Android Battery Settings That Keep Background Apps Running

An app works perfectly for a while, then quietly stops: a step counter misses a walk, a reminder never arrives, a volume app stops reacting. Usually the cause is the same: battery optimization. Here's how it works, and how to keep apps running in the background on Android, brand by brand.

Why Android stops background apps

To save battery, Android limits what apps can do while you aren't using them. Many phone makers add their own, stricter power management on top. For most apps that's fine. For apps whose job is to keep working in the background, such as trackers, reminders, automation and monitoring apps, it can stop them doing that job.

Signs that battery settings are the problem

• •The app works right after you open it, then stops after a while.
• •It works again after you open it or restart the phone.
• •An ongoing notification the app normally shows has disappeared.

What the ongoing notification means

Apps that need to keep running often show a small ongoing notification. Android requires it for a foreground service, a way of running in the open so you always know the app is active. If that notification disappears when you didn't expect it, the system has probably stopped the app.

Settings by brand

The paths below are a guide. Menu names and locations differ by phone model and Android version. If something doesn't match, search the Settings app for "battery" or for the app's name.

Samsung (One UI 4 and newer, Android 12+)

1. 1.Settings → Apps → the app → Battery → Unrestricted.
2. 2.Settings → Battery (or Battery and device care) → Background usage limits: make sure the app isn't in Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps. You can also add it to Never sleeping apps.

Samsung (Android 11 and older)

1. 1.Settings → Apps → ⋮ (top right) → Special access → Optimize battery usage.
2. 2.Switch the list at the top to All.
3. 3.Find the app and turn its switch off.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO (MIUI / HyperOS)

1. 1.Settings → Apps → Manage apps → the app → Autostart on.
2. 2.On the same screen: Battery saver → No restrictions.
3. 3.Optional: in the Recents screen, long-press the app's card and lock it, so clearing recent apps doesn't close it.

Huawei and Honor (EMUI / MagicOS)

1. 1.Settings → Battery → App launch → find the app.
2. 2.Turn off Manage automatically.
3. 3.Enable Auto-launch, Secondary launch and Run in background.

OnePlus, Oppo and Realme (OxygenOS / ColorOS / realme UI)

1. 1.Settings → Apps → the app → Battery usage → Allow background activity, and Allow auto launch if it's there.
2. 2.If you see a battery optimization option, choose Don't optimize.
3. 3.If the app still stops, lock it in the Recents screen.

Google Pixel and stock Android

• •Android 12 and newer: Settings → Apps → the app → App battery usage → Unrestricted.
• •Older versions: Settings → Apps → Special app access → Battery optimization → All apps → the app → Don't optimize.

Motorola

Settings → Apps → the app → App battery usage → Unrestricted, or Battery optimization → Don't optimize.

Vivo and iQOO

1. 1.Settings → Battery → Background power consumption management → the app → Allow.
2. 2.Also allow Autostart for the app in the phone's app manager (i Manager or similar).

After changing the settings

• •Open the app once so it can start again.
• •If it uses an ongoing notification, check that it's back.
• •If the app stops after "Clear all" in Recents or a force stop, open it again. On some phones, locking it in Recents helps.
• •After a restart, some brands only let apps start by themselves if Autostart (or similar) is allowed.

What about battery life?

Letting one app run in the background doesn't switch off battery saving for everything else. How much power an app uses depends on what it does. If you notice unusual drain after a change, your phone's battery usage screen shows which apps use the most.

Example: SoundAlert

SoundAlert is a good example of an app that depends on these settings. While protection is on, it runs as a foreground service with a silent "SoundAlert Active" notification, and it checks the media volume about once a second while one of your chosen apps is open. If the phone's battery management stops the service, nothing is checked until SoundAlert is opened again.

That's why, after you grant Usage Access, SoundAlert shows a "Keep SoundAlert running in the background" step that opens your phone's battery settings. If you tapped "Not now", use the steps above for your brand. When everything is set up, the "SoundAlert Active" notification stays visible while protection is on.

If SoundAlert isn't lowering the volume at all, our step-by-step checklist covers the other common causes.

Get SoundAlert on Google Play. It's free for one app, with no ads.