theScore Notifications Not Working: Fix Alerts in 6 Steps

I’ll help you get theScore game alerts back before the next tip-off, starting with the settings most often missed.

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Uma MarshReviewer · published Nov 8, 2026 · 6 min read

01If the final score arrived but the lead change did not

You glance at your phone between showings, see that a game has ended, and realize theScore never told you about the fourth-quarter swing. I would start by separating a missing alert from a delayed score. The Scores screen can still refresh when you open it, while alerts depend on a chain of choices in theScore, Android and the phone’s connection.

The most likely cause is a notification preference set too narrowly for a team, league or game. Next comes Android blocking theScore alerts, followed by battery controls that hold the app back in the background. A weak connection, a changed favorite or an alert set after a game starts can also make a perfectly normal app look unreliable. Start inside theScore; it is the fastest place to find the mismatch.

02Check the game alert, not just your Favorites feed

Favorites decides what theScore puts in your personalized feed. It is useful for headlines, standings and schedules, but it is not always the same thing as choosing every alert for every matchup. Open Scores, select the game you care about, and look for the bell or alerts control on that matchup page. That is where I would check a one-game reminder or scoring alert first.

For a team you follow all season, open its team page and use its notification options rather than relying on a general league choice. A league alert can bring broad news while leaving out the exact moment you want, such as game start, halftime, close-game action or the final. The next check makes sure Android is willing to deliver what you selected.

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03Six quick steps to restore theScore alerts

Open theScore and tap Scores, then open an upcoming or live matchup.
Use the matchup’s bell or alerts option and select the alerts you want.
Open Favorites and confirm the team, player or league is still selected.
On your Pixel, press and hold theScore icon, then tap App info.
Tap Notifications and turn on Allow notifications for theScore.
Open notification categories there and enable game, score or breaking-news alerts you want.

A category can be off even when the main Allow notifications switch is on. That is why I would open the categories rather than stopping at the first screen. Android can show categories with names that vary slightly by app release, so focus on the ones tied to game status, scores, breaking news and similar sports alerts. Leave chat alerts off if public matchup conversation is not something you want on a busy afternoon.

04Remove the Android settings that quietly delay a close game

If alerts appear only after you unlock the phone, battery management is the next likely cause. Android tries to reduce background activity, which is sensible for apps you rarely open but unhelpful for a live score service during a playoff game. On my Pixel, I would check this before blaming the arena signal or the app’s score feed.

Press and hold theScore icon, choose App info, then open App battery usage. Set it to Unrestricted when timely game notifications matter more than squeezing every bit of battery life from the phone. Also open Settings, then Notifications, and check that Do Not Disturb is not suppressing alerts. A scheduled bedtime mode can be the whole problem for a late West Coast game.

Battery Saver and a poor data connection can add another layer. Turn Battery Saver off while following a game, then check Wi-Fi or mobile data by opening the Scores page and pulling to refresh. If scores themselves refresh promptly but alerts remain absent, return to the notification categories. If scores lag too, the connection is the more useful place to investigate.

05Why live activities can look like missing alerts

The recent theScore changes include live activities for NCAA Football, CFL and CHL. I would treat those as an extra live-game surface, not as a replacement for ordinary notifications. Depending on your phone and the alert choices you made, a live activity may show ongoing game information while the separate scoring alert you expected remains disabled.

This distinction matters most for people juggling live sports streaming and a score app at the same time. A live activity is handy for a glance at a supported game, but it may not behave like a banner for every scoring event. Open a supported matchup, set its alerts directly, and then check Android’s notification permission as well. That keeps the two features from being confused with each other.

06Reset only what is safe before reinstalling theScore

If one team alerts correctly and another does not, remove and add back only the affected favorite, then revisit that team’s alert choices. If no team can alert after the checks above, close theScore from the recent-apps screen, open it again and visit Scores. This is a low-risk way to refresh the app session without disturbing your wider phone setup.

I would leave clearing app storage and reinstalling for last. Those options can make you sign in again and may require you to rebuild preferences, which is tedious when you follow several leagues. Before taking that route, confirm alerts work for an upcoming game rather than judging from a finished one. Notifications cannot recreate a play that happened before the alert was enabled.

theScore is built around scores, news, stats and game pages; it is not an event tickets, restaurant reservations or food delivery app. That sounds obvious, but it helps with expectations: use the matchup page for game-specific choices, and keep practical outing arrangements in the service designed for them. Once alerts return, the game page is the place to fine-tune what reaches your lock screen.

The takeaway

First, open the specific matchup in theScore, turn on its alerts, then check Android’s notification categories and battery setting for the app. Those three checks cover the usual reason a score alert disappears.

Continue to this site’s theScore page just below for more help with Scores, Favorites and live game features.

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Notes After Use is independent and not affiliated with Score Media and Gaming Inc.. This guide reflects the reviewer's own setup; menus can differ by device and version.