6 Best Ways to Fix Android 11 Notifications Not Working

Phone notifications are both a blessing and a disaster. Excessive notifications cause distractions and at the same time, zero notifications means you may miss important alerts. However, with the Android 11 update, very few users were unable to get their app notifications working and as a result, users missed vital alerts.

With Android 11, Google revamped the notification module and now there are a few customization options, including nifty chat bubbles.

However, all these features are thrown aside if you do not receive the essential notifications. In case you are in the same boat, here are some checks you can do to get your notifications working again on your Android 11 smartphone.

1. Clear App Cache

The app’s cache can often mess up its functioning, and it’s not just limited to notifications. If you haven’t cleared the cache yet, it’s time to hit the button.

To do this, tap and hold the app to access its settings. Samsung users can tap the little ‘i’ icon in the corner. Once inside, scroll down until you see Storage.

Next, select the Clear Cache button.

If one of the culprits was the app cache, chances are it would fix the problem.

As we mentioned earlier, an outdated cache can cause the app to slow down or not load data as expected.

2. Update App

So, your phone might have updated its software version but still running an old version of the app. In most cases, the app update happens in the background and you don’t need to check manually.

As you know, updating the app is pretty easy. Go to Play Store and search for the app.

If your phone is running an older version, you will see the Update button and you know what to do next.

3. Check Notification Settings

Over the years, the notification module has seen many changes. And now, some apps like WhatsApp and Instagram let you toggle notifications. For example, you can disable notifications for direct messages, comments, friend requests, or group messages, among others.

To see which categories are disabled, go to app settings Notifications.

Now all you have to do is scroll down and see which category is disabled.

4. Disable Battery Optimization

Some Android operating systems, such as Oxygen OS and Samsung’s One UI, are known for their aggressive battery optimizations. Some applications (including smart watch modules) are prevented from being active for a long time in order to get maximum efficiency from the phone’s battery. And when that happens, the inevitable happens: no notification.

While different brands of phones have a different layout of the Settings module, you will most likely find battery optimization options under Battery.

On Samsung phones, tap and hold the app to access Settings. Choose Battery > Optimize battery usage and disable the switch.

Alternatively, you can go to your phone’s battery settings if you cannot find it from the shortcut mentioned above.

5. Does the App Fit?

For any app to receive notifications, it must be active and running. Again, infrequently used apps can be put to sleep if your phone has aggressive battery optimization. While a few operating systems will notify you before putting apps to sleep, that’s the case everywhere.

Waking up an app is as simple as tapping the icon to launch it, but it may not be an every day practical approach. Go to your phone’s Battery settings to see dormant apps.

Again, go to Battery and Device Care > Battery > Background usage limits to see Sleeping apps in Samsung One UI. Once inside, place the app under the Never Sleeping apps header.

In stock Android there is no option to see if an app goes to sleep. If you are in the mood to explore, you can go to Developers options to change App waiting status.

For now, Android lets you play with three different sets: Frequent, Active, Running, and Rare. If you want an app to be given priority, you must set it to Enabled.

To do this, go to Settings > Developer options and search for pending apps.

Search for the app you want to prioritize and set it to Enabled.

6. Check Notification Priority

With Android 11, you can prioritize notifications. For now you can play as Priority, Default and Silent. Now all you have to do is check the notification priority of the app you are having trouble with.

To do this, swipe the notification a little to the left to access the notification settings. Simply switch from Silent to Priority (or Default).

Note that One UI does not yet have the option to prioritize notifications.

Fix These Notifications

If any of the above tricks fail to fix notification issues, reset your phone. We know that returning the phone to its normal state is difficult, but sometimes a reset fixes the problem. But then again, this is the final step.

Before doing this, do a simple reboot to see if it fixes the issues.

Also, check your phone’s Do Not Disturb programs. And truth be told, it never hurts to drill down into app notification settings from time to time.