Notification Preferences

PlantKeeper's notification system keeps you informed about your plants' needs without overwhelming you. This guide helps you configure notifications that work for your schedule and preferences.

🎯 What You'll Learn

• How to enable and customize push notifications
• Email notification settings and digest options
• Setting up quiet hours for peaceful evenings
• Optimizing notifications for your routine

⚡ Quick Start

Access Notification Settings:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications
2. Or click Manage Notifications from any notification

Quick Configuration:

• Enable notifications: Toggle "Enable Notifications"
• Set quiet hours: Notifications → Quiet Hours → Set schedule
• Email digest: Notifications → Email → Daily Digest

📚 Complete Guide

Push Notifications

Push notifications appear on your device (desktop or mobile) in real-time.

Master Toggle:

• Enable/Disable all notifications with one switch
• Useful for vacations or breaks
• Individual notification types can still be customized when re-enabled

Notification Types:

1. Care Reminder Notifications ✅ (Recommended):

• ✅ Watering reminders - When plants need water
• ✅ Fertilizing reminders - Monthly feeding schedules
• ✅ Inspection reminders - Weekly plant checks
• ✅ Custom reminders - Any custom tasks you create

When They Fire:

• At scheduled time (e.g., "9:00 AM")
• Grouped if multiple reminders at same time
• Snooze option available (15 min, 1 hour, 1 day)

2. Plant Health Alerts 🚨 (Highly Recommended):

• Overdue care tasks - When reminders go uncompleted
  • Yellow alert: 1-3 days overdue
  • Orange alert: 4-7 days overdue
  • Red alert: 7+ days overdue
• Health status changes - When plant status drops
• Pest detection suggestions - When Plant Doctor identifies issues

3. Growth Milestones 🎉 (Fun!):

• New leaf celebrations - When you log new leaves
• Growth goals achieved - Height/leaf count milestones
• First flowering - Celebrate blooms!
• Propagation success - New roots detected

4. Community Notifications 💬 (If enabled):

• Comments on your plants
• Likes and reactions
• New followers
• Shared plant activity

How to Customize:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Push Notifications
2. Toggle individual notification types
3. Click Save Preferences

Device Permissions:

• Grant permission when prompted by your browser/OS
• If blocked, manually allow in browser settings:
  • Chrome: Settings → Privacy → Site Settings → Notifications
  • Safari: Safari → Preferences → Websites → Notifications
  • Firefox: Settings → Privacy → Permissions → Notifications

Email Notifications

Email notifications provide a summary of activity and reminders in your inbox.

Email Frequency Options:

1. Immediate (Real-time):

• Email sent as notifications occur
• Best for: Critical alerts only
• Volume: High (many emails)
• Use case: Never want to miss anything

2. Daily Digest ⭐ (Recommended):

• One email per day with summary
• Choose delivery time (default: 8:00 AM)
• Best for: Most users
• Volume: 1 email/day

3. Weekly Summary:

• One email per week
• Choose day and time (default: Sunday 8:00 AM)
• Best for: Casual users
• Volume: 1 email/week

4. Never:

• No emails (push notifications only)
• Best for: Users who check app daily
• Volume: 0 emails

Digest Content (Daily/Weekly):

What to Include:

• ☑️ Overdue reminders - Tasks you missed
• ☑️ Upcoming reminders - Next 3 days
• ☑️ Health alerts - Plants needing attention
• ☑️ Growth milestones - Recent achievements
• ☑️ Community activity - Comments, likes (if enabled)
• ☑️ Tips and recommendations - Based on your plants

Digest Time:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Email
2. Select Daily Digest or Weekly Summary
3. Click Set Time
4. Choose hour (e.g., 8:00 AM)
5. For weekly: Choose day (e.g., Sunday)

Marketing Emails (Optional):

• ☐ Product updates
• ☐ Feature announcements
• ☐ Plant care tips newsletter (monthly)
• ☐ Special offers (Pro/Team plans)

Unsubscribe:

• Click "Unsubscribe" at bottom of any email
• Or disable in Settings → Notifications → Email → Marketing

Quiet Hours

Prevent notifications during sleep, work meetings, or focus time.

What is Quiet Hours?:

• Notifications are silenced during set times
• No push notifications sent
• Emails still queued (sent after quiet hours end)
• Exceptions available for critical alerts

How to Enable:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Quiet Hours
2. Toggle Enable Quiet Hours
3. Set Start Time (e.g., 10:00 PM)
4. Set End Time (e.g., 7:00 AM)
5. Select Days (all days or specific days)
6. Configure Exceptions (if needed)

Quiet Hours Examples:

Example 1: Sleep Schedule:

• Start: 10:00 PM
• End: 7:00 AM
• Days: All days
• Exceptions: Critical health alerts

Example 2: Work Hours:

• Start: 9:00 AM
• End: 5:00 PM
• Days: Monday-Friday
• Exceptions: None (check app during break)

Example 3: Weekend Mornings:

• Start: 10:00 PM Friday
• End: 10:00 AM Saturday/Sunday
• Days: Friday-Sunday
• Exceptions: Critical health alerts

Exceptions:

• Critical health alerts - Red alerts for severe issues
• Manual overrides - When you click "Remind me anyway"

What Happens During Quiet Hours:

• Push notifications queued
• Email digests delayed
• Queued notifications sent after quiet hours end
• Check app manually anytime (notifications still visible)

Notification Optimization

Fine-tune your notification settings for maximum effectiveness.

