My Google Pixel 8 can't handle notifications like a normal phone

They say money can’t buy happiness, but apparently, it can’t buy basic functionality either! Here I am, the proud owner of a brand new Google Pixel 8 – a phone that cost me a cool INR 75,999 (roughly $910) – and what am I greeted with? A notification system that’s about as reliable as a toddler with a jackhammer in a china shop.

Let me explain. Imagine this: you’re expecting an important email from your boss in Gmail, or a crucial update on a project in Trello – my lifeline for work. But instead of that gentle ping that tells you the world hasn’t ended (yet!), you get…crickets. Glorious, notification-less crickets. Then, the moment you finally decide to check your phone – BAM! You’re bombarded with a notification avalanche. It’s like the system stockpiles them all up, just to unleash them in a single, notification-fueled apocalypse.

I’m not even exaggerating based on a few instances. This bug has persisted ever since I booted up the phone. Moreover, it’s incredibly easy to replicate. How? Just keep your phone sitting idle for around an hour (sometimes a bit longer). Look, I’m aware that other phones also stop sending notifications when left idle for hours in some situations, but that’s not the case here. The phone just gives up around an hour. I can’t even cut Google some slack because while this doesn’t happen every single time I leave the phone, it does happen often, at least daily for me.

I’m sure there are some workarounds or settings that might help alleviate the problem until a proper fix arrives. But should I really have to jump through hoops to get basic notifications? I’ve used phones that cost a quarter of what the Pixel 8 will set you back yet never had to deal with such a frustrating bug.

Thankfully, I’m not alone in this technological purgatory. Apparently, a chorus of frustrated Pixel 8 users are echoing my woes with delayed notifications. Publications are reporting it, forums are overflowing with complaints – there’s a whole movement dedicated to this notification nightmare! At least there’s some solace in shared misery, right?

But here’s the silver lining – Google is apparently on the case. They’re investigating this notification fiasco, which gives me a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, a future update will let my $910 phone function properly.

Until then, however, the struggle is real. So, Google, if you’re listening (and let’s be honest, with all these complaints, you probably are), please, for the love of all things timely, fix this notification mess! My sanity, and my inbox, thank you in advance.