Pixel users have been experiencing an issue with delayed or missing notifications ever since they installed the April 2025 update earlier this month. The previous month’s update, the Pixel March Feature Drop, led to another strange issue as Pixel users found that their alarms were turning off on their own after downloading the update. Sure, affected Pixel users got a few extra hours of sleep but they ended up arriving late for work, appointments, and school.
The March Feature Drop also led some Pixel Watch units to experience notification delays in the tech version of the literary device known as foreshadowing. This is when part of a story contains a clue or hint of what is about to take place later in the book. Pixel Watch users suffered from notification delays in March after installing an update and Pixel phone users had the same problem after installing a software update in April.
Some Pixel users have turned to their favorite social media venting hangout known to most of us as Reddit to let out their frustrations and feelings. For example, one Pixel user was able to condense his issue into two sentences that read, “Since the April update my task notifications are not working at all, and I have been getting major delayed notifications or none at all. Anyone else having this problem?” Most of the responses were affirmative.
The notification delays appear to take place with the phone locked. As one Pixel user notes, “As soon as I wake the phone notifications start flooding in. This will probably be my first and last pixel. I rely on notifications and they are simply not reliable for me.” You would hope that some of the suits at Alphabet, Google’s parent, would catch that last bit and send out a software update pronto. Even WhatsApp calls sent via VoIP are missed due to the issue.
“I am having severe issues with background apps when my screen is locked recently. The biggest issue is my whatsapp but I have noticed it also affects other apps including my outlook email app. The gist of it is that when the screen is locked, I do not receive notifications like messages, emails or most importantly whatsapp calls. But the moment i unlock the phone they all come flooding.
I have restarted, enabled unrestricted background usage, uninstalled and reinstalled and the problem persists.
I believe the problem begun after a recent android update and do not know how to fix it.
The messages, emails and app notifications are frankly not too important but not being able to receive calls (have them ring out) when screen is locked has had the most impact.
The normal phone functions work when the screen is locked (ie calls and messages over my carrier). The phone also receives calls if my screen is unlocked when the call comes in (??). I would appreciate help to resolve this issue.
-Pixel user @Emotional-Buy1932 on Reddit
Troubleshooting the Pixel’s battery optimization feature isn’t helping correct the delayed notification issue. Unless someone comes up with a workaround, all you can do is unlock your device, check for new notifications every so often, and hope that Google will soon grace us with a software update that will fix some issues, not cause them.
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