Why MyBox Asks for Notification Access (and How to Turn It On)

When you install MyBox, the first thing it asks for is “Notification access”. Many merchants pause here, and rightly so. Your phone is personal. This post explains in simple language what this permission is, why MyBox cannot work without it, and how to set it up so it keeps working even on phones that aggressively kill background apps.

What notification access actually is

Every time Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM or WhatsApp Pay receives money, the app shows a notification on your phone: “₹150 received from Ramesh”. Android has a built-in feature called the notification listener that lets an app you approve read those notifications as they appear.

That is all MyBox uses it for. It watches for payment notifications, reads the amount, and speaks it out loud in your chosen language. Without this permission, MyBox has no way to know a payment happened. The notification on your own phone is the only signal.

What MyBox does not do with it

Notification access is a broad permission on paper, so it is fair to ask what MyBox ignores.

• MyBox only looks at notifications from UPI apps and, if you turn it on separately, bank SMS. Chats, emails and other app notifications are not processed.
• Announcements are generated on the phone using offline text-to-speech. The amount does not need to be sent anywhere to be spoken.
• MyBox does not read your UPI PIN, your bank balance, or your contacts. It cannot make payments. A notification listener can only see what is shown in the notification shade.

If you ever want to stop, turn off notification access in Android settings and MyBox goes quiet immediately.

Turning it on: the basic steps

On most Android phones the flow is the same:

1. Open MyBox and tap Activate alerts.
2. Your phone will open the Notification access or Device and app notifications settings screen.
3. Find MyBox in the list and switch it on.
4. Confirm the warning dialog.
5. Go back to MyBox. The status should now show as active.

Test it right away: ask a friend to send ₹1 to your UPI QR, or send it yourself from another phone. You should hear the announcement within a second or two.

The real problem: battery savers that kill the app

Here is the part most guides skip. Turning on notification access is easy. Keeping MyBox alive is harder, because many Indian phones ship with aggressive battery managers that silently stop background apps. The symptom is always the same: MyBox works for an hour, then goes quiet until you open it again.

Here is how to fix it on the common brands.

Samsung

1. Go to Settings, then Battery, then Background usage limits.
2. Open Never sleeping apps and add MyBox.
3. Make sure MyBox is not listed under Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps.
4. Optionally, turn off Put unused apps to sleep.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO (MIUI or HyperOS)

1. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Manage apps, then MyBox.
2. Turn on Autostart.
3. Under Battery saver, choose No restrictions.
4. Open Recent apps, long-press the MyBox card, and tap the lock icon so it is not cleared when you swipe away other apps.

Vivo and iQOO

1. Go to Settings, then Battery, then Background power consumption management.
2. Find MyBox and allow high background power consumption.
3. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Autostart and enable MyBox.
4. In the i Manager app, add MyBox to the whitelist if the option exists.

Realme and OPPO (ColorOS)

1. Go to Settings, then Battery, then More settings.
2. Turn off Sleep standby optimisation.
3. Go to Settings, then Apps, then App management, then MyBox, then Battery usage.
4. Allow background activity and turn off the automatic optimisation.
5. Enable Auto-launch for MyBox.

Stock Android and OnePlus

1. Go to Settings, then Apps, then MyBox, then Battery.
2. Choose Unrestricted.

Menu names change a little between software versions, but the words to look for are always the same: autostart, background, battery, unrestricted, never sleep.

Two more things to check

• Do not disturb. If your phone is on silent or DND during shop hours, announcements may be muted. MyBox plays through the media channel, so check that media volume is up, not just the ringer.
• Bank SMS is optional. If you also want MyBox to announce payments that arrive by bank SMS (useful when a UPI app notification is delayed), you can turn on SMS reading separately inside the app. This is a second permission, and MyBox only looks at messages from bank sender IDs.

When it still does not work

Restart the phone once after changing battery settings. If MyBox goes silent again after a day, open the app and look at the alert status screen. It tells you which permission or setting is missing. And if you are stuck, message us from within the app and tell us your phone model. We have probably seen it before.

Ready to hear your first payment? Get MyBox on Google Play, turn on notification access, and let your phone do the announcing.