Reminder notifications in Microsoft To Do are dependent on the system settings of the Android device you are using, and some reminders may get suppressed by the Android operating system.
To Do reminder notifications on Android may also be affected by certain third-party apps. Follow the suggestions in this article to ensure that you always receive all reminders from To Do.
Enable reminder notifications in Android Settings
First, check that notifications are enabled for the To Do app in your Android device settings:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Search for the To Do app, and then select Notifications.
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Verify that notifications are enabled.
Note: Some device manufacturers may have a different Settings experience to check if notifications are enabled for apps. See your device documentation for more details.
Next, check whether reminder notifications are enabled in the To Do app:
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In the To Do app, go to Settings > Notifications.
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Verify that the Reminders option is enabled.
Settings in third-party apps
Certain third-party apps might prevent To Do from sending you reminders in order to minimize data consumption.
In most cases, you should be able to change settings in these apps to allow notifications for To Do.
Android device-specific troubleshooting steps
In the list below, follow the applicable steps for your device or operating system to ensure that reminder notifications in To Do will work as expected.
Select your device
Samsung devices
Prioritize notifications from To Do by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps > To Do > App Settings > Notifications.
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Enable the Set as priority option.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Device management > Battery > Unmonitored apps.
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Add To Do to the list.
Samsung devices running Android 11
There are multiple optimization settings on Samsung devices running on Android 11.
Allow To Do to use background processing by doing the following:
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Go to Recent Apps and search for To Do.
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Long-press the To Do icon, and then select Lock the app.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps, and then select To Do.
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Go to App Info > Battery > Optimize Battery Usage, and then enable the option for To Do.
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select the triple-dot menu ( . . . ) and then select Special Access > Optimize Battery Usage.
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Verify that To Do is enabled.
Check other Android 11 optimization settings by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery and Device Care.
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In the top right corner, select the triple-dot menu ( . . . ).
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Select Automation, and then disable Auto optimize daily and Adaptive power saving.
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Go to Settings > Battery and Device Care > More Battery Settings, and then disable Adaptive Battery.
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Go to Settings > Battery and Device Care > Background usage limits, and then disable Put unused apps to sleep.
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Verify that To Do is not a part of the Sleeping or Deep Sleeping app lists.
Samsung devices running Android 9 or 10
Battery optimizations are turned on by default in these versions of Android. Ensure that the battery optimizations are ignored by To Do whenever there is an update or after you restart your device.
Manage the Unused Apps setting by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Device Care > Battery > . . . > Settings.
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If necessary, uncheck the To Do app from the Sleeping and Disabled apps lists.
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Turn off the Auto-disable unused apps option.
Note: On some devices, these settings may be located in Settings > Device Care > Battery > App Power Management.
Disable game-boosting optimizations on your device by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select Game Booster, and then disable all relevant options.
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Select Game Optimizing Service, and then remove all relevant permissions.
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Select the Game Launcher app and disable it.
Samsung devices running Android 7 or 8
Add the To Do app to the Unmonitored Apps list on your device by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Device Care > Battery > Unmonitored Apps.
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Select the triple-dot ( . . . ) menu to add To Do to the list.
Samsung devices running Android 6 or below
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select the triple-dot ( . . . ) menu, select Special Access > Optimize Battery Usage, and then verify that To Do is not selected.
Asus devices
Asus Zenfone
List To Do as a protected app by doing the following:
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Open the Mobile Manager app.
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Go to Boost > Enable Boost > Protected Apps list.
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Verify that To Do is on the list.
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to Mobile Manager > PowerMaster > Auto Start Manager.
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Verify that Auto Start is enabled for the To Do app.
Allow background processing
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Go to Mobile Manager > PowerMaster > Settings (or Battery-saving options).
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Uncheck the Clean up in suspend and Auto-deny apps from auto starting options.
Huawei devices
Huawei Honor 6
Allow notifications for To Do by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Notification Manager.
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Select Notify for To Do to receive push notifications.
List To Do as a protected app by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Power Saving > Protected apps.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Huawei Honor 8
Allow notifications for To Do by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Notification Panel & Status Bar > Notification Center.
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Verify that Allow Notifications and Priority Display are active for To Do.
List To Do as a protected app by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Battery Manager.
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Select Protected apps.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps > Advanced.
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Select Ignore battery optimizations, and then select To Do.
Huawei P8 Lite
Allow notifications for To Do by doing the following:
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Go to the Phone Manager app, and then select Notification Manager.
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Select Rules and then verify that To Do is set up to send notifications.
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Verify whether any other settings on this page might be blocking notifications.
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to the Phone Manager app and then select Startup Manager.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Huawei Mate 8 and Huawei Nova Plus
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Battery Manager > Protected apps.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Huawei P9 Plus
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps > Settings > Special access > Ignore Battery Optimization.
