diff --git a/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/GBApplication.java b/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/GBApplication.java
index b3b9872f9a..1cf63cd3aa 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/GBApplication.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/GBApplication.java
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import android.util.TypedValue;
 
 import androidx.annotation.VisibleForTesting;
 import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat;
+import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
 import androidx.localbroadcastmanager.content.LocalBroadcastManager;
 
 import java.io.File;
@@ -333,7 +334,11 @@ public class GBApplication extends Application {
             }
             try {
                 //the following will ensure the notification manager is kept alive
-                startService(new Intent(this, NotificationCollectorMonitorService.class));
+                Intent serviceIntent = new Intent(context, NotificationCollectorMonitorService.class);
+
+                //ContextCompat starts a background service on android < O automatically despite the method name
+                ContextCompat.startForegroundService(context, serviceIntent);
+
             } catch (IllegalStateException e) {
                 String message = e.toString();
                 final Intent instructionsIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("https://gadgetbridge.org/basics/topics/background-service/"));
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/service/NotificationCollectorMonitorService.java b/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/service/NotificationCollectorMonitorService.java
index 15a3734cd5..e02e1c7ae4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/service/NotificationCollectorMonitorService.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/nodomain/freeyourgadget/gadgetbridge/service/NotificationCollectorMonitorService.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.service;
 
 import android.app.ActivityManager;
+import android.app.Notification;
 import android.app.Service;
 import android.content.ComponentName;
 import android.content.Context;
@@ -25,13 +26,19 @@ import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
 import android.os.IBinder;
 import android.os.Process;
 
+import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat;
+
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.List;
 
+import nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.GBApplication;
+import nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.R;
 import nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.externalevents.NotificationListener;
 
+import static nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.util.GB.NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID;
+
 /**
  * Original source by xinghui - see https://gist.github.com/xinghui/b2ddd8cffe55c4b62f5d8846d5545bf9
  * NB: no license specified in the source code as of 2017-04-19
@@ -39,16 +46,30 @@ import nodomain.freeyourgadget.gadgetbridge.externalevents.NotificationListener;
 public class NotificationCollectorMonitorService extends Service {
 
     private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(NotificationCollectorMonitorService.class);
+    private static final int ONGOING_NOTIFICATION_ID = 1;
 
 
     @Override
     public void onCreate() {
         super.onCreate();
-        ensureCollectorRunning();
     }
 
     @Override
     public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
+
+        if (GBApplication.isRunningOreoOrLater()) {
+            Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)
+                    .setContentTitle(getString(R.string.service_notification_collector_service_title))
+                    .setContentText(getString(R.string.service_notification_collector_service_text))
+                    .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.ic_notification)
+                    .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_LOW)
+                    .build();
+
+            startForeground(ONGOING_NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
+        }
+
+        ensureCollectorRunning();
+
         return START_STICKY;
     }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index 3d3d25c1ac..5733b48ae1 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -4107,4 +4107,6 @@
     <string name="activity_print_image_apply_dithering_switch">Apply Dithering</string>
     <string name="activity_print_image_upscale_switch">Upscale image</string>
     <string name="activity_print_label_print_size">Print size (px): %1$d x %2$d</string>
+    <string name="service_notification_collector_service_title">Gadgetbridge Notification Monitor</string>
+    <string name="service_notification_collector_service_text">Monitoring notifications in background</string>
 </resources>