Habit reminders not working on Android? Seven fixes

A habit reminder that does not fire is worse than no reminder: you trust it, you do not do the thing, and then you blame yourself. In my experience as a developer of a habit tracker, "my reminders do not work" is the most common complaint on Android, and the cause is rarely the app being broken. It is usually the operating system doing exactly what it was designed to do to save battery. This guide lists the causes in order of how often they bite, with the settings to check. Menu names differ between phone makers, so I describe what to look for rather than exact paths.

1. Notifications are switched off for the app

The simplest cause. Open Settings, find the app, and check that notifications are allowed and that the specific notification channel for reminders is not silenced. Recent Android versions ask for notification permission when you first open an app, and if you tapped "Don't allow" once, reminders will never appear. Also check that the notification is not set to a silent or minimised category.

2. Exact alarms are not allowed

A reminder at 07:30 needs a precisely timed alarm. Android's developer documentation says that apps targeting Android 12 or higher must obtain the "Alarms & reminders" special app access to schedule exact alarms, and that this access can be revoked by the user and system. On Android 14, according to the same documentation, the permission is not pre-granted for fresh installs of apps targeting Android 13 or higher, and if you move app data to a new phone through backup and restore, the permission will be denied on the new device. So a new phone, or a reinstall, can quietly turn exact reminders into inexact ones.

What to do: in system settings, look for "Alarms & reminders" under special app access and allow it for your habit app. When the permission is revoked, the documentation says all future exact alarms for the app are cancelled, which is why a revoked permission looks like reminders suddenly stopping. Daymark has a built-in reminder check that shows whether exact alarms are allowed and whether battery optimisation is in the way.

3. Doze mode is delaying alarms

Since Android 6, devices use Doze mode to save battery when idle. The Android documentation states that alarms do not fire while the device is in Doze; they are deferred until the device exits it. Apps that need reminders on time use alarms designed to work while idle, and exact alarms with the permission above. If a reminder arrives late when the phone has been untouched on a table, Doze is the likely reason. The fix is mostly on the app's side, but it also interacts with battery optimisation (next).

4. Battery optimisation or "app sleeping"

Many phone makers add their own battery managers on top of Android. They can put apps to sleep, block background activity or kill apps after a period of inactivity. The result is reminders that work for a few days and then stop. Look in battery settings for options such as "Unrestricted", "Don't optimise" or "Allow background activity" and set your habit app to the least restrictive option. Also look for any "Sleeping apps" or "Deep sleeping apps" list and remove the app. This is the single most common cause on some brands, and the labels vary widely.

5. Do Not Disturb and focus modes

Do Not Disturb, bedtime mode, work profiles and focus modes can all hide notifications. If reminders fail at certain times of day, compare those times with your schedules. Add the habit app as an exception, or move the reminder outside the quiet period. For habits tied to bedtime or morning routines, this is easily the cause.

6. The app was force-stopped or updated

If you force-stop an app, Android cancels its scheduled alarms until you open it again. Some cleaner apps and "memory boosters" do the same. After an app update or a phone restart, the app has to reschedule its reminders; a well-built app does this automatically, but if you notice reminders vanishing after updates, open the app once and check that they are still listed. Avoid cleaner apps entirely, since they cause more reminder problems than they solve.

7. Time, time zone and battery saver edge cases

Check that automatic date, time and time zone are on, since a wrong time zone shifts reminders. Battery saver mode can restrict background work and delay alerts. If you travel, a reminder set for 07:30 may arrive at a different local time depending on how the app handles time zones. If you travel often, test after crossing zones.

How to test a reminder properly

1. Set a reminder for three minutes from now.
2. Lock the phone, put it face down and leave it alone.
3. Check whether it arrives on time, with sound or vibration as set.
4. Repeat with the phone unplugged and the screen off for at least half an hour, since the first test often passes because the phone is still awake.
5. Repeat the next morning at the actual reminder time.

If it works in the three-minute test but not overnight, suspect Doze and battery optimisation. If it never works, suspect notification or exact-alarm permissions.

Make reminders more robust by design

• Anchor to a routine in addition to a reminder, so you are not entirely dependent on the phone. See how to build a habit.
• Use fewer reminders. One reliable reminder at the right time beats five that you learn to ignore.
• Check the grid for suspicious gaps. Several empty days in a row right after a phone change or update often means the reminder stopped, not that you lost motivation. The heat-grid guide explains what to look for.
• Keep a backup. A phone change is when reminders break and data gets lost. Daymark's free JSON backup lets you move your history, but remember that permissions such as exact alarms may need re-granting on the new phone.

Why this is hard for developers too

Android treats exact alarms as a cost: the documentation notes that when the system triggers exact alarms, the device consumes a great deal of resources such as battery life, especially in power-saving mode, and recommends inexact alarms whenever possible. It also says exact alarms are appropriate where core functionality depends on precise timing, such as alarm clocks and calendar apps. A reminder app sits close to that boundary. It is a good reason for developers to be transparent about what they ask for, and for users to know where the switches are.

If you are still stuck, the fastest route is the app developer: tell them your phone make and model and Android version. The same app can behave differently across manufacturers. Daymark and this website are not medical services; for medication reminders, ask your pharmacist or doctor about a backup method.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my habit reminders not working on Android?

The most common causes are notifications turned off, exact-alarm permission ("Alarms & reminders") not granted, Doze mode delaying alarms, aggressive battery optimisation, and Do Not Disturb. Check them in that order.

What is the exact alarms permission?

On Android 12 and higher, apps need the special "Alarms & reminders" access to schedule precisely timed alarms, according to Android developer documentation. Users can revoke it, which cancels the app's exact alarms.

Do I need to turn off battery optimisation for a habit app?

Often yes on phones with aggressive battery managers: set the app to unrestricted or "don't optimise" and remove it from any sleeping apps list.

Will reminders survive a phone restart?

A well-built app reschedules reminders after a restart or update. If yours disappear, open the app once after the restart and check that reminders are still set.