Gmail not getting new emails on Android? What to check

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 6 steps · Published 6 October 2026

Device

Android

Shown on

Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16

App

Gmail

Real screenshots

6 of 6 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open your account's settings

   In Gmail tap the three lines at the top left, then Settings near the bottom, and tap your account. We blurred our addresses.

   Done

2. 

   Check Sync Gmail

   Scroll to Data usage. Sync Gmail must be ticked, or the app stops fetching mail. Days of mail to sync was 30 days on ours.

   Done

3. 

   Check the notification setting

   At the top, Notifications should be All or High priority only, not None. Inbox notifications sets whether it notifies once or for every message.

   Done

4. 

   Check Android's notifications for Gmail

   Tap Manage notifications. On the phone's page for Gmail mail, Allow notifications must be on. Alert gives sound and pop-up; Silent hides them.

   Done

5. 

   Look in Spam

   Open the menu and tap Spam. If the mail is there, open it and tap Report not spam so the next one lands in the inbox.

   Done

6. 

   Clear the app cache

   Open the phone's Settings, Apps, Gmail, Storage and tap Clear cache. Do not tap Clear data: it resets the app as if newly installed. Our Gmail used 2.17 MB of cache.

   Done

About this guide

Mail arrives on your computer but not on the phone, or arrives without a notification. Work through the app's own settings first, then the phone's. Our Gmail account is a real one, so addresses, senders and subjects are blurred; the only mail we touched was a test message we sent to ourselves.

The screenshots are from Chrome and the Gmail app on a Samsung Galaxy A57 5G with Android 16 and One UI 8.5, in dark mode. Both apps look the same on other Android phones; only the phone's own settings screens differ by brand.

Good to know

A full Google storage quota also stops new mail arriving: Gmail storage full on Android: how to find big emails.

Filters made on a computer can skip the inbox or delete mail; they are only visible on the Gmail website.

In short: Gmail, Settings, account: Sync Gmail ticked, Notifications not None. Phone notifications for Gmail on. Check Spam. Clear cache, not data.