I only receive notifications if I unlock my phone
Good morning, I've done several tests and settings and have come to the conclusion that the Tapo app isn't working properly. Basically, when the t100 sensor detects motion, it sends a notification, but my phone (and other models I've tested) only receives it when I unlock the screen. If I lock my phone and it detects motion within 3 minutes, the notification arrives correctly. After 3-4 minutes of the phone being in standby, the notification doesn't arrive until I unlock it. I have a Samsung A51 with Android 13, but I've encountered the same problem on Android 14 and an even more recent Motorola. On my phone, I've removed all the restrictions and optimizations that could cause the Tapo app to go into "sleep," but it still doesn't work. With WhatsApp, for example, I haven't had to do any of this, and notifications always arrive immediately. So I assume it's a problem with the Tapo app, which hasn't been implemented optimally in terms of background services. I've already read the article https://www.tp-link.com/it/support/faq/3213/ which suggests doing what I've already done. I'm sorry that for something like this, if there's no solution, I'm forced to return everything because it's useless if I don't receive real-time notifications. Hoping for a solution or an app update, thank you.
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If you’re not receiving app notifications as expected, or if notifications are delayed, the issue is most likely due to your phone’s system settings, app permissions, or device notification settings. Below are some common settings that could cause such problems.
Note: Feature names vary by phone brand and model. The terms listed below are for reference only. Please look up the correct settings for your phone model and check whether they are enabled or disabled.
1. Phone System-Level Settings
Some system modes or features may restrict or prevent apps from running in the background, causing delayed or missed notifications.
- Do Not Disturb / Focus Mode
- Low Power Mode
- Adaptive Battery / Battery Optimization
2. App (Phone) Permission Settings
- Ensure app notification permissions are enabled and that notifications are set to be visible (e.g., not hidden from the lock screen, notification center, or grouped).
- Ensure background activity permissions are allowed for the app.
- Auto-start permission: Some phone brands require this permission to be enabled for the app to receive push notifications.
- Battery optimization settings: Some brands offer separate battery optimization controls for individual apps.
3. Tapo App Internal Settings
- Check whether Do Not Disturb mode is enabled: Me page → Notifications → Do Not Disturb
- Check whether device notifications are turned on: Device settings → Notification
- Check whether device notifications are allowed to show on your current phone:
Me page → Notifications → Enable Device Notification → Go to Management
Next Steps for Investigation
If the problem persists after confirming all necessary settings, we recommend sending an email to the forum support team with the following information for further assistance.
>> For users from the United States, send the email to forumsupport.usa@tp-link.com. Click to Join TP-Link Community - US Site
>> For users from other countries and regions, send the email to support.forum@tp-link.com.
To receive efficient assistance, please include the following information in your email.
Forum Nickname:
Thread URL:
Model&Version:
Description:
Product Info (Model, Hardware&Firmware Versions, Mac address, etc):
Description:
Any Other Relevant Information (Logs, Config Files, Images, etc.): For example, you can provide screenshots of the relevant settings—both on your phone system and within the app itself.
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- Make sure your Tapo app is updated.
- You may try to delete and reinstall the app.
- Restart the phone might also help, give it a try and see how it works.
As this is unusual, please share more details with us. Do you mean that all notifications during the lock screen period appear once you unlock the phone? What time is shown for these notifications? Is it the current time or the actual time of the detected event? What's the version of your Tapo app?
Please record a video of the problem and share the video here, or send to me privately. This will help us to better understand the situation. *Upload videos to your personal cloud drive or video websites like YouTube, then send the video link here.
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Our technical team might be able to find out what the cause is. To assist with this case, a specialist will help to follow it up through email. If you want to continue working on this case, please check your inbox later and reply to the follow-up email.
If the email you used to register for the TP-Link community is not your contact email or you cannot access it, please send me your contact email through private message.
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I have the same problem. When I allow notifications in the camera's (or sensor's or other) Device Settings page on the Tapo App, they work properly. However, when I create an Automation in Smart Action page, my phone only receives notifications when I unlock the screen, or after some long delay (at least 10 minutes). My guess is that Automation notifications are sent using normal priority, so they are not received immediately when phone is in doze mode.
https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/android/message-priority
Please change priority of these notifications to high.
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Marek16 wrote
I have the same problem. When I allow notifications in the camera's (or sensor's or other) Device Settings page on the Tapo App, they work properly. However, when I create an Automation in Smart Action page, my phone only receives notifications when I unlock the screen, or after some long delay (at least 10 minutes). My guess is that Automation notifications are sent using normal priority, so they are not received immediately when phone is in doze mode.
https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/android/message-priority
Please change priority of these notifications to high.
@Marek16 Does this occur when your phone is in doze mode?
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Yes, this does happen when the phone is in Doze mode. Doze mode is something I can't turn off, it is managed by the Android system and is activated automatically when the device is idle for a certain period of time. There are some important events that require my attention. I think that notifications for these events should be delivered without delay.
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@Marek16 In Android? Then you can turn off battery optimisation for that app.
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I have Power Saving turned off on my Android device (Samsung Galaxy S25+, Android 16). Battery optimization for the Tapo app is also disabled.
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There is a troubleshooting article on Samsung's official website, this might be helpful for you, take a look. https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshoot/TSG10001486/
Tips: they offer three checkpoints (A/B/C), if the suggestions don't help, you can click 'No' under 'Did this resolve your issue?', then you can see more suggestions.
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This didn't resolve my issue. I have no problem with notifications on my phone in general.
To summarize:
- Every notification does arrive (some of them arrive with some long delay).
- Battery optimization is turned off, power saving is turned off, Do Not Disturb mode is turned off.
- When an Android phone is idle (for example laying on my desk near me) Android turns on Doze mode. Doze mode is something that can't be turned off its Android feature.
- As far as I know Android notifications can have two priorities: normal, high. High-priority notifications arrive immediately even when Doze mode is on.
- Notifications from Smart Automation most likely arrive with normal priority, because they arrive with delay when Doze mode activates.
- Device Settings Page notifications most likely arrive with high priority, because they arrive immediately.
Could you please check what notification priority is used for Smart Automation? Maybe they have normal priority by design, even though I think they should have high priority.
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