In this post we will go over some information we’ve researched that pertains to how Push Notifications work on Android devices. If you are having difficulty getting app notifications to work reliably on Android-powered devices, this information may be helpful to you.
For each user to improve his experience with the app and push notifications there are a few items to discuss:
- Update your app to v2.0.67 or greater.
- Allow the app to override and exclude the app from battery management.
- Rather than close the app, leave the app open (in memory but does not have to be in foreground).
- Enable Push Notifications for cameras that you consider critical and turn them off for cameras you do not consider critical.
- The server will send notifications in High Priority.
- Google reserves the right to downgrade notifications per device to “Normal” priority.
- Ridgetec recommends that you open the app upon the receipt of a push notification if you want them to remain in High priority as Google monitors user activity on High priority notifications and stipulates the use of high priority for an event strong enough to warrant opening the app.
- Not responding to notifications may ultimately result in Google servers downgrading them to “Normal” priority.
App Notification Settings:
The Ridgetec Mobile Freedom app has more robust Notification settings as of version 2.0.67. You are now able to select from a variety of sounds to use for notifications, or to use the default system sound you use for your other app notifications. NOTE: Your phone’s audio must be enabled for sounds to play upon receiving app notifications.
Android and Doze mode:
Doze mode for apps is how Android manages CPU and Memory to make your device more responsive for apps open in the foreground. Phone manufacturers want their customers to have a “pleasant experience” while using their technology and this typically means shutting down apps that are not in the foreground (being used by you at this moment). When an app is moved to Doze mode, it is disconnected from the network and other resources and gets no CPU activity. This means it can’t access any internet resources and push notifications do not make it through. Periodically Android will wake up apps in Doze mode and reconnect them to the internet and allow them to do their “thing” in short time slices. This means most all apps will get shutdown except for those deemed “special” by the manufacturer for example Text Messaging or maybe Facebook. The rest are managed by Android.
Power Management Exclusion:
Excluding an app from power management theoretically makes it less vulnerable to Doze mode. The latest build of the Ridgetec Mobile Freedom requests permission to exclude itself from Power Management in hopes this may keep the app up and running and out of Doze mode.
Manufacturers may modify Android by their own staff to create the best experience for its owners. This may have an adverse effect on any apps installed.
50 Notification limit:
Most Android apps have a 50 notification limit imposed by Android. If notifications are coming in, once 50 unviewed notifications accumulate in the notification tray, no new sounds or notifications will appear in the notification tray. For a better experience swipe away and open the app sooner than every 50 notifications.
Ridgetec Recommendations:
For best overall results, Ridgetec recommends the following:
- Turn off background synchronization (under Settings) allowing the app to sync once you open it (rather than per each notification) as this will reduce the power consumption and cpu and memory requirements while the app is not in the foreground. This may help keep the app out of Doze mode.
- Disable push notifications except for critical cameras under camera settings.
- Each time a notification comes in, open the app immediately and tell Android and Big Brother that you appreciate the high priority notifications sent by the Ridgetec servers and need them desperately.
- Do not close the app but leave it in memory and as counter intuitive as this sounds it may actually improve performance and help improve app notifications. This may tell Android that you like and use this app frequently and that it is important, rather than relegating it to the list of apps you care little for because you keep it closed all the time.
One additional way to try and keep notifications coming in is to keep your device plugged in to the charger. There are always myths thrown around about this damaging your device, and that may have been true 10 or 15 years ago, but these days devices have more sophisticated power management that keeps this from happening (My 4-year-old Galaxy sits on its charger all night while a sleep tracking app runs in the foreground, and its battery consumption throughout the day still hasn’t diminished. -Steve).
We have done our best to condense our study and experience on these issues and feel this is close to the reality of the situation. However, to make matters worse, this story may be different per versions of Android and may change with each device model, release/update and be implementation specific based on device manufacturer. AAAAAAAHHHHH!
Ridgetec has made every possible effort to make push notifications a useful piece of the technology puzzle but as you can see there are many variables and puzzle pieces and that the only constant is change itself.
Thanks,
Ridgetec Team