When notifications stop showing up on Android, it can feel random: nothing appears, then a bunch arrive late, or they only show when you open Safari. The steps below focus on the most common Android-level causes and the Safari-specific checks that matter.
Work from top to bottom—most people find the issue in the first few steps.
1. Confirm notifications are allowed for Safari (app-level toggle)
First, make sure Android is actually allowed to show notifications from Safari at all.
- Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Notifications.
- Turn on Allow notifications.
- If you see Notification categories (channels), enable the ones you care about (more on this in step 6).
If this toggle is off, no other fix will matter.
2. Check Do Not Disturb and Focus settings (they can silently block)
Do Not Disturb can allow calls/alarms but block app notifications, making it look like Safari is the problem.
- Open Settings → Sound & vibration (or Notifications) → Do Not Disturb.
- Turn it Off, or check Apps / Exceptions to allow Safari.
- Also check any Bedtime mode / Sleep mode schedules that run automatically.
Quick test: turn DND off for 5 minutes and trigger a notification again.
3. Disable battery optimization for Safari (late or missing notifications)
On many Android phones, aggressive battery rules delay or suppress notifications when an app isn’t opened often.
- Go to Settings → Battery → Background usage limits (wording varies).
- Find Safari and set it to Unrestricted (or disable optimization).
- If you see Put unused apps to sleep, ensure Safari isn’t being put to sleep.
If notifications arrive only when you open Safari, this step is especially likely to help.
4. Make sure background data is allowed (mobile data + Wi‑Fi)
If background data is blocked, Safari may not receive or refresh notification triggers until you manually open it.
- Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Mobile data & Wi‑Fi.
- Enable Background data.
- If available, enable Unrestricted data usage (helps when Data Saver is on).
Also check Settings → Network & internet → Data Saver and test with it turned off.
5. Ensure Safari isn’t paused or restricted (Android can “freeze” apps)
Android can automatically pause rarely used apps, revoking permissions and stopping background activity.
- Go to Settings → Apps → Safari.
- Look for Pause app activity if unused (or similar) and turn it Off.
- Check that Safari isn’t set to Restricted under battery/background controls.
This is common if Safari was installed but not opened much.
6. Verify notification channels (one category may be disabled)
On Android, notifications can be split into channels like “Promotions,” “Downloads,” or “General.” If the specific channel is off, you’ll get some alerts but not others.
- Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Notifications.
- Open Notification categories / Channels.
- Enable the channel that matches what you’re missing, and set its importance to Default or High.
- Turn on Pop on screen (if you want banners) and confirm Sound isn’t muted for that channel.
If you previously swiped away a notification and tapped “Turn off,” it often disables only that channel.
7. Refresh Safari’s app state (cache, update, and reboot)
If settings look correct but behavior is still inconsistent, refresh the app and system state.
- Restart your phone (simple, but it clears a lot of stuck background states).
- Go to Play Store and update Safari (and also update Android System WebView / Chrome if available).
- Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Storage → tap Clear cache.
Avoid “Clear data” unless you’re okay signing back in and resetting Safari settings.
Final thoughts
Most missing-notification problems on Android come down to battery optimization, background data limits, or a disabled notification channel. If you do steps 1, 3, and 6 carefully, you usually find the culprit.
If it still fails, note what type of notification is missing (banner vs. sound vs. lock screen) and check only that layer—Android treats each of those separately.