WatSAFE app offloading / hibernation
- Natasha Jennings
- Palak Chauhan
Disable offloading of unused apps on iOS devices
iOS 11 introduced a feature that will “offload” unused apps if device storage becomes low. While user data is maintained, the app will not be visible unless the user restores it to their device via the App Store. If an app is offloaded, it may still receive push notifications, but opening the push will direct the user to the App Store as opposed to opening the full content of message within the app.
This is a global setting and cannot be turned off on a per-app basis. To disable this behavior, perform the following steps:
Open the ‘Settings’ application on your iOS device.
Scroll down and click the ‘App Store’ settings option.
Set the ‘Offload Unused Apps’ switch to off.
Verify that your iOS device can receive push notifications
To verify that your iOS device can still receive push notifications, follow these instructions.
Open the WatSAFE safety app on your device. Press the About/Preferences button (bottom of screen) and navigate to the About/Preferences menu, and then press the Push notifications button.
The Push notifications menu will display the status of your device’s ability to receive Push Notifications.
If Push Notifications are Not Allowed, then the app has not been given permission to receive Push Notifications or the permission has been revoked. Press the Check Settings button. You will be pushed out to the WatSAFE app’s notification settings, where you can enable Push Notifications.
If Push Notifications are Disabled, then your app has been given permission to receive Push Notifications, but you are not subscribed to a Push Notification channel. Tap the Enable Notifications button to subscribe to a Push Notification channel.
If Push Notifications are Enabled, then you should be good to go! Use the Push Notification Troubleshooter to send a notification directly to your device and test them out.
Note: if receiving an error message (“No access”) you may be required to quit and reopen the app, or update the app in the appropriate App Store.
Disable hibernation of apps on an Android
Starting with Android 11, if a user does not interact with the WatSAFE app for a few months, the app will automatically be placed in a hibernation state by the operating system. This is the default behavior of the operating system, and it currently cannot be disabled programmatically by the app.
Hibernation Effects
App Hibernation will affect the operation of your mobile app depending on the operating system version the phone is running. These effects are summarized below.
Characteristics of device | Hibernation effects |
|---|---|
Runs Android 12 or higher |
|
Runs Android 11 | Your app's runtime permissions are reset. |
Runs Android 6.0 to Android 10 | Your app's runtime permissions are reset. |
Most notably, users running Android 12 or higher will not be able to receive push notifications once their app is put into hibernation. Furthermore, if they interact with the app to remove it from hibernation, the app will continue to be unable to receive push notifications until they explicitly re-enable the notification permission in the app’s settings.
App usage
Whenever use of WatSAFE is resumed, the system considers this event to be a user interaction. Therefore, the system extends the amount of time before your app enters hibernation.
On Android 11 and higher, the following behaviors are also considered to be user interactions:
The user interacts with a notification, except for dismissing the notification.
If the user dismisses the notification and doesn't otherwise interact with the notification, this doesn't count as app usage.
App hibernation permission modal
To prevent app hibernation from occurring, the WatSAFE app will prompt the user to disable this feature within their app’s settings. The permission modal will direct the user to the correct setting on the app’s settings page, however, it is up to the user whether they want to disable this feature or not.
Manually disable app hibernation
Open the Setting app on your Android device and tap Apps.
If you can’t find your WatSAFE Safety app in the Recently Opened Apps section, tap on See All Apps and scroll until you see the WatSafe app (apps will be ordered alphabetically).
Once in the WatSAFE app’s settings page, scroll until you see the Pause app activity if unused/Remove permissions if app is unused setting. Make sure the switch is in the “off” position (with the circle on the left) to disable App Hibernation.
After your app comes out of App Hibernation, it still may not be able to send Push Notifications until you explicitly give it information. To verify that your Android device can still receive push notifications, follow these instructions.
Open the WatSAFE app on your device. Press the About/Preferences menu, and then press the Push Notifications button.
The Push Notification settings menu will display the status of your device’s ability to receive Push Notifications.
If Push Notifications are Not Allowed, then the app has not been given permission to receive Push Notifications or the permission has been revoked. Press the Check Settings button. You will be pushed out of the WatSAFE app’s notification settings, where you can enable Push Notifications.
If Push Notifications are Disabled, then your app has been given permission to receive Push Notifications, but you are not subscribed to a Push Notification channel. Tap the Enable Notifications button to subscribe to a Push Notification channel.
If Push Notifications are Enabled, then you should be good to go! Use the Push Notification Troubleshooter to send a notification directly to your device and test them out.