Fix reminders that do not ring
A task or habit reminder did not show up. Check the reminder, the device switch, the permission, quiet hours and what your platform can do when Prior is closed.
Prior has no push server: each device rings its own reminders from the data it holds. So a missed reminder is almost always one of the checks below, in this order.
- Does the task still have the reminder? Open the task and look at its Reminder field. A completed or deleted task never rings. A reminder set to a time that has already passed does not ring either.
- Is the switch on for this device? Open Settings → Notifications. Reminders must be on. For habits, Habit reminders must be on too, and the habit needs a time of day.
- Is the permission given? If the page says "Notifications are blocked. Allow them for Prior in your system or browser settings.", allow Prior's notifications there. On Android 13 and later, the phone asks the first time. If it says "This device cannot show notifications.", that device cannot show them.
- Send a test. Choose Send a test under Test notification. You should see "Prior notifications work" in a moment. If the test does not appear, the problem is the system, not the reminder: check your system's notification settings and any do-not-disturb or focus mode.
- Check quiet hours. A reminder inside your Quiet hours window waits until the window ends.
- Check where Prior was running when the reminder was due: see below.
Where Prior has to be running
| Platform | A reminder rings |
|---|---|
| Android | Even when Prior is closed, at the exact time when Android allows exact alarms, and a little later otherwise. |
| Windows, macOS, Linux | Only while Prior is running. It can be in the background or the tray, but not quit. |
| Web | Only while the Prior tab is open. |
On a computer or in a browser, a reminder that came due while Prior was not running is skipped, not replayed later: it rings only if you open Prior within a minute after the time.
Other things to know
- A reminder far in the future is scheduled once it falls within the next 7 days, and only the next 64 are scheduled at a time. Open Prior at least once in the week before it is due, on Android too: that is when the alarm is set.
- On Android, a phone's battery saver can delay or block alarms. If reminders come late, remove battery restrictions for Prior in the phone's settings.
- The wrong time usually means a wrong clock or time zone on the device. See Fix a wrong date or time.
- Mentions and assigned tasks show up when Prior syncs, so the app has to be open and online.
- Two devices that allow notifications both ring for the same reminder.
When to write to support
If the test works but real reminders never ring, write to contact@priortasks.com with your platform and Prior version, the task and the time of its reminder, and whether Prior was open at that moment. See Report a problem.
Updated 5 November 2026