There is an open bug to fix this: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=64692 the fix is already in AOSP, soon to be released as part of KitKat: http://android-review.googlesource.com/#/c/25647 The problem was that an app could remove its own notification from the status bar, through a broadcast. This broadcast wasn't protected by the notification access permission, so any app on the device could intercept the broadcast and the notification would disappear. What the fix is doing is making those broadcasts protected, so only the app which added the notification can remove it.