Galaxy S8 Calendar app notifications stopped working [troubleshooting guide]

This #GalaxyS8 troubleshooting post answers the question of some members of our community why Calendar app has stopped making notifications. We’ve only received one letter from one of you guys about this specific issue but we know that other Galaxy users have experienced it before as well. So, we’ve decided to come up with an answer on how to fix it in this post. We hope you’ll find it helpful.

Today’s problem: Galaxy S8 Calendar app notifications stopped working

Hi there. I recently bought my new Samsung Galaxy s8 phone from At&t and have been using the stock calendar app that came with it. I never had a problem being notified of events and appointments until just recently after doing nothing to facilitate this frustrating change. I have done a lot of research on this issue and surprisingly haven’t come across other people having this issue recently, all I see are posts from 2017 online. I’ve tried all the suggestions and “solutions” to this issue and none have worked, including the ones suggested on your webside: thedroindguy.com. Â My calendar notifications are set to “on” and always have been, I’ve synced my calendar, and have tried setting numerous alarms and alerts repeatedly. I’ve done everything mentioned online outside of doing a factory reset, which I’d hate to do for no reason. Can you help? — Eblittleone

How to fix Galaxy S8 that no longer makes Calendar notifications

There’s a number of possible factors that can affect how Calendar app works, especially in making notifications. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Solution #1: Set Calendar app notifications properly

There’s a couple of ways individual notifications for apps starting with Android Marshmallow. If your S8 is running Android Nougat or Oreo, there should be similar options on it. As a matter of preference though, we suggest that you set Calendar app notifications under Settings > Apps. After selecting Calendar from the list, go to Notifications section and check if Allow notifications is enabled.

While in this section still, try to check if Show silently option is enabled or not. If it is, then most probably this is where the issue lies. You’ve probably just opted to:

show the notifications on the lock screen,
hide the contents of the notification on the lock screen, or
prevented the notifications from showing up on the lock screen at all.

While all these are all centered around the lock screen, a lot of people actually spent a lot of hours looking for a solution to an issue exactly like yours.

Also, make sure that you dig deeper by tapping on that blue circle with an i. For notification sound option be sure to set the ringtone or sound that you want. To even help you notice the alert, we recommend that you enable Vibrate when sound plays.

The calendar app needs internet connection from time to time to sync data. If you rely on cellular data connection all the time, try to check if it’s allowed to run in the background by going to Settings > Apps, tap Calendar app, select Mobile data, then enable Allow background data usage.

Finally, you want to ensure that your Calendar app is actually permitted to display notifications for events and tasks. To do that, open Settings > Apps, tap Calendar app, go to More settings, then enable Notifications.

Solution #2: Verify Do Not Disturb is off

Another reason many Samsung Galaxy users usually find themselves not getting app notifications anymore is the Do Not Disturb feature. As its name suggests, this feature is a one-tap option to prevent your device from disturbing you. The thing is, after a while of using it, some people may forget that they’ve enabled it and thinks there’s a problem with notifications on their phones. To keep users reminded that Do Not Disturb is enabled, Samsung ensures that an icon remains on the status bar. Do Not Disturb feature is indicated by a circle with a horizontal line inside it. If you have this icon on top, then you have to disable Do Not Disturb off. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap Notifications.
Scroll down to the bottom and look for Do Not Disturb.
Tap Do Not Disturb.
Turn off Do Not Disturb.

If you don’t want to turn this feature off at all, you can also make an exception under Allow exceptions section.

Solution #3: Make sure auto sync is on

As mentioned above, Calendar app needs to sync from time to time in case you’ve recently added events and tasks on other devices where you’re logged in. To ensure that Calendar app syncs properly, you need to check under Settings> Cloud and accounts. In this section, tap More settings (three-dot icon) and turn of auto sync. If it’s saying Turn off auto sync, then it’s already enabled.

Solution #4: Uninstall Calendar app updates

If your Calendar app happened to stop making notifications after installing updates, it’s possible that an update may have messed it up. While there’s no way to directly check that, you can try to uninstall the updates for the app and see how it goes. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap More settings (three-dot icon).
Tap Uninstall updates.

Solution #5: Reset app preferences

One of the best solutions that you can do when you’re having unexplained app issues is to reset app preferences. Reseting app preferences will do the following:

re-enables previously disabled apps and services
resets default apps for actions
turns off background data restrictions for apps
return app permissions to their defaults
unblock app notifications

This option is a little drastic but hopefully, by doing it, Calendar app configurations will be returned to normal.

Solution #6: Clear Calendar app data

Another troubleshooting step that we suggest in this case is clearing the app’s data. This will purge the Calendar app and return it to its factory version. This also means that you’ll potentially lose events and tasks if they’re not synced to your online account. Before you clear the data, be sure to back them up.

Once you’re ready to do the procedure, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap Calendar.
Tap Storage.
Tap CLEAR DATA button.

Solution #7: Observe in safe mode

It’s possible that one of your installed apps is blocking Android or your Calendar app from showing notifications. To check, you want to restart to safe mode and observe. Here’s how to boot your S8 to safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
See if Calendar app now makes notifications. You can do that by creating an event or task that’s set to go off in the next minute.

Remember, while your S8 is on safe mode, only pre-installed apps like the Calendar app can run. If notifications will work as expected, then you know one of your apps is to blame.

Solution #8: Reset all phone settings

One other potential solution that you can try here is to reset all the settings of your S8. While not as drastic as factory reset, this type of reset will return all your device’s settings to factory defaults except the security, language, and account settings. To do this just go under Settings > General management > Reset.

Solution #9: Factory reset

Finally, if the issue is still there at this point, make sure that you wipe the phone thru factory reset. We know that Calendar app works normally when the device’s software is on factory state so this should fix the problem for you.

For the benefit of other users, here are the steps on how to factory reset your S8:

Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.