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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

TL;DR: Android can throttle notifications and TTS in the background (Doze/app standby, battery optimization, "Do Not Disturb", missing special permission for exact alarms). In addition, legacy schedules can exist (e.g., after app updates) which you can clean up with "Rebuild notifications". Below you will find detailed causes, solutions, and diagnostics.

1) Sometimes I do not hear speech output (TTS)

Symptoms - Time announcements remain silent / start late. - Output stops after 1-2 words or is only audible with the screen unlocked. - Output goes to the wrong device (Bluetooth instead of speaker, etc.).

Likely causes (Android/OS) 1) Doze / app standby / battery optimization: background audio/jobs are throttled.
2) "Do Not Disturb" (DND): media output or notifications suppressed.
3) Audio focus / route conflict: other apps (music/call/maps) hold focus.
4) TTS engine: voice package missing/corrupt; engine is terminated by the OS.
5) Bluetooth/route: output moves to HFP/A2DP devices or smart speakers.
6) Media volume: (not ringer!) too low/muted.
7) OEM rules: MIUI/EMUI/ColorOS aggressively kill apps in the background.

What can I do (user) - Disable battery optimization for ToDay (System -> Battery -> Do not optimize).
- Allow exact alarms (Android 13+: Alarms & Reminders -> ToDay -> allowed).
- Check Do Not Disturb; set exceptions for alarms/reminders if needed.
- Increase media volume; check/disconnect the Bluetooth route.
- Install/check TTS engine & voice (system TTS settings).
- Open ToDay and run "Rebuild notifications".

Technical background - TTS only starts after engine init + audio focus. In Doze, Android shifts jobs into maintenance windows. Without SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM, alarms become inexact (+/- minutes).
- Audio routes (A2DP/HFP) can be briefly silent during handover until focus/route returns.

TTS pipeline (ASCII)

[Trigger] -> [Permissions?] -> [Doze?] -> [TTS init + audio focus] -> [Audio route] -> [Output]
             no -> (silent)     yes -> (delayed)

2) Notifications still fire even though I deleted activities

Symptoms - A reminder appears even though the activity in ToDay was deleted/checked off.
- Many old "Time announcement"/"Cycle" reminders remain active.

Likely causes 1) Legacy schedules (earlier app versions) -> different ID/payload schema, so cancel does not hit them.
2) OS queue: scheduled alarms remain if not explicitly canceled (e.g., after crash/update/force-close).
3) Boot/update: reschedule/cancel has not run yet.
4) Exact alarms denied: cancel routines only see "scheduled", not "delivered".

What can I do (user) - In Cleanup: enable "Cancel notifications/alarms" and execute it.
- In Danger zone: use "Rebuild notifications".

Technical background - Reminders are scheduled with deterministic ID + payload. After schema changes the cancel logic does not recognize older entries -> a one-time rebuild clears the legacy queue.
- Android continues to fire scheduled alarms even if the DB record has already been removed, as long as the alarm was not explicitly canceled.

Sequence (ASCII)

App:  Schedule(id, payload) -> [OS queue]
App:  Cancel(filter)        -> (schema matches?)
                               yes -> deleted
                               no  -> remains (orphan alarm)
Solution: "Rebuild notifications"

3) Reminders do not fire exactly at the desired time

Symptoms - Triggered late (minutes) / not at all, especially with the screen locked / at night.

Likely causes 1) No permission for exact alarms (Android 13+) -> OS batches/shifts.
2) Doze / app standby / battery protection -> only maintenance windows.
3) DND / quiet time / Digital Wellbeing -> notifications suppressed.
4) Time zone/daylight saving time (DST) -> instants exist twice/not at all.
5) OEM rules -> app restricted in background.

What can I do (user) - Allow exact alarms (Android 13+).
- Disable battery optimization, allow auto start/background execution.
- Check Do Not Disturb/quiet times.
- Do not use ultra power saving modes.

Flow (ASCII)

[t] -> (exact allowed?) no  -> (inexact +/- min)
      yes -> (Doze?)   yes -> (maintenance window)
                         no -> (exact at t)

4) Diagnostic checklist (quick)

1) Permissions - Notifications allowed
- Android 13+: Alarms & Reminders -> exact allowed
- Microphone (dictation) ok, media audio available

2) Power & background - Battery optimization for ToDay disabled
- OEM special: Allow auto start/background execution

3) Audio - Media volume != 0
- No competing player/call holds audio focus

4) System state - "Do Not Disturb" off / exceptions set
- After reboot/update open the app once (boot reschedule)

5) App maintenance - Cleanup -> with "Cancel notifications"
- Danger zone -> "Rebuild notifications"

5) Why does "Rebuild notifications" help?

  • Deletes all known scheduled entries (incl. legacy schema) from the system queue.
  • Re-schedules everything consistently with the current schema (ID/payload).
  • Fixes "orphan alarms" after updates/schema changes/crash scenarios.

6) OEM specifics (selection)

  • Xiaomi/MIUI: "Allow autostart", battery protection -> "No restrictions".
  • Huawei/EMUI: "Manage app start" -> "Automatically manage OFF", allow everything.
  • Samsung: "Adaptive battery"/"App in standby" -> exclude ToDay.
  • OnePlus/OPPO/realme: "App battery management" -> No limitation.
  • Vivo: "I-Manager" -> disable energy optimization for ToDay.

7) When is it not an app bug?

  • DND/Doze/optimization active -> the system delays/suppresses.
  • Daylight saving time (DST) -> OS normalizes times.
  • Alarms from an old version -> one-time "Rebuild" needed.