Notifications and the lock-screen alarm

Why is there always a notification?

Android only lets an app watch the battery in the background if it runs a foreground service, and a foreground service must show a notification. This is what keeps your alarms working while the app is closed. You can hide it by turning off the Background Service Notifications category in the app's notification settings, but don't block all of the app's notifications.

Settings › Notification Bar lets you choose what the notification shows, for example the charge time after you unplug.

I don't get any alarm notification

• Android 13 and newer: open App info › Notifications and allow them.
• Make sure the Alarm Notification, Battery Notifications and Low Battery Notifications categories aren't turned off or set to silent.
• Do Not Disturb can silence alarms; add the app to the allowed apps, or turn on Ring in Silent Mode in Settings › Sound.
• Check that the app isn't being closed in the background: alarm doesn't ring.

The alarm doesn't open over the lock screen

On Android 14 and newer, apps need the full-screen notifications permission to show an alarm screen over the lock screen. Open App info and allow Full-screen notifications (sometimes under Special app access). Without it the alarm still rings but only appears as a heads-up notification.

Xiaomi phones also need Show on lock screen in App info › Other permissions.

Notifications on my watch

See Wear OS watch app.