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Notification Access on Android 13+

Android 13 introduced "restricted settings" for apps installed outside the Play Store (sideloaded). This affects Strimma when installed from GitHub releases, which is the recommended installation method.

This is a security feature, not a bug. Android wants to make sure you intentionally grant powerful permissions to apps you've installed manually.

Why does Strimma need notification access?

In Companion mode (the default), Strimma reads glucose values from your CGM app's notifications. This is the same approach used by xDrip+, Juggluco, and other CGM companion apps.

Other data sources don't need this

Notification access is only required for Companion mode. If you use xDrip Broadcast, Nightscout Follower, or LibreLinkUp mode, you can skip this page entirely. See Data Sources for details.

Android's notification access is all-or-nothing — there's no way to grant access to only specific apps' notifications. Strimma only reads notifications from known CGM apps and ignores everything else.

How to grant notification access

Step 1: Try to enable notification access

  1. Open Android Settings > Apps > Special app access > Notification access
  2. Find Strimma in the list and try to toggle it on
  3. Android will show a message: "For your security, this setting is currently unavailable"

This is expected. Move on to step 2.

Step 2: Allow restricted settings

  1. Open Android Settings > Apps > Strimma
  2. Tap the ⋮ (three-dot menu) in the top right corner
  3. Tap "Allow restricted settings"
  4. You may need to confirm with your fingerprint or PIN

Can't find the menu option?

The "Allow restricted settings" option only appears after you've attempted step 1. If you don't see it, go back and try step 1 first.

Step 3: Enable notification access

  1. Go back to Settings > Apps > Special app access > Notification access
  2. Find Strimma and toggle it on
  3. Android will show a warning dialog — read it and tap Allow

That's it. Strimma can now read glucose notifications.

Still not working?

  • Make sure your CGM app is running and showing glucose notifications
  • Check that Strimma's data source is set to Companion Mode (Settings > Data Source)
  • Try toggling notification access off and on again
  • Restart your phone

See the Troubleshooting page for more help.