Common CarLock Android push notifications problems

In this blog post we will look through some known problems and limitations caused by (especially the latest versions of) Android OS.

• I do not receive any / some notifications
• The notifications I receive are without sound
• The notifications are delayed

I do not receive any / some notifications!

Do the missing notifications show up in the “Log” (in the app)?

YES

It is possible that you have disabled the push notifications, or that your phone killed the notifications. We suggest to exclude CarLock from all power saving modes.
Important: There are many phone models and versions out there and we cannot possibly give a step by step solution for every single one. Please try to follow the instructions for your phone here: https://dontkillmyapp.com/
If your phone is not on the list, then select “Other manufacturers”.

NO
Then this is not a push notifications problem. We suggest to drop us a message at support@carlock.co and let us know what you have tried so far.

I receive the notifications without the sound

We’ve had several reports and it appears that this issue is mostly happening when using the Samsung devices (with Android 8+).
If you have any ways to reproduce or any useful logcat logs, please let us know at support@carlock.co
Here are some solutions that seem to work:

Remove and reinstall the app

By reinstalling the app, you will completely reset any notification settings.
Important: You should log out of the app first. You can do that in the app’s Dashboard screen, pressing three dots menu and selecting Log out.
Then remove the app and install it again. You will need to log in again.

Change the default sound

You can change the sound by going to Settings > Apps / Notifications > CarLock > Notifications > Select any of the listed channels (For example VEHICLE MOVED) > Sound (Android 10 might have Alerting and Silent choices, select Alerting, then Advanced > Sound) and pick any of the available sounds (except “App provided sound”).
Then see if the notification you selected (in our case VEHICLE MOVED) sounds with your newly selected sound.

The notifications are delayed

Some delay (1-2 minutes) is expected due to how CarLock works and there is nothing we can do to improve it.
If you notice larger delays (several minutes to several hours), please try to trigger them again with the app opened.
Does the action you triggered (e.g. engine started, vehicle moved) show in the app in timely manner (less than 2 minutes)?

YES
Then the notifications are sent in time, but your phone has trouble receiving them.
This is sometimes caused by an unstable network, which can be easily tested by connecting to a different network.
We also suggest to disable any power optimizations.

NO
Then the notifications probably work fine and the problem lies somewhere else. This can happen because CarLock device in your vehicle has problems connecting to the network. Most likely vehicle is parked in an area with weak signal, underground, or device is installed near metal surface.