Fixing notifications¶
Notifications should be one small setup, then hands-off. If yours aren't arriving, or the Notifications button is missing from the archive, this page walks through the fixes — the same ones support would send you.
If you haven't set them up yet, start with Adding the archive to your home screen and Getting notifications for new letters. Come back here if something goes wrong.
What "working" looks like
You'll see a small notification titled New letter from <missionary's name> whenever a new letter arrives. Tapping it opens the letter in the archive. We only ever notify you about a new letter — no reminders, no promotions, no digests.
Start here — three quick checks¶
Nine times out of ten it's one of these:
- Open the archive from the icon on your home screen (not from a browser tab). The Notifications button only shows up when you're in the installed app. On iPhone and iPad this is not optional — Apple only allows notifications from apps saved to the home screen.
- Go to the archive page (or a specific letter). The Notifications button is in the archive header. You won't see it on the missionary's homepage or on other pages.
- Sign in using the link the missionary's family sent you. The button only appears once you're signed in; a signed-out visitor doesn't see it.
If those three are true and you still don't see a bell, keep reading.
The Notifications button is missing¶
Every reason the button doesn't appear:
- You're on the wrong page. The button lives in the header of the archive — the page listing letters, or a specific letter. It's not on the missionary's homepage.
- You're in a browser tab, not the installed app. On iPhone and iPad this always hides the button. On Android and desktop it usually still works in a browser tab, but installing the app is more reliable. See Adding the archive to your home screen.
- You're not signed in. Open the archive link the missionary's family sent you (usually in a welcome email), then look again.
- You cleared cookies or opened a private tab. Signing back in fixes it.
- You said "Don't Allow" the last time we asked. Some browsers hide the button after that. See You said "Don't Allow" below.
- Your browser doesn't support web notifications. Firefox on iPhone and iPad, and older browsers, can't receive them. Use Safari on iPhone/iPad or Chrome on Android. See Which browsers work.
You allowed notifications but nothing arrives¶
You saw the button, tapped it, said Allow, the button now says Notifications: on, and… nothing when a new letter goes out. Try these in order:
- Send a test. Ask the missionary to send a short reply-all to their address book. If it arrives as a notification, you're set.
- Check your phone's Do Not Disturb / Focus mode. iOS Focus modes (Sleep, Work, Personal) and Android's Do Not Disturb can silence notifications from apps not on your allow list. Open the phone's Settings and look for Focus (iPhone) or Do Not Disturb (Android).
- Check that notifications are on for the app at the phone level. Even after you say Allow in the app, the phone's own settings can still be off. On iPhone: Settings → find the missionary's name in the app list → Notifications → Allow Notifications on. On Android: Settings → Apps → find the missionary's name → Notifications → toggle on.
- Make sure it's the right device. Notifications are per-device. If you turned them on on your laptop last week, your phone still needs its own Allow. See You want notifications on more than one device.
- iPhone owners: your phone may have quietly turned notifications off. iPhone sometimes revokes the permission if the app doesn't send anything for a stretch. Open the archive from the home-screen icon and tap Notifications again — you'll see the same off → tap to turn on state as the first time, and you can re-allow with one tap.
You said "Don't Allow" — how to say yes now¶
Once you tap Don't Allow, the browser remembers, and we can't ask again. You have to change the setting yourself. It's a couple of taps.
- Open the phone's Settings app (not the missionary's app).
- Scroll down and find the missionary's name in the app list.
- Tap Notifications.
- Turn Allow Notifications on.
- Reopen the archive from the home-screen icon and tap the Notifications button — it should offer the setup again.
- Open the phone's Settings app.
- Tap Apps (sometimes called Applications).
- Find the missionary's name (if you installed the app) — or find Chrome if you're using the archive in a browser tab.
- Tap Notifications and turn them on.
- If you're in a browser tab and the setting was per-site: also open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu → Settings → Site settings → Notifications → find the missionary's archive and set it to Allow.
- Reopen the archive and tap the Notifications button.
- Open the archive in Chrome or Edge.
- Click the small padlock (or "tune") icon just left of the web address at the top of the browser.
- Find Notifications in the list.
- Change it from Block to Allow.
- Refresh the archive page, then click the Notifications button in the header.
- Open Safari → menu bar Safari → Settings → Websites → Notifications.
- Find the missionary's archive in the list.
- Change it from Deny to Allow.
- Return to the archive page and click the Notifications button.
- Open the archive in Firefox.
- Click the small padlock icon just left of the web address.
- Click Clear cookies and site data (this also clears the remembered "no").
- Refresh the page.
- Click the Notifications button in the header — Firefox will ask again, and this time you can say Allow.
If you don't see the missionary's archive in a Notifications settings list, that's fine — it means the browser doesn't have a saved "no" for this site. Reopen the archive and tap the Notifications button.
You want notifications on more than one device¶
Notifications are per device. That's not a limitation of Mission Broadcast — it's how web notifications work everywhere.
- Your phone and your laptop each need their own Allow.
- Turning notifications off on one device doesn't turn them off on the others.
- If you install the archive on a new phone, redo the setup there. Your old phone keeps its own setting.
Nothing to configure globally. Just do the two-step setup on each device you want the nudge on.
You follow more than one missionary¶
Same rule: each missionary's archive is its own app on your home screen, each with its own Notifications button. Turning notifications on for one missionary doesn't turn them on for another.
Which browsers work¶
Web notifications need a browser that supports them and an operating system that lets that browser show them. Here's what to expect:
| Where you're reading | Notifications work? |
|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad — Safari, archive installed to home screen | Yes |
| iPhone or iPad — Safari, plain browser tab | No — install first |
| iPhone or iPad — Chrome, Firefox, or in-app browser (Instagram, Facebook) | No — use Safari |
| Android — Chrome, installed or in a browser tab | Yes |
| Android — Firefox | Yes |
| Android — in-app browser (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) | No — open in Chrome |
| macOS — Safari 16 or newer | Yes |
| macOS — Chrome, Edge, Firefox | Yes |
| Windows — Chrome, Edge, Firefox | Yes |
| Windows — Chrome/Edge with the archive installed as a desktop app | Yes |
If your browser isn't in the "yes" column, open the archive in one that is.
The Notifications button says "temporarily unavailable"¶
That means we haven't turned notifications on for this account yet — usually because we're mid-rollout. Nothing you did wrong. Emails still work normally; the notification path just isn't live for this account. Try again in a day.
Nothing works — get help¶
Send a note to support@missionbroadcast.com and tell us:
- Which missionary's archive you're trying to get notifications for.
- What kind of phone or computer you're on (iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows).
- Which browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge).
- What the Notifications button says right now (off — Tap to turn on, on, temporarily unavailable), or that you can't see it at all.
- What you've already tried from this page.
We'll get you sorted.