Best Practices:

Start Conservative:

• Begin with essential notifications only
• Add more over time as needed
• Don't enable everything at once

Group by Time:

• Set reminders at convenient times
• Batch notifications (e.g., all reminders at 8 AM)
• Avoid notification fatigue

Realistic Scheduling:

• Schedule reminders when you're home
• Avoid early morning (unless desired)
• Consider your daily routine

Adjust Based on Data:

• Check reminder completion rates
• If completion rate low → adjust timing
• If overwhelmed → reduce notification types

Seasonal Adjustments:

• Increase watering notifications in summer
• Reduce in winter (plants need less)
• Adjust fertilizing based on growth season

Notification Timing Examples:

Morning Person ☀️:

• Watering reminders: 7:00 AM
• Inspection reminders: 7:30 AM (weekend)
• Quiet hours: 10:00 PM - 6:00 AM

Evening Routine 🌙:

• Watering reminders: 6:00 PM
• Inspection reminders: 7:00 PM (weekend)
• Quiet hours: 11:00 PM - 8:00 AM

Flexible Schedule 🔄:

• Watering reminders: 12:00 PM (lunch break)
• Inspection reminders: 2:00 PM (weekend)
• Quiet hours: Midnight - 8:00 AM

Troubleshooting Notifications

Not Receiving Push Notifications?

Check These:

1. ✅ Master toggle enabled (Settings → Notifications)
2. ✅ Specific notification type enabled
3. ✅ Device permissions granted
4. ✅ Not in quiet hours
5. ✅ Browser allows notifications
6. ✅ Do Not Disturb mode off (device)

Fix:

• Refresh page after enabling
• Check browser notification settings
• Try different browser
• Clear browser cache
• Re-grant permissions

Not Receiving Emails?

Check These:

1. ✅ Email notifications not set to "Never"
2. ✅ Email address verified
3. ✅ Check spam/junk folder
4. ✅ Add PlantKeeper to contacts
5. ✅ Email quota not full

Fix:

• Verify email in Settings → Profile
• Whitelist @plantkeeper.com domain
• Check email filters/rules
• Contact support if persists

Too Many Notifications?

Solutions:

• Enable Daily Digest instead of immediate emails
• Disable non-essential notification types
• Set Quiet Hours for focus time
• Adjust reminder timing (batch at convenient times)
• Snooze notifications instead of dismissing

Delayed Notifications?

Causes:

• Browser closed (desktop)
• App not in background (mobile)
• Poor internet connection
• Quiet hours enabled

Fix:

• Keep browser open (desktop)
• Allow background activity (mobile)
• Check connection
• Review quiet hours schedule

💡 Tips & Tricks

Optimal Configuration ⭐:

• Enable: Care reminders, health alerts, growth milestones
• Email: Daily digest at 8:00 AM
• Quiet hours: 10:00 PM - 7:00 AM
• Community: Only if actively participating

Power User Setup:

• Immediate push for critical alerts
• Daily digest for everything else
• Quiet hours during work (9 AM - 5 PM)
• Weekend reminder timing different from weekdays

Minimalist Setup:

• Only overdue care alerts
• Weekly email summary
• No growth milestones
• Extended quiet hours

Vacation Mode:

1. Disable all push notifications (master toggle)
2. Set email to "Never" temporarily
3. Re-enable when back
4. Or assign plant care to team member

❓ Common Questions

Can I get notifications for specific plants only?

Currently, notifications are global (all plants). However, you can:

• Use tags to filter (e.g., "High Priority" tag)
• Disable reminders for low-maintenance plants
• Future update will allow per-plant notification settings

How do I test my notification settings?

Create a test reminder for 2 minutes from now. Check if you receive the notification. If not, review troubleshooting steps above.

Can I have different notification settings on desktop vs mobile?

Notifications are account-level (apply to all devices). However, you can control device permissions separately (allow on mobile, block on desktop).

What's the difference between snoozing and dismissing?

• Snooze: Reminds you again later (15 min, 1 hour, 1 day)
• Dismiss: Removes notification but doesn't mark reminder complete
• Complete: Marks reminder done (best option!)

Do notifications work offline?

No, notifications require internet connection. However, reminders remain visible in the app when offline, and you'll receive notifications when back online.

🔗 Related Topics

• Creating Reminders - