… or are notifications just really bad on Android?
For background, we’ve got an old, sick, dog and my wife often needs to get help from me urgently. I’m still running an old Pixel 4a - it worked really well for me until Google crippled the battery and even now it works well enough that I’m not tempted to upgrade.
My notifications always seem to be delayed - in batches. I have 3 buildings on my property and each has a Nest doorbell. Some days I can be walking around and I’ll constantly hear ding, ding, ding as I walk past each doorbell. Other days I can walk around and hear nothing, and then I’ll get 5-10 notifications all at once.
Today was a perfect example of why this is so frustrating - I’m sitting at my desk with my phone in front of me. It’s plugged in an charging. My phone starts ringing and it’s my wife upset that I have not responded to her messages. I go help her with the dog and come back to my phone and sure enough, 8 minutes ago there’s a notification from Google Chat, 6 minutes ago there’s a notification from Google Messages and 4 minutes ago there’s the phone call. The Google Chat and Google Messages notifications never came through - until the phone call came in!
I’ve been through and made sure that all the battery optimisations are turned off for all the apps that I want instant notifications from - but that shouldn’t have any impact here - my phone was plugged in.
Is this normal Android? (kinda rhetorical question - I’ve been running Android since my Nexus 4 and don’t think this is normal but it feels like it’s somehow the “new” normal)
I’m not running the stock Pixel launcher - does the launcher get involved in notification delivery at all?
All the best for your furry friend.
One batch of the 4A’s batteries have become a fire hazard. That’s why Google (near)bricked the phones to prevent that.
These delayed notifications sound like some background processes get killed. I hazard to guess that’s why you get all at once once you wake up the phone. So look for items like background and battery optimization in the settings and see if you can re-enable some of these.
It’s been a minute with the 4A. I think it’s great that you keep extending the life of the phone and thus reduce e-waste. But I think it might be time to look for another phone.
I’m aware of the battery issue. Mine is one of the near bricked ones. I’m down to about 50% before I finish breakfast and coffee most days! I’m home most of the time so it’s not a big deal - I can charge often. If I leave home it’s in a car so I can charge while travelling etc. Because of where I live a replacement battery wasn’t an option. I’ve been wanting to do it myself but the kits are out of stock ever since the announcement.
Someone else noted that their Pixel 3a is still going strong and this prompted me to recheck everything. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m not just holding on to it to keep it out of landfill - although that is certainly a consideration. I really like it - the size is right etc. My wife has a Pixel 6 Pro and it’s huge. There are no new options close to this size. I am keeping an eye out for a local used Pixel 7a and will do that if I find one at a reasonable price.