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What can I do if someone is not receiving push notifications?

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Important: Microsoft has discontinued support for push notifications on Windows Phone devices with OS versions below 8.1. For more information, contact the device manufacturer.

If push notifications are not being received on a smartphone or tablet, try the following troubleshooting steps. 

Note: If a Resolve button prompt is present next to a notification, this means the notification is currently enabled but does not have any recipients. Click Resolve and follow the prompts to add notification recipients. 

Verify push notifications are enabled using the Alarm.com app

  1. Log into the Alarm.com app.
  2. Tap Menu .
  3. Tap Notifications.
  4. Verify Push Notifications is toggled on.
    • If it is toggled off:
      1. Tap the toggle switch to toggle it on.
      2. Verify that the desired recipient is added to the notifications. 
      3. Allow a few minutes for it to save, and then test the notification.

 

Verify the push device is active using the Alarm.com customer website

  1. Log into the Alarm.com customer website. 
  2. Click Notifications. 
  3. Click Push Devices. 
  4. Click the desired device to manage notifications for. 
  5. Verify Enable Notifications is toggled on. 
  6. Click Save. 

Verify the notification is enabled

Notifications can be enabled using the Alarm.com app or Alarm.com customer website. 

  1. Log into the Alarm.com app.
  2. Tap Menu .
  3. Tap Notifications.
  4. Tap Settings.
  5. Tap the desired notification to verify.
  6. Verify the notification toggle switch is toggled ON. 
    • If the notification is toggled off, click the toggle switch to enable the notification. Allow a few minutes for it to save, and then test the notification. 
  7. Flick to scroll to verify desired push devices are shown under Recipients.
    • If desired push devices are not showing:
      1. In Recipients, tap Add. 
      2. Tap to select the desired push devices. 
      3. Tap Close. 
  8. Tap Save to save any changes made. Allow a few minutes for it to save, and then test the notification. 
  1. Log into the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Notifications. 
  3. Verify the desired notification is toggled on.
    • If the notification is toggled off, click the toggle switch to enable the notification. Allow a few minutes for it to save, and then test the notification. 
  4. Click Edit for the desired notification to verify.
  5. In Recipients, verify desired push devices are shown. 
    • If desired push devices are not showing:
      1. In Recipients, click Add. 
      2. Click to select the desired push devices. 
      3. Click Close. 
      4. Click Save. Allow a few minutes for it to save, and then test the notification. 

Verify events are reporting 

If the trigger events for the desired notifications are not reporting in the account's history, the cause for the push notification not sending may be that the security panel is not signaling properly or is not communicating the triggering action properly.

The account history can be viewed using the Alarm.com app or Alarm.com customer website. 

  1. Log into the Alarm.com app.
  2. Tap Date. 
  3. Verify the events that you want push notifications for (e.g., Arming reminder, system armed away, sensor opened/closed, etc.) are appearing in the History. 
    • Flick down to refresh the history. 
  1. Log into the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Activity. 
  3. Verify the events that you want push notifications for (e.g., Arming reminder, system armed away, sensor opened/closed, etc.) are appearing on the Activity page. 

Power cycle the push device 

If all preceding steps have been taken, the cellular connection of the push device may be unstable. Power cycle the push device to help ensure there is a good cellular connection. If the push device cannot secure a stable cellular connection, it may be necessary to contact the cellular provider for additional troubleshooting. 

Refresh the push device 

If all preceding steps have been taken, refresh the push device by removing the push device from the account and then adding it back onto the account.

To refresh push devices:  

Note: Both the Alarm.com app and Alarm.com customer website are used in this process. 

  1. Disable push notifications on the mobile device:
    1. Log into the Alarm.com app.
    2. Tap Menu.
    3. Tap Notifications.
    4. Tap the Push Notifications toggle switch so it is toggled off.
  2. Verify that push devices are disabled from the Alarm.com customer website: 
    1. Log into the Alarm.com customer website. 
    2. Click Notifications.
    3. Click Push Devices.
    4. Click the desired push notifications device.
    5. Click Delete.
    6. In the pop-up window, click Delete.
  3. Once push devices are verified to be disabled on the Alarm.com customer website, re-enable push notifications on the mobile device:
    1. Log back into the Alarm.com app.
    2. Tap Menu.
    3. Tap Notifications.
    4. Tap the Push Notifications toggle switch so it is toggled back on. 
  4. Verify the push devices are showing on the Push Devices user again from the Alarm.com customer website:
    1. Log back into the Alarm.com customer website. 
    2. Click Notifications.
    3. Click Push Devices.
    4. Click the desired push notifications device.
    5. Verify Enable Notifications is toggled on. 
    6. Rename the device, if desired, then click Save. 
  5. Add the push device as a recipient to desired notifications. For more information, see Verify the notification is enabled. 
  6. Test push notifications by triggering the action that generates notifications. 

Device-specific troubleshooting

General steps 
  1. Verify there are not any settings enabled on the device that would prevent push notifications from being received.
    • Depending on the device the user has, the instructions to verify settings may vary. For device-specific instructions about how to verify these settings, refer to Apple Support or Android Help.
  2. Verify there are not any security applications installed on the device that may block push notifications.
If notifications are only sent when the Alarm.com app is open: 

If notifications are only received once the Alarm.com app is opened, the reason for this behavior could be that the Alarm.com app is not allowed to run in the background or that the Alarm.com app is not allowed to transmit data in the background.

Note: If unable to find the respective settings, use the settings search feature in the Android or iPhone settings.

  1. Restart the mobile device. 
  2. Verify the push device is connected to the internet. 
  3. Verify the push device can receive notifications. For device-specific instructions about how to verify these settings, refer to Apple Support or Android Help.
  4. Verify that the Alarm.com app can receive background data. 
    • For iPhone, locate the Background App Refresh setting and verify that it is enabled for the Alarm.com app. 
    • For Android, locate the Restrict Background Data setting and verify that it is disabled for the Alarm.com app.  
  5. Verify battery saver mode is disabled. 
    • For iPhone, locate the Low Power Mode setting and verify that it is disabled. 
    • For Android, locate the Battery Saver Mode setting and add the Alarm.com app to the exclusion list. 

For further troubleshooting, contact your service provider.

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