Notifications

The app shows notifications for new messages, contact requests, new contacts and calls. How it receives messages in the background depends on the platform. iOS does not allow apps to run a background service, so the iOS app can use the SimpleX Chat push server, which sends notifications through Apple's push service. The Android app receives messages itself, without a push server. The desktop app receives messages while it runs.

When you create your first profile on iOS or Android, you can choose the notification mode with Setup notifications on the Your network screen, see Choose notifications mode. The default mode is Instant. You can change it later in the settings.

Notifications on iOS

There are three modes:

• Instant. The device token and end-to-end encrypted notifications are sent to the push server. The push server does not see the message content, its size or who sent it.
• Periodic. The app checks for new messages every 20 minutes. Only the device token is shared with the push server, and the server does not see how many contacts you have or any message metadata.
• No push server. The push server is not used. The app checks for messages in the background when iOS allows it, which depends on how often you use the app.

The app marks Instant as recommended, Periodic as more private and No push server as the most private.

To change the mode:

1. Open Settings (see Opening the app settings) and tap Notifications.
2. Tap Send notifications and choose a mode.
3. Tap Enable, or Turn off for No push server.

When a push server is used, the Notifications screen shows it in Push server. Test notifications checks the connection to the push server and the notification token of your device. If there is a problem, the app shows Notifications error with Register, which registers the token again.

If notifications for SimpleX Chat are turned off in the iOS settings, the app shows Notifications are disabled! with Open Settings.

Notifications on Android

The Android app receives messages itself, with a background service or with periodic checks. The modes have different names at the first start and in the settings:

At the first start	In Notification service	What it does
Instant (default)	Always on	A background service is always running, and notifications are shown as soon as messages arrive. It uses more battery.
Periodic	Starts periodically	The app checks for new messages every 10 minutes, for up to 1 minute. It uses less battery, and you may miss calls or urgent messages.
When app is running	Runs when app is open	The app receives messages while it is open. It uses the least battery.

To change the mode, open Settings, tap Notifications, then Notification service, and choose a mode.

While the service runs, Android shows the notification SimpleX Chat service with Receiving messages…. Its Hide button opens the system settings of this notification.

Starts periodically, and Always on on Android 12 and later, need the app to run without battery optimization. If this is not allowed, the app shows an alert. Allow opens the system dialog to allow it, and Disable notifications switches to Runs when app is open. If Android restricts the app in the background, the app asks you to set App battery usage to Unrestricted in the app settings, and Open app settings opens them.

On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, the app asks you to enable Autostart in the system settings.

On Android 13 and later, the app asks for permission to show notifications when the chat list opens. The notification service starts after notifications are allowed.

Notifications on desktop

The desktop app shows system notifications while it runs. The Notifications row in the settings is on iOS and Android only. When the app window is focused, message notifications are shown for chats other than the open one, and incoming calls are shown in the app window.

To keep receiving messages after you close the window, turn on Close to tray in Appearance, and the app keeps running in the system tray. The first time you close the window, the app asks Minimize to tray? with Close the app and Minimize to tray. Messages are not received after the app is closed. The tray icon shows a dot when there are unread messages, and its tooltip shows how many. Its menu has Show SimpleX and Quit SimpleX. Close to tray is available when the system has a tray.

Notifications and the database passphrase

If you remove the database passphrase from the device, the iOS app warns that instant push notifications will be hidden, and the Android app warns that notifications will be delivered only until the app stops. See Database passphrase.

Notification previews

By default, notifications show the name of the contact or group and the message text. To change this:

1. Open Settings and tap Your privacy, then More privacy.
2. In the Notifications section, tap Show preview.
3. Choose an option:
   • Message text: the name and the message. Text formatted as secret is replaced with "...".
   • Contact name: the name and "new message".
   • Hidden: "Contact hidden:" and "new message". On iOS, group messages show "Group message:". Contact pictures are not shown.

The option also applies to notifications of calls and contact requests. On iOS, you can set the lock screen preview in the system settings, and Open Settings opens them.

Mute chats and profiles

When you mute a chat, its notifications are turned off. In groups and channels, you can keep notifications for mentions. Muted chats have a muted icon in the chat list.

In a direct chat, Mute turns notifications off and Unmute turns them on. In groups and channels, the same menu item switches between three states:

• Mute: notifications only for messages that mention you or reply to your messages.
• Mute all: no notifications.
• Unmute: notifications for all messages.

	iOS	Android	Desktop
Chat list	Swipe the chat right	Long press the chat	Right-click the chat
Open chat	The "…" menu in the chat toolbar	The "⋮" menu in the chat toolbar	The "⋮" menu in the chat toolbar
Chat info	The mute button under the name	The mute button under the name	The mute button under the name

A muted chat profile shows no notifications while it is not your active profile. When it is the active profile, you receive its calls and notifications. Hidden profiles are always muted. To mute or unmute a profile, see Hiding and muting chat profiles.

The design of notifications on iOS and Android is explained in this post.