Fix Push Notification Issues on the Android App for Freelancers

[Lena E]

Since releasing Upwork’s Android app for freelancers and agencies in April 2019, our community has reported issues with receiving notifications for  job invitations and new messages, or would only receive them once the app is launched.

This is because some Android device manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo, One Plus, Vivo, Lenovo, Huawei, Samsung, and a few others, customize their operating systems (known as stock ROMs). When the app is cleared on such a device, it kills the app and its background services, which ultimately disables push notifications.  

If you’re experiencing issues with notifications, find your device brand below and try taking the following steps to manually enable the auto-launch feature for background services:

Samsung

1. Go to Settings and select optimize battery usage
2. Select the dropdown menu called “Apps not optimized” and switch it to All apps.
3. Turn off battery optimization and disable the Restricted background data setting for the Upwork for Freelancers app. On some Samsung devices, you may have to open Settings then select Battery to do so.
4. From Settings, select Notifications then select Show notifications. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and enable notifications. Notification settings may be at the bottom of the notifications panel for some Samsung devices.

Huawei

1. Open Settings, select Protected Apps, and enable the toggle next to the Upwork for Freelancers app to add our app to your list of protected apps.
2. From Settings, select Ignore battery optimization, and select All apps. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and ignore battery optimization.
3. From Settings, search for App launch or Launch. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and turn the toggle OFF. Please make sure all three toggles are turned ON.

Xiaomi

1. Open Settings and select Autostart. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and toggle it ON to enable auto-start.
2. From Settings, select Manage apps battery usage. Select OFF for Power saving mode.
3. From Settings, select App notifications. Select the Upwork for Freelancers app and enable Floating notifications, Lock screen notifications, and App icon badge.

Oppo

1. Open Settings and select Startup Manager. Allow the Upwork for Freelancers app to start up in the background.
2. From Settings select Protected Apps. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and toggle it ON to allow it to keep running even after your device screen is turned off.
3. From Settings select Ignore battery optimization and select Ignore battery optimization. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and allow it to ignore battery optimization.
4. From Settings, select Notification center. Find the Upwork for Freelancers app and select Allow notifications and Priority display.

Vivo

1. Open Settings and select Autostart Manager. Allow the Upwork for Freelancers app to start up in the background.
2. From Settings select Battery, then select High Background Power Consumption and then enable the Upwork for Freelancers app.
3. From Settings, select More Settings > Application. Select the Upwork for Freelancers app and select Enable Notification.

Lenovo

Open Settings and select Background app management. Allow the Upwork for Freelancers app to start up in the background.

One plus

1. Open Settings and select Apps.
2. Select the gear icon, then Apps Auto-launch. Allow the Upwork for Freelancers app to start up in the background.

Please note: because this issue is specific to certain stock ROMs and is not a native Android feature, the terminology used by each manufacturer is different and the auto-launch settings page is located in different places for certain devices.

If the problem still persists, please let us know by leaving a comment on this post so we can help you resolve it. As always, if you have any feedback or suggestions for how we can make Upwork’s new Android app for freelancers and agencies even better, please let us know by leaving a comment below.

[Rosalito U]

Thanks, Currently using OPPO. hopefully. This Helps.

[Manbeena B]

Thanks. The Autostart option has fixed my problem. I'm getting notifications now.

[Natalie H]

I can't get notifications to work on my Lenovo. When I go into settings though, I can't find anything like Background App Management in there.

[Bojan S]

Hi Natalie,

I'll check this with our team and get back to you once we have more information. We appreciate your patience while we look into this.

Edited to add:

Could you please follow instruction shared here and let us know if it helped.

Thank you.

[Kirill P]

Hi Team!

Hope this finds you well!

Please integrate with Telegram for notifications and, maybe two-step verification also

All the best,

Kirill

[Vladimir G]

Hi Kirill,

We appreciate your suggestion. We aren't aware of any plans to integrate the app with other tools or services. If anything changes in this area, we'll make sure to inform the Community.