How Notifications Reach You
Between an event and the noise your phone makes sit half a dozen decisions - and any one of them can silence an alert.
When something happens that you should know about, REDENES does not simply buzz your phone. It works out whether the alert applies to you, what level you have set for it in your current duty state, whether you are muted, and which sound to use. This page walks that path in order, so you can find the step that is letting you down.
The Path an Alert Takes
Step 1: The Event and Who It Applies To
Alerts start on the REDENES side - a dispatch, a new message, a status change, a weather warning, a form sent to you. The server decides who should be told based on the agency, the groups involved, and in some cases location, then sends a push notification to the devices signed in for that agency.
Because alerts are per agency, muting one agency does not quiet the others, and being signed out of an agency means its alerts stop reaching that device.
Step 2: Your Rules for Your Current Duty State
This is the step most people do not expect. Every configurable notification stores a separate setting for each duty state, so the same event can page you loudly on duty and stay silent off duty.
| Duty state | When it applies |
|---|---|
| On Duty | While you are actively on shift |
| On Call | While you are reachable if needed |
| Off Duty | While you are not on shift |
That means changing your status on the Status & Availability board also changes how loudly the app talks to you. Review the rules themselves on Notification Settings, and the structure behind them on Push Notification Settings.
Step 3: The Alert Level
Four levels apply to each notification, in each duty state.
| Level | Sound | Banner | Gets through silent mode | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | No | No | No | Noise you never want |
| Silent | No | Yes | No | Things worth knowing, not worth waking for |
| Normal | Your normal sound | Yes | No | Everyday operational traffic |
| Critical | Your critical sound | Yes | Yes | Dispatches you must not miss |
The settings screen shows a count for each level across all your notifications, which is the fastest way to audit your setup - tap Critical to see exactly what will page you the loudest.
Critical is the only level that can sound when your phone is silenced, and it only works if you allowed critical alerts. If you denied that permission, a critical alert still arrives - just quietly, which defeats the point. See Device Permissions Explained.
Step 4: The Sound
Each notification either uses your agency's default sound or a specific sound from your library. Two defaults exist: one for normal alerts and one for critical alerts. Manage them on Notification Sounds.
The sound files themselves are downloaded to your device in advance, so an alert sounds the same with or without a signal.
Step 5: Muting
Muting is deliberately blunt, because it is there for when you genuinely cannot be disturbed.
| Mute type | Scope | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mute All Notifications | Every alert, for a set number of hours and minutes | Mute All Notifications |
| Per-agency mute | One agency's alerts | The agency list in the dashboard header |
| Alert level None | One specific notification, in one duty state | Notification Settings |
A mute has an expiry time and counts down on its own. While it is running you can extend it or cancel it early. Your active mute is restored when you sign in again, so it survives a restart.
The app warns you when you mute for a reason: "This could lead to you missing critical notifications by an agency you are subscribed to." A mute you forgot about is the single most common cause of missed alerts.
Step 6: Repage, Escalate and Location
Some alerts are too important to send once and hope.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Repage | Alerts you again until you acknowledge it |
| Escalate | Passes the alert onward if it goes unanswered |
| Alert Location | Limits or targets the alert based on locations, where the notification allows it |
| Locations | The specific places tied to a location-based alert |
These live in the same edit popup as the alert level and sound, per duty state, so you can have an on-duty dispatch that repages and escalates while the off-duty version stays silent.
While the App Is Open
Alerts behave differently when you are already looking at the app, and separately again on CarPlay. Four switches in App Defaults control this.
| Switch | Effect |
|---|---|
| Play sound when app open | Plays a sound for in-app alerts |
| Show banner when app open | Shows a banner for in-app alerts |
| Play sound on CarPlay | Plays a sound while connected to CarPlay |
| Show banner on CarPlay | Shows a banner while connected to CarPlay |
Where Alerts Land
A push notification is only the doorbell. The alert itself lives in the app.
| Place | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Notifications | Your notification alerts and system alerts |
| Account tab badge | Unread notification and system alerts combined |
| Tab and tile badges | Unread activity for the features on that tab |
| Agency list in the header | Unread count per agency |
Opening the relevant screen is what clears a badge. If you clear alerts while offline, that clearing is queued and applied when you reconnect - so a badge may briefly reappear on another device until it catches up.
When Alerts Are Not Reaching You
Work down this list in order. It is roughly ordered by how often each cause is the culprit.
| Check | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Is a mute running? | Cancel it on Mute All Notifications |
| Is the agency muted? | Unmute it from the agency list in the header |
| What is your duty status? | Set the right status on Status & Availability |
| Is the alert level None or Silent for that state? | Raise it on Notification Settings |
| Did you allow notifications? | Re-enable it in your device settings - see App Permissions |
| Did you allow critical alerts? | Re-enable it so urgent alerts can sound through silent mode |
| Are you signed in to that agency on this device? | Sign in, or check Devices & Sessions |
| Is your phone in a focus or do-not-disturb mode? | Only critical alerts break through those |
| Is the app connected? | Check the internet status on App Settings |
| Are REDENES services healthy? | Check Default Status |
After any change to your alert rules, ask a colleague to send you a test of the alert you care about most while you are in the duty state you will actually be in. Rules that look right on the settings screen are worth proving in practice.
Related Pages
- Notification Settings
- Push Notification Settings
- Mute All Notifications
- Notification Sounds
- Notifications
- Device Permissions Explained
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