The Product Decision Behind “When Android quietly kills a plant reminder” in GrowBook
A tiny utility app still needs a clear opinion about how the work should happen.
A plant reminder has one job: appear when the plant needs attention.
Why I made the call
GrowBook explains why it asks for notification access before showing the system prompt. It checks the relevant settings, saves schedules locally, and rebuilds reminders after a reboot or app update. When the operating system refuses an exact time, the app needs to say so instead of pretending everything is fine.
What I am watching after launch
There is still no universal switch that defeats every battery manager on every Android phone. I would rather be clear about that limitation and guide people to the right setting than promise a reminder that may never arrive.
A reminder that admits it needs one more system setting is better than a silent reminder that never appears.
I am tracking whether people use this twice, not whether they say the screen looks nice.
GrowBook on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yuntai.growbook
Tracking whether people come back twice is the right instinct, but that number cannot see the failure you are worried about. Somebody whose reminder never fired and somebody who simply did not need one both look like a person who did not return. The number that separates them is scheduled versus actually delivered, logged on the device: you set two hundred reminders this week, how many fired within a few minutes of their time. Bucket that by manufacturer and you will find out quickly whether this is an Android problem or a Xiaomi and Huawei problem, which are very different things to tell a user.