Seeing the message "Android is blocking this app's notifications at your request"? It almost always means the app's notification toggle got switched off — frequently by accident. Here is how to turn it back on, app by app, plus the trickier cases (websites and sideloaded apps).

Diagram: how an Android notification travels from an app to the status bar, notification shade and lock screen
Diagram: a single alert can surface in the status bar, the shade and the lock screen at once.

Method 1: Settings (the reliable way)

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Notifications → App notifications (on some phones: Apps & notifications → [app] → Notifications).
  3. Find the app and make sure its master switch is on.
  4. Open the app's categories and confirm the ones you care about (Messages, Alerts) are enabled.

Method 2: From the app icon

A faster shortcut: from the home screen or app drawer, long-press the app icon → App info → App notifications, then toggle it on. This jumps straight to that app's settings without scrolling the full list.

Method 3: Websites & browsers

Notifications from a website (or Chrome) are controlled separately:

Method 4: Blocker & focus apps

Productivity or "focus" apps, and dedicated notification blockers, can silence other apps. If notifications vanished after installing one, open that app and turn off its blocking, or uninstall it. Then re-check the affected app's toggle (Method 1), since the block may have flipped it.

Method 5: Sideloaded apps (Restricted settings)

Apps installed from outside the Play Store are treated as less trusted, and Android may refuse to let them post notifications until you explicitly allow it:

  1. Settings → Apps, select the app.
  2. Tap the three-dot menu (top-right).
  3. Choose Allow restricted settings.
  4. Go back and enable notifications again.

Only do this for apps you trust. And remember: a blocked notification is different from a silenced one — see what silent notifications mean if the alert arrives but makes no sound.

Want a cleaner way to keep the alerts that matter visible? Dingpin pins important notifications to the top of your shade and keeps a searchable history — no digging through settings required.

Check the toggles first

Five places to look, in order:

  1. App notifications. Settings → Apps → [app] → Notifications → make sure the master toggle is on.
  2. Per-channel. Some apps have multiple channels; check that the relevant one is enabled.
  3. Do Not Disturb. Make sure DND is off or the app is exempted.
  4. Battery optimization. Set the app to Unrestricted.
  5. Background data. Some skins require background data to be allowed for notifications.

Per-app restart

If toggles look correct but notifications still do not arrive, force-stop and reopen the app:

  1. Settings → Apps → [app] → Force stop.
  2. Open the app fresh.
  3. Wait for any new messages and check whether they appear in the shade.

This re-registers the push notification token with the service.

Reinstall as last resort

If nothing else works, reinstall the app:

  1. Uninstall.
  2. Reinstall from the Play Store.
  3. Open the app and log in.
  4. Test with a fresh message.

A fresh install registers a clean push token with the server, which fixes most cases where notifications silently break.

After a system update

Major Android updates sometimes reset notification permissions or battery optimization settings. After every system update, audit your key apps (chat, email, calendar) and re-grant any permissions that got reset.

When you cannot unblock them

Sometimes the underlying app keeps failing to deliver notifications for reasons outside your control. As a backup, Dingpin captures whatever does arrive, so even delayed or partial notifications are preserved. See also: fixing delayed or missing notifications and keeping important notifications from disappearing.

Official documentation

If you want to check anything against the source, these are the pages this guide is based on:

FAQ

Why does it say "Android is blocking this app's notifications at your request"?

Because the app's notification toggle was turned off — often by accident, or because you declined when the app first asked. Re-enabling the toggle removes the message.

How do I unblock a website's notifications?

In the browser's Site settings, open Notifications, find the site in the blocked list, and turn it back on. In Chrome: Settings → Site settings → Notifications.

Does unblocking delete anything?

No. Unblocking only restores the app's ability to alert you; your account, messages, and settings stay exactly as they were.