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Teams Mobile Notifications Not Delivered - Affecting Some Android Users and Majority of iOS Users

DB K 0 Reputation points
2026-05-06T01:49:52.71+00:00

Hello

We are deploying Microsoft Teams across our organization (~921 users)

and need urgent assistance with a notification issue before our

Phase 1 go-live on May 1, 2026.

=== Issue ===

Mobile notifications are NOT delivered to users' phones even when the

user-level setting that should override desktop-active suppression is

explicitly ENABLED.

Specifically:

  • User is signed in to Teams desktop client (active)
  • User has signed in to Teams mobile app
  • User has explicitly enabled the setting: "Receive notifications when active on desktop" (Mobile app > Profile > Notifications > General)
  • A colleague sends the user a chat message or @mention
  • Result: Notification appears on desktop ONLY
  • Mobile device receives NO notification

This contradicts the documented behavior. Per Microsoft documentation,

when this toggle is enabled, mobile should receive notifications

regardless of desktop activity status.

=== Scope of Impact ===

This issue affects a significant portion of our user base:

  • iOS users: Majority of users tested are affected
  • Android users: A subset of users are affected

The inconsistent reproduction pattern between platforms suggests

this may be related to:

  • Platform-specific notification handling logic
  • Teams mobile client version differences
  • Push notification service routing differences (APNs vs FCM)

Given that the majority of iOS users are affected, this is a

significant concern for our go-live readiness.

=== Investigation Done ===

We have ruled out the following common causes:

  1. Mobile OS battery optimization: Disabled for Teams app
  2. Mobile OS notification permissions: All permissions granted
  3. Teams mobile app notification settings: All notifications enabled
  4. Quiet hours / Do Not Disturb: Not configured
  5. MAM (App Protection) policies: Notification data set to "Allow"
  6. Conditional Access policies: No restrictions on notification flow
  7. Network connectivity: Mobile devices have working internet
  8. Multiple users tested across both Android and iOS

The setting appears to have NO effect when toggled. Mobile

notifications are consistently suppressed when desktop Teams is active,

regardless of the user's preference setting.

=== Reproducibility ===

This issue is reproducible across:

  • Multiple users in the tenant
  • Both Android (subset) and iOS (majority) platforms
  • Latest Teams mobile and desktop client versions
  • Different network environments

=== Questions ===

  1. Is this a known issue with the user-level setting "Receive notifications when active on desktop"?
  2. Is there a service health advisory or active incident affecting notification delivery for this scenario, particularly for iOS?
  3. Are there tenant-level settings (Teams Admin Center, MS Graph, PowerShell) that override this user-level setting?
  4. Is there a way to: a) Diagnose why the setting is not taking effect b) Force-reset the user's notification preferences c) Apply the desired behavior at a tenant or group level
  5. Could you provide diagnostic logs or telemetry collection steps to help identify the root cause?
  6. Could you clarify the exact intended behavior of the setting "Receive notifications when active on desktop"? Specifically: a) Does this setting cause mobile notifications to be sent simultaneously with desktop notifications? b) Or does it only reduce the idle time threshold before mobile notifications start? If it is (b), please confirm and update the documentation. The current behavior our users observe seems to indicate that mobile notifications are never sent while desktop is active, regardless of this setting.
  7. Why does the impact differ between platforms (majority of iOS vs. subset of Android)? Is there a known difference in how this setting is implemented on each platform?

=== Tenant Information ===

Total Licensed Users: ~921 (Microsoft 365 E3 + F3 + Business Premium 

                       + Business Basic)

Phase 1 Go-Live: May 1, 2026

Affected Platforms:

  • iOS: Majority of tested users
  • Android: Subset of tested users

Teams Client: Latest desktop and mobile clients

=== Business Impact ===

This issue affects user productivity at scale and may delay our

Phase 1 go-live. With the majority of iOS users and a subset of

Android users affected, a significant portion of our 921-user

deployment is impacted.

Users who step away from their PC briefly are missing important chat

messages and meeting notifications because the documented user

override does not function as expected.

We would appreciate urgent diagnostic assistance to resolve this

before our go-live date.

Best regards,

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Settings | Configure notifications
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  1. Ana Le 395 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-06T02:51:55.7433333+00:00

    Hi @DB K,

    Thanks again for the detailed breakdown, this is super helpful, especially with your rollout timeline coming up.

    From what you’ve described and based on how Microsoft Teams currently handles notifications, what you’re seeing is actually consistent with the service behavior today. The setting “Receive notifications when active on desktop” doesn’t strictly force mobile and desktop notifications to be delivered at the same time. Teams still relies on its own activity detection, so if the desktop client is considered active (even lightly), mobile notifications can still be suppressed.

    Before going into next steps, I’ll answer your questions directly so it’s clearer:

    1/ Is this a known issue? There’s no public documentation confirming this as a known issue. Based on current behavior, it’s more aligned with how the service is designed rather than a confirmed bug.

    2/ Is there any service health advisory or incident (especially for iOS)? There’s no known active advisory published for this scenario.

    3/ Are there tenant-level settings to override this? No. There are no settings in the admin center, PowerShell, or Graph that can enforce mobile notifications when desktop is active. This logic is controlled by the service. You can review the scope of available controls here: Teams settings and policies reference - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

    4/ Is there a way to diagnose/ reset/ enforce this?

    • Diagnose: requires backend telemetry (only available via Microsoft support)
    • Reset: you can try signing out of the mobile app, reinstalling, then toggling notifications off/on
    • Enforce at tenant/group level: not supported

    5/ Can logs or telemetry be collected? Yes, but only through a support case. You’ll need to provide timestamps and affected users so the support team can check push delivery and activity state on the backend. For further investigation, you can follow instruction here to raise support ticket: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

    6/ What is the exact intended behavior of the setting? It does not guarantee simultaneous notifications on desktop and mobile. It behaves closer to reducing suppression conditions, but mobile delivery is still dependent on activity signals. So even with the toggle enabled, mobile notifications may not trigger while desktop is active. For general reference on how Teams notifications work: Manage notifications in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support

    7/ Why does it differ between iOS and Android? Notifications are routed differently (APNs for iOS vs FCM for Android), and there’s no official documentation that fully explains the difference in behavior. Variations like what you’re seeing can happen.

    Since you’ve already ruled out the usual client-side causes, the most useful next step would be to raise a support request via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and include:

    • A few affected users
    • Exact timestamps where notifications were expected but not received
    • Device/ platform details

    That will allow the support team to validate what’s happening on the service side.

    For go-live planning, it’s worth setting the expectation internally that mobile notifications may still be suppressed while the desktop app is active, and suggesting users lock their PC or close Teams desktop if they rely on mobile alerts when stepping away.

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