diff --git a/FAQ.md b/FAQ.md index 11bbe73da5..16ed2a3b27 100644 --- a/FAQ.md +++ b/FAQ.md @@ -403,36 +403,35 @@ only suggesting contacts won't work without contacts permissions. 🌎 [Google Translate](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=en&u=https://github.com/M66B/FairEmail/blob/master/FAQ.md%23user-content-faq2) -First of all, the "*monitoring*" status bar notification can be turned off without side effects, not directly by the app, but via the Android app settings, please read on. +*If you came here by clicking on the "monitoring" notification, you should know that the next click will open the unified inbox.* -A low priority permanent status bar notification with the number of accounts being monitored and the number of operations pending (see the next question) is shown -to prevent Android from killing the service that takes care of continuous receiving email. -This was [already necessary](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Service.html#startForeground(int,%20android.app.Notification)), -but with the introduction of [doze mode](https://developer.android.com/training/monitoring-device-state/doze-standby) in Android 6 Marshmallow this is more than ever necessary. -Doze mode will stop all apps when the screen is off for some time, unless the app did start a foreground service, which requires showing a status bar notification. +To reliably receive messages in the background the app needs to start a service, +which will let Android display a status bar notification notifying you about potential battery usage. -Most, if not all, other email apps don't show a notification -with the "side effect" that new messages are often not or late being reported and that messages are not or late being sent. - -Android shows icons of high priority status bar notifications first and will hide the icon of FairEmail's notification if there is no space to show icons anymore. -In practice this means that the status bar notification doesn't take space in the status bar, unless there is space available. - -The status bar notification can be disabled, without side effects, via the notification settings of FairEmail: +The service can't be started without a notification and the app can't disable the notification either. +However, you can disable the notification yourself, without side effects, via the notification settings of FairEmail: * Android 8 Oreo and later: tap the *Receive channel* button and disable the channel via the Android settings (this won't disable new message notifications) -* Android 7 Nougat and before: enabled *Use background service to synchronize messages*, but be sure to read the remark below the setting +* Android 7 Nougat and before: enabled *Use background service to synchronize messages*, but be sure to read the remark below the setting first -You can switch to periodically synchronization of messages in the receive settings to remove the notification, but be aware that this might use more battery power. +You can also switch to periodically synchronization of messages in the receive settings to remove the notification, but be aware that this might use more battery power. See [here](#user-content-faq39) for more details about battery usage. Android 8 Oreo might also show a status bar notification with the text *Apps are running in the background*. Please see [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/7vw7l4/psa_turn_off_background_apps_notification/) about how you can disable this notification. -Some people suggested to use [Firebase Cloud Messaging](https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/) (FCM) instead of an Android service with a status bar notification, -but this would require email providers to send FCM messages or a central server where all messages are collected sending FCM messages. -The first is not going to happen and the last would have significant privacy implications. +*Background* + +The service is a [foreground service](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Service.html#startForeground(int,%20android.app.Notification)) +and is needed to prevent Android from stopping the service when the device is sleeping +([doze mode](https://developer.android.com/training/monitoring-device-state/doze-standby)). + +Most, if not all, other email apps don't show a notification +with as "side effect" that new messages are often not or late being reported and that messages are not or late being sent. -If you came here by clicking on the notification, you should know that the next click will open the unified inbox. +Some other email apps download all your messages to their servers first and push messages via +[Firebase Cloud Messaging](https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/) to your device. +For your privacy this is not a nice solution ...