Android Troubleshooting

PC Not Found in Companion App

Both devices must be on the same local network. This is the most common issue reported.

Verify your phone and PC are connected to the same Wi-Fi network
Check that no firewall on your PC is blocking port 17814 (the default NotiVR port)
If you are using a VPN, try disabling it. Most VPNs block local network traffic.
Connecting to your phone's hotspot is not supported
Some corporate or university networks may block mDNS traffic which is used for automatic discovery.
If you are still having issues, try the manual pairing mode

Firewall Configuration

If you have a firewall enabled, allow inbound connections on TCP port 17814:

Windows Firewall: NotiVR should create a rule automatically on first launch. If not, add an inbound rule for TCP port 17814

Notifications Not Appearing

Check Notification Access

The companion app requires the Notification Access special permission. To verify:

Go to Settings > Notifications > Device & App Notifications (path varies by device manufacturer)
Find NotiVR in the list
Tap it and ensure the "Allow notifications" toggle is enabled
You may need to restart the companion app for the changes to take effect

Connection Drops Frequently

Battery Optimization

Android aggressively kills background apps to save battery. The NotiVR companion app runs as a foreground service to prevent this, but some manufacturers add extra restrictions:

Samsung: Settings > Battery > Background Usage Limits. Remove NotiVR from "Sleeping apps"
Xiaomi/MIUI: Settings > Battery & Performance > App Battery Saver. Set NotiVR to "No restrictions"
Huawei/EMUI: Settings > Battery > App Launch. Set NotiVR to manual and enable all toggles
OnePlus/OxygenOS: Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization. Set NotiVR to "Don't optimize"
Stock Android: Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization > All Apps. Set NotiVR to "Not optimized"

Network Instability

The connection uses WebSocket with a 30-second ping interval and 60-second read timeout
If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, the connection may drop. Move closer to your router
Switching between Wi-Fi networks or losing signal temporarily will disconnect the app, it will reconnect automatically

Pairing Rejected or Failed

"Another device is pairing": Only one device can pair at a time. Wait for the other pairing to complete or time out (30 seconds)
Approval timed out: You have 30 seconds to accept the pairing dialog on your PC. Try again and accept promptly
Re-pairing needed: If you see a re-pair prompt, the encryption keys are no longer valid. Tap Re-pair (the link icon) in both the PC and companion app and follow the Setup Guide

Reply support depends on the notification source app. Not all apps expose reply actions. Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord) typically support replies. If replies aren't available for an app, the reply option won't appear in VR.

If an app on your phone allows inline replies, but NotiVR does not show the reply option, please contact us and we'll investigate.

Other Issues

If you are experiencing other issues not listed here or have any questions, please contact us and we'll help you out.