Are your Habitify reminders arriving late, or only appearing the exact moment you unlock your phone screen?
This is a common issue on modern smartphones. To preserve battery life, operating systems aggressively put apps into a "deep sleep" or "doze" state when your screen is locked. Once you wake up the phone, the system suddenly delivers all the queued alerts at once.
Depending on whether you are using an iPhone or an Android device, please follow the steps below to make sure your habit reminders trigger exactly when you need them.
Fix on iPhone (iOS)
Apple’s iOS has several built-in battery and focus features that can bundle or delay third-party notifications.
1. Turn Off "Scheduled Summary"
iOS can bundle non-urgent notifications to deliver them in a single batch at a set time of day.
Open your iPhone's Settings app.
Tap Notifications > Scheduled Summary.
Either turn this feature off entirely, or scroll down to the app list and ensure Habitify is toggled Off (so its notifications deliver immediately).
2. Enable "Background App Refresh"
This allows Habitify to prepare and schedule notifications in the background even when your device is locked.
Open your iPhone's Settings app.
Tap General > Background App Refresh.
Ensure it is set to Wi-Fi & Cellular Data, and make sure the toggle next to Habitify is enabled.
3. Check "Low Power Mode"
When your phone battery drops or enters Low Power Mode, iOS pauses background synchronization.
Open your iPhone's Settings app.
Tap Battery.
Ensure Low Power Mode is toggled off while testing to see if this resolves the notification delay.
Fix on Android Phone
Android manufacturers (such as Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, or OnePlus) employ highly aggressive background restrictions to save battery. The exact menu names might differ slightly depending on your brand, but the core settings are the same:
1. Set Habitify Battery Usage to "Unrestricted"
This tells Android's battery manager to bypass optimizing Habitify, allowing notifications to trigger in real time.
Tap and hold the Habitify app icon on your home screen, then tap the "i" (App Info) icon.
Tap on Battery (on some devices, this is under Battery Saver or Battery Optimization).
Change the setting from "Optimized" or "Restricted" to Unrestricted (or "No Restrictions").
2. Remove Habitify from "Sleeping Apps"
Many Android devices automatically put apps to sleep if they haven't been opened recently.
Open your phone's main Settings.
Go to Battery > Background Usage Limits (or Device Care > Battery).
Ensure Habitify is not included on the list of "Sleeping apps" or "Deep sleeping apps."
If possible, add Habitify to the "Never auto-sleeping apps" list.
3. Adjust Data Saver Settings
If Data Saver is on, your system might block background data transfers required to push your reminders on schedule.
Tap and hold the Habitify app icon and tap the "i" (App Info) icon.
Tap Mobile Data.
Ensure that both Allow background data usage and Allow data usage while Data Saver is on are enabled.
Still Experiencing Delayed Notifications?
If you have completed all of the steps above and your reminders are still lagging, we want to help you investigate further! Please get in touch with our support team directly through the app (Settings > Chat with Support) and share:
Your Phone Model (e.g., iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25).
Your Operating System Version (e.g., iOS 19, Android 16).
The specific times when your habits are scheduled versus when you actually receive them.
We will work with our engineering team to ensure your notifications fire right on time!