Forum Discussion
To-do Task Reminders Not Always Working
I love using Microsoft To-Do to set up tasks and routines, but often the reminders do not always work. Example: I have a routine set to remind me to give my puppies their morning snack everyday at 6:...
It seems like the ToDo app on Android does not synchronize when the phone is running too much in the background. The notifications seem to be fully local. I.e., Microsoft will never send a push notification for reminders. This means that if the app is not able to run and sync in the background, it will not find out about the To Do item prior to the set reminder time.
For me, I charge my phone at my desk while working and leave it unplugged at night. Some reminders which were configured during the night were never displayed. But if the reminders are set while my phone is charging or while I am actively using it, then To Do can sync to catch up.
Many mainstream apps which people rely on use a hybrid approach to notifications: when an event occurs, the server sends a push notification to the app. If the app is running and actively able to sync data, it will display the notification on the phone locally and suppress the push notification. But if the app is not running, then the push notification is not suppressed and displays directly, even if it does not show all of the data (e.g., if it requires the app to run to decrypt data). It seems like To Do is trying to run without push notifications. That lets MS use less infrastructure and reduces the chance of information leaking, but results in this experience where reminders get skipped.
For me, I charge my phone at my desk while working and leave it unplugged at night. Some reminders which were configured during the night were never displayed. But if the reminders are set while my phone is charging or while I am actively using it, then To Do can sync to catch up.
Many mainstream apps which people rely on use a hybrid approach to notifications: when an event occurs, the server sends a push notification to the app. If the app is running and actively able to sync data, it will display the notification on the phone locally and suppress the push notification. But if the app is not running, then the push notification is not suppressed and displays directly, even if it does not show all of the data (e.g., if it requires the app to run to decrypt data). It seems like To Do is trying to run without push notifications. That lets MS use less infrastructure and reduces the chance of information leaking, but results in this experience where reminders get skipped.
So, my workaround I am trying for now is to make sure that I set reminders that are at least 12 hours out in the future. I am bound to unlock and actively use my phone within every 12 hour period. And even when the phone is not charging, it is likely to allow accounts to sync during some time in a 12 hours period. Hopefully this results in To Do noticing the tasks prior to the reminder time, allowing it to schedule the app to wake up and display the notifications when they occur.