A recent thread on Reddit has brought to light a major issue with the Gmail app for Android. Apparently, Gmail, which is an integral part of the Android OS, “intentionally” delays pushing out a notification. The Reddit thread, which was started by a user named phetherweyt a couple of days ago, has garnered support from several other Redditors confirming the existence of the issue.
The group of Redditors has extensively researched the problem with delayed Gmail notifications. They find out that Gmail pushes out a notification as soon as the device is unlocked, suggesting it to be an issue with some battery-saving algorithm. Also, the phone app pushes the notification once the email has been read in Gmail for desktop. Google has been contacted for an official response.
Doze could be the culprit
While the Redditors couldn’t quite zero in on the exact cause of the problem, some of the reports suggest that the initiator of this problem may be “Doze”, which is a power-saving feature in Android OS. Doze can slow down or disable some features to prevent excessive battery consumption.
Disabling Doze makes Gmail push out notifications instantly for some users. However, some others are quick to point out that that shouldn’t be required in the first place. Turning off Doze itself isn’t a true solution either, as it only lasts until the phone restarts. Further, it requires using ADB commands, so it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
However, if you have problems with delayed Gmail notifications and would want to see if disabling Doze helps, an older thread on XDA Developers (via Android Authority) gives instructions on how to do it. But before that, here are a few other things you can try.
Firstly, make sure that you have notifications turned on for every single email you receive. You can do that by going into the Gmail app settings. Now tap on your account and set notifications to “all”. Also, under Inbox notifications make sure “Notify for every message” is checked. Further, tap on the Manage labels menu and check each label to make sure all of your important labels are syncing.
You are also advised to make sure that your phone has not put Gmail to sleep. Go to the phone’s settings, Device care, Battery and then Settings in the overflow menu. Tap on the Sleeping apps menu to see if Gmail has been put to sleep. If it has, un-sleep it by tapping the trash icon.
If you still continue to receive delayed Gmail notifications, wait for Google to roll out a permanent fix.