check the lock screen setting

If alerts reach the notification shade but not the lock screen, this is the one. Google lists the lock screen choices as don't show any notifications, show all notifications, hide silent notifications, and hide sensitive content. A setting on the first one explains a lot of missing alerts.

• Pixel: Settings › Notifications › Notifications on lock screen. Pick the option that shows conversations, default and silent notifications.
• Samsung: Settings › Notifications › Lock screen notifications. Turn it on, then choose whether to show content or hide it.
• Samsung, one more place: Settings › Lock screen, because some One UI versions tuck the option there.

Hiding sensitive content is a privacy feature. When it is on, you see a line like Sensitive content hidden, which is not the same as no alert. Unlock the phone to read the message.

Fix 3: Turn off Do Not Disturb

Swipe down from the top of the screen and look at the Quick Settings tiles. If Do Not Disturb is lit, tap it to turn it off. Then open its settings and check for schedules. A bedtime or work schedule that runs every day can silence alerts at times you do not expect.

• Look for a Sleep, Driving or Work mode as well. Samsung calls these Modes and Routines, and they can switch on Do Not Disturb by themselves.
• If you want quiet hours but still want some apps, add them to the exceptions list instead of turning everything off.
• Check that your phone is not set to Priority only or Alarms only.

Fix 4: Stop the battery system from putting the app to sleep

This is the fix for alerts that come late, or only when you open the app. To save power, Android limits what apps can do in the background. An app that is asleep cannot check for new messages, so the alert waits until you wake it. Samsung is known for being strict here.

On a Pixel: open Settings › Apps, tap the app, then App battery usage. Choose Unrestricted if you need instant alerts. Optimized is the default and works for most apps, but a few messaging apps are held back by it.

On a Samsung phone: open Settings › Battery, then Background usage limits. Look at Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps and remove the app from both lists. Then add it to Never auto sleeping apps. Also turn off Put unused apps to sleep if you rely on apps you open rarely. The menu names change a little between One UI versions, so search Settings for sleeping apps if you do not see them.

Fix 5: Check Wi-Fi, mobile data and Data Saver

Alerts are delivered over the internet. If the phone has no connection, nothing arrives. Turn Wi-Fi off and on, and check that mobile data is on. Then look for data limits that can block background activity.

• Turn off Data Saver, or add the app to the list of apps that can use unrestricted data. On Android it is under Settings › Network & internet › Data Saver, and on Samsung under Settings › Connections › Data usage › Data saver.
• On the app's own data screen, make sure Background data is allowed.
• If you use a VPN, switch it off for a minute and test again.

Fix 6: Check the app itself

If one app is silent and the others are fine, look inside the app. Open its settings and find Notifications or Alerts. Many apps have their own switch, and some turn alerts off when you sign out, change a password or use the app on a second device.

WhatsApp has its own long list of causes. If that is the app that is quiet, see WhatsApp notifications that do not work.

Fix 7: Restart and update the phone

Hold the power button and tap Restart. This clears a stuck notification service, which is a common reason for alerts to stop after an update. Then look for software updates. On a Pixel, open Settings › System › System update. On a Samsung phone, open Settings › Software update › Download and install.

If the trouble began right after an update, installing the next one is often the fix. Our guide to updating your Android phone shows the steps for each brand.

Fix 8: Reset app preferences

If you have tried everything and many apps are affected, reset app preferences. This puts the app settings back to their defaults. It does not delete your apps, photos or accounts.

Is it a setting or a fault? How to tell

• Quiet for one app only: app notification settings, then battery limits.
• Quiet for everything: Do Not Disturb, the lock screen setting, then a restart.
• Show up late, in bursts: battery limits, Data Saver or a weak connection.
• Show in the shade but not on the lock screen: the lock screen setting.
• Show with no sound: the app's category is set to Silent, or the phone is in a silent mode.
• Still nothing after a reset: test in safe mode, then consider a factory reset.

Test in safe mode

Another app, such as a battery saver, a cleaner or a screen filter, can block alerts. Safe mode turns off the apps you installed. If alerts come back there, one of those apps is the cause. Our guide to Android safe mode shows how to start it. Then remove the apps you added most recently, one at a time.

How to keep alerts working

• Allow notifications when an app asks the first time.
• Set only the apps that must be instant to Unrestricted battery use.
• Review your Do Not Disturb schedules now and then.
• Avoid task killers and cleaner apps. They stop apps from running and delay alerts.
• Keep the phone and your apps updated.
• If the battery runs out fast after these changes, see fast battery drain on Android.