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Select Allow for To Do.
Huawei P20, P20 Lite, Mate 10, Honor 9 Lite, and Mate 9 Pro
Verify the App Launch settings by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery > App launch.
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Select Manage Manually and then enable all options for To Do.
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > All > Startup Manager.
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Enable the option for To Do.
LeEco/LeTV devices
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Permissions > Manage Auto Launch.
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Enable the option for To Do.
List To Do as a protected app by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery > Power Saving Management > App Protection.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Note: If you have turned on Lock Screen Cleanup or Ultra Long Standby during Sleep, you'll need to disable these options to enable To Do notifications.
Lenovo devices
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Power Manager > Background App Management.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select the To Do app and then select Battery.
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Turn off battery and power optimization.
OnePlus devices
OnePlus devices running Android 7 and earlier
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select the gear icon, and then select App Auto Launch.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps.
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Select the gear icon, and then select Special Access > Battery Optimization.
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Turn off the option for To Do.
Note: On some devices, you’ll find this option under Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization.
Set your device to ignore advanced battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization.
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Select the triple-dot menu ( . . . ) and then select Advanced/Enhanced Optimization.
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Disable all options for To Do.
Note: This setting may not be available on all devices in this category.
OnePlus devices running Android 8 or later
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization.
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Select Apps Not Optimized, and then select All apps.
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Set To Do to Don't optimize.
To clear To Do app storage, do the following:
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Go to Settings > Advanced > Recent Apps Management.
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Verify that Normal clear is enabled for To Do.
Turn off advanced optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization.
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Select the triple-dot menu ( . . . ) and then select Advanced/Enhanced Optimization.
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Disable all options for To Do.
OPPO devices
Allow notifications for To Do by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Notification Panel & Status Bar > Notification Center.
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Verify that Allow Notifications and Priority Display are enabled for To Do.
Set your device to ignore battery optimization by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Apps > Advanced > Ignore Battery Optimization.
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Enable the option for To Do.
List To Do as a protected app by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Battery Manager > Protected Apps.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Allow To Do to use background processing by doing the following:
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Go to Settings > App Management > Auto Launch Apps.
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Enable the option for To Do.
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Go to Settings > Apps > To Do.
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Go to App Info > Battery Usage, and then select Run in Background.
Note: This setting may not be available on all devices in this category.
Xiaomi devices
Set up To Do to run when your device starts by doing the following:
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Go to the Security App > Permissions > Autostart.
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Enable the option for To Do.
Set your device to ignore battery saver by doing the following:
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Go to Security > Battery > App Battery Saver.
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Select To Do, and then select No Restriction.
To optimize power usage on your device, do the following:
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Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Battery manager > Power plan, and then set it to Performance.
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Go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Battery manager > Protected Apps, and then add To Do to the list.
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Go to Settings > Apps, select To Do > Battery > Power-intensive prompt, and then select Keep running after screen off.
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Go to Settings > Additional Settings > Battery & Performance > Manage apps’ battery usage, and then disable Power Saving mode.
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Select Saving Power in The Background and then select To Do > Background Settings > No restrictions.
Allow To Do to use background processing by doing the following:
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Go to the To Do App Info page, either by long-pressing the app icon, or from Settings.
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Verify that Battery Saver is set to No Restrictions.
Note: This setting is applicable only on Xiaomi devices running MIUI 10, 11, and 12.
Need more help?
If you are still having issues with reminder notifications after following the previous steps for your particular Android device, please try any or all of the additional troubleshooting steps below.
Enable recurring reminders
Try the following:
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For a recurring task to occur, please first complete the earlier task in the same series before a new task is created.
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Verify that you're connected to the internet, otherwise the next task in a recurring series won't be created.
Ensure that your phone has internet connectivity
To receive notifications, your device must be connected to the internet. You can check this by opening a mobile browser and visiting any public website.
If the site loads successfully, you're good to go!
Check your Data Saver
To confirm that the Data Saver mode isn't preventing notifications on your device, use your Android device without it for a while if you currently have it enabled.
Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data Usage > Data Saver to change the setting.
Turn off Do Not Disturb
Ensure that the Do Not Disturb option is turned off for your Android device by going to Settings > Notifications.
Clear the To Do app cache
On your Android device, go to Settings > Apps. Search for and then select the To Do app, select Storage, and then clear the cache.
Restart the app or your device
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If notification issues still persist after following the applicable troubleshooting suggestions in this article, restart the To Do app, and then try again.
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If restarting the app doesn't help, try restarting your device.
Contact us
If you continue to encounter issues with To Do notifications on your Android device, please contact us for additional assistance.
