Getting notifications for new letters

You can have your phone (or computer) notify you the moment a new letter arrives, so you don't have to wait for email or remember to check the archive. It's a small setup — a couple of taps once, and then you're set.

Two steps, in this order

1. Add the archive to your home screen as an app (or install it on desktop). See Adding the archive to your home screen.
2. Open the archive from that new icon (not from a browser tab) and tap Notifications.

Skipping step 1 means notifications simply aren't available on iPhone — Apple only offers this to apps saved to the home screen.

Turning notifications on

1. Open the missionary's archive from the icon you saved to your home screen.
2. Find the Notifications control in the top-right of the header. It says Notifications: off — Tap to turn on.
3. Tap it. Your phone (or browser) asks whether you want to allow notifications from this missionary's archive. Say Allow.
4. The control now says Notifications: on — You'll get a notification when a new letter arrives on this device.

That's it. Next time the missionary sends a letter, your device gets a small notification.

One device at a time

The setting is per-device. If you also use the archive on a tablet or a computer, install and turn on notifications there separately. Each device asks for its own permission.

What the notification looks like

• Title: New letter from Elder Pehrson (with the missionary's name).
• Body: Tap to read.
• Tap: opens the letter in the archive, right where you left off.

The letter's subject is never in the notification — only the missionary's name — so nothing private lands on your lock screen.

Turning notifications off

Same control. Tap Notifications: on and confirm Turn off. Notifications stop right away on that device. You can turn them back on any time.

If the control shows "temporarily unavailable"

That means notifications aren't turned on for the site 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.

If you tapped "Don't allow"

Browsers remember that "no" and we can't ask again — you have to change it in your device's Settings.

• iPhone: open the Settings app → find the missionary's name (the app on your home screen) → Notifications → Allow Notifications.
• Android: open Settings → Apps → find the missionary's name → Notifications → turn back on.
• Desktop Chrome / Edge: click the padlock icon in the address bar when you're on the archive → Notifications → Allow.
• Desktop Firefox: click the padlock icon → Clear cookies and site data → refresh — then tap Notifications on the archive again to be re-asked.

Common questions

How often will I be notified? Only when a new letter arrives. We never send reminders, promotions, or anything else through notifications.

Does turning notifications on cost anything? No. Push notifications on the web are free, just like email.

Does the missionary see who has notifications on? No. We only use this so your phone can nudge you when a letter arrives — the missionary can't tell who has notifications set up.

I follow more than one missionary. Do I have to turn this on for each? Yes — each missionary's archive is a separate app on your home screen, each with its own Notifications control.

What if I miss a notification? You still get the letter by email as usual. Notifications are on top — they don't replace email.

Something's not working? See Fixing notifications — it covers the common causes (missing button, notifications that stopped without warning, per-device gotchas) with per-platform steps.

Still stuck? Send a note to support@missionbroadcast.com and we'll help.