diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index aeaa0152..2aaf6abc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+## 8.1.0
+
+Added `android.noNotification`, which uploads a file without posting a progress
+notification. An app that uploads housekeeping payloads alongside user-visible
+ones can now keep the notification shade for the ones a user asked to watch.
+
+The notification doubles as the upload worker's foreground-service notification,
+so a silent upload runs as an ordinary background worker: the OS may defer it, or
+stop it mid-flight for WorkManager to re-run. It suits small payloads a restart
+costs nothing; media files should keep their notification. Default is `false`, so
+existing uploads are unaffected, including jobs enqueued by 8.0.0 and re-run
+after the upgrade.
+
 ## 8.0.0
 
 Reliability release. Terminal outcomes are now durable and accurately typed, the
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9d2285d4..24d87446 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -128,7 +128,21 @@ Starts an upload; resolves to its id. Rejects only on a bad option (missing/inva
 | `customUploadId` | string | Defaults to a generated UUID. |
 | `wifiOnly` | boolean | Wait for wifi before/while uploading. |
 | `acceptStatus` | number[] | Non-2xx statuses to treat as success. |
-| `android` | object | Optional. `notificationId/Title/TitleNoWifi/TitleNoInternet/Channel`, `maxRetries` (default 5). Sensible defaults + auto-created channel if omitted. |
+| `android` | object | Optional. `notificationId/Title/TitleNoWifi/TitleNoInternet/Channel`, `maxRetries` (default 5), `noNotification` (default false). Sensible defaults + auto-created channel if omitted. |
+
+#### Silent uploads (Android)
+
+`android: { noNotification: true }` uploads a file without posting a progress
+notification, so the shade only shows the uploads a user actually asked to watch.
+
+That notification is also the worker's foreground-service notification, so a
+silent upload runs as an ordinary background worker instead. The OS is then free
+to defer it, or to stop it mid-flight and let WorkManager re-run it later. Keep
+the notification for anything that takes real time to upload; reserve
+`noNotification` for small payloads a restart would cost nothing.
+
+Uploads sharing a `notificationId` share one notification, and its progress bar
+reports every in-flight upload — silent ones included.
 
 ### `cancelUpload(uploadId): Promise<boolean>`
 Cancels an upload. Fires a `cancelled` event with `cancelReason: 'user'`.
diff --git a/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/Upload.kt b/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/Upload.kt
index f314b1f9..d4d753a5 100644
--- a/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/Upload.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/Upload.kt
@@ -23,7 +23,23 @@ data class Upload(
   val notificationTitleNoInternet: String,
   val notificationTitleNoWifi: String,
   val notificationChannel: String,
+  /**
+   * Suppresses the progress notification for this upload.
+   *
+   * The notification is not decoration: posting one is what lets the worker run
+   * in foreground mode, which is how a long-running worker survives Doze and
+   * memory pressure. A suppressed upload is an ordinary background worker, so
+   * the OS may defer it or stop it mid-flight for WorkManager to re-run later.
+   * Suppress only payloads small enough that a restart costs nothing.
+   *
+   * An opt-out rather than an opt-in so that absence means "notify": this model
+   * is serialized into WorkManager's database, and a job enqueued by a build
+   * that predates the option can be replayed by a build that has it.
+   */
+  val noNotification: Boolean,
 ) {
+  val showsNotification get() = !noNotification
+
   class MissingOptionException(optionName: String) :
     IllegalArgumentException("Missing '$optionName'")
 
@@ -60,6 +76,8 @@ data class Upload(
         ?: "Waiting for Wi-Fi…",
       notificationChannel = map.getString(Upload::notificationChannel.name)
         ?: DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL,
+      noNotification = if (map.hasKey(Upload::noNotification.name))
+        map.getBoolean(Upload::noNotification.name) else false,
     )
   }
 }
diff --git a/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadWorker.kt b/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadWorker.kt
index b3fd2a1c..9ad6380b 100644
--- a/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadWorker.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadWorker.kt
@@ -83,14 +83,18 @@ class UploadWorker(private val context: Context, params: WorkerParameters) :
 
