Others

How to Reopen a Dismissed "On This Day" Notification on Android

Emma Brown Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to retrieve or reopen an "On This Day" notification that was accidentally dismissed or disappeared from the notification shade.

How to Reopen an "On This Day" Notification on Android

Product: Android System
Device & OS: Android
Scenario: Accidentally swiping away or losing track of an "On This Day" memory alert before opening it.
Observed behavior: The notification disappears from the screen, and the system does not provide an immediate, obvious way to undo the dismissal or restore it from the status bar.

Before you start

Ensure your device is running Android 11 or a newer version, as the native Notification History feature required to view dismissed alerts is not available on older operating systems.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Android Notification History

Retrieve the dismissed "On This Day" alert by accessing your device's built-in Notification History, provided the feature was previously enabled.

Android 11 and later versions include a hidden log of recently dismissed notifications. You can use this log to see which app sent the "On This Day" memory and launch it directly from the history menu.

Open Device Settings

Unlock your Android device, swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the quick settings panel, and tap the gear icon to open the Settings app.

Navigate to Notifications

Scroll through the settings menu and tap on "Notifications" or "Apps & notifications" depending on your specific device manufacturer.

Access Notification History

Tap on "Notification history" (you may need to tap "Advanced settings" first on some devices, like Samsung Galaxy phones).

Find the Dismissed Alert

Scroll through the "Recently dismissed" or last 24 hours list to locate the "On This Day" notification. Tap on it to open the corresponding app and view your memory.

Pre-requisite Warning: If the Notification History toggle was turned off at the time you dismissed the alert, the notification cannot be recovered through the system. You will need to enable it now for future occurrences.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Keep Your Daily Memories and Journals Safe with WPS Office

While Android handles your system notifications, you might need a reliable app to document your daily memories, journals, or mobile documents. WPS Office is a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office that lets you seamlessly manage files right from your Android device.

1. Download the App: Get WPS Office for free from the Google Play Store or the official website.
2. Create a Journal: Open a new Word document or Memo to start logging your daily memories.
3. Save to Cloud: Enable cloud synchronization so you never lose your important records, even if you dismiss a local notification.

Free and lightweight office suite optimized for Android and desktop devicesFully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formatsFamiliar and intuitive interface for seamless migration and daily journalingBuilt-in cloud sync to securely back up your daily records and documents

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a dismissed notification on older Android versions?

Native notification history is only built into Android 11 and above. For older versions, you cannot recover dismissed alerts unless you had previously installed a third-party notification logger app from the Google Play Store.

Why is my Notification History completely empty?

By default, Notification History is disabled on most Android devices to protect your privacy. You must manually toggle the feature on in your Notification settings before it can begin recording dismissed alerts.

Is there another way to find the 'On This Day' memory without the notification?

Yes. If the notification was sent by an app like Google Photos, Facebook, or Snapchat, simply open that specific app and navigate to its respective 'Memories', 'Archive', or 'Timehop' tab to view the exact same content.

Office Quick Solutions