     // initialization, errors thrown here won't be retried
     try {
-      // The foreground notification needs a channel to exist first, or posting
-      // it silently fails and setForeground can crash on newer Android.
-      ensureNotificationChannel()
-      // `setForeground` is recommended for long-running workers.
-      // Foreground mode helps prioritize the worker, reducing the risk
-      // of it being killed during low memory or Doze/App Standby situations.
-      // ⚠️ This should be called in the foreground
-      setForeground(getForegroundInfo())
+      // An upload that suppresses its notification cannot enter foreground mode,
+      // since the notification is the foreground service's own notification.
+      if (upload.showsNotification) {
+        // The foreground notification needs a channel to exist first, or posting
+        // it silently fails and setForeground can crash on newer Android.
+        ensureNotificationChannel()
+        // `setForeground` is recommended for long-running workers.
+        // Foreground mode helps prioritize the worker, reducing the risk
+        // of it being killed during low memory or Doze/App Standby situations.
+        // ⚠️ This should be called in the foreground
+        setForeground(getForegroundInfo())
+      }
     } catch (error: Throwable) {
       if (!checkAndHandleCancellation()) handleError(error)
       throw error
@@ -163,6 +167,13 @@ class UploadWorker(private val context: Context, params: WorkerParameters) :
   private fun handleProgress(bytesSentTotal: Long, fileSize: Long) {
     UploadProgress.set(upload.id, bytesSentTotal)
     EventReporter.progress(upload.id, bytesSentTotal, fileSize)
+    updateNotification()
+  }
+
+  // Redraws the progress notification. A no-op for a suppressed upload — the
+  // worker never posted one, and `notify` would create it outside foreground mode.
+  private fun updateNotification() {
+    if (!upload.showsNotification) return
     notificationManager.notify(upload.notificationId, buildNotification())
   }
 
@@ -283,7 +294,7 @@ class UploadWorker(private val context: Context, params: WorkerParameters) :
   private fun validateAndReportConnectivity(): Boolean {
     this.connectivity = validateConnectivity(context, upload.wifiOnly)
     // alert connectivity mode
-    notificationManager.notify(upload.notificationId, buildNotification())
+    updateNotification()
     return this.connectivity == Connectivity.Ok
   }
 
diff --git a/android/src/test/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadTest.kt b/android/src/test/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de856578
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/src/test/java/ai/openspace/backgroundupload/UploadTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package ai.openspace.backgroundupload
+
+import com.google.gson.Gson
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class UploadTest {
+  private val gson = Gson()
+
+  private fun upload(noNotification: Boolean) = Upload(
+    id = "u1",
+    url = "https://example.com/upload",
+    path = "/tmp/file",
+    method = "POST",
+    maxRetries = 5,
+    wifiOnly = false,
+    acceptStatus = listOf(),
+    headers = mapOf(),
+    notificationId = 1,
+    notificationTitle = "Uploading…",
+    notificationTitleNoInternet = "Waiting for connection…",
+    notificationTitleNoWifi = "Waiting for Wi-Fi…",
+    notificationChannel = "background-upload",
+    noNotification = noNotification,
+  )
+
+  @Test
+  fun `an upload notifies unless it opts out`() {
+    assertTrue(upload(noNotification = false).showsNotification)
+    assertFalse(upload(noNotification = true).showsNotification)
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `the opt-out survives a serialization round trip`() {
+    val json = gson.toJson(upload(noNotification = true))
+    assertFalse(gson.fromJson(json, Upload::class.java).showsNotification)
+  }
+
+  // WorkManager stores this model as JSON, so an upload can be enqueued by one
+  // build and run by the next. A job from a build without the option must keep
+  // its notification rather than silently losing foreground mode.
+  @Test
+  fun `a job enqueued without the option still notifies`() {
+    val json = gson.toJsonTree(upload(noNotification = true)).asJsonObject
+    json.remove(Upload::noNotification.name)
+    assertTrue(gson.fromJson(json, Upload::class.java).showsNotification)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2a886fef..0637a80b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "react-native-background-upload",
-  "version": "8.0.0",
+  "version": "8.1.0",
   "description": "Cross platform http post file uploader with android and iOS background support",
   "main": "src/index",
   "typings": "src/index.ts",
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index a5f15b66..6bf31eb2 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,16 @@ export type AndroidOnlyUploadOptions = {
   // Only retry IO and other unknown issues.
   // Network failure does not count towards retries
   maxRetries?: number;
+  /**
+   * Uploads this file without a progress notification. Default false.
+   *
+   * The notification is what puts the upload's worker in foreground mode, which
+   * is how it survives Doze and memory pressure, so a silent upload is easier
+   * for the OS to defer or stop and re-run. Reserve it for payloads small enough
+   * that a restart costs nothing, and keep it off for anything a user would
+   * expect to see progress for.
+   */
+  noNotification?: boolean;
 };
 
 export type RawUploadOptions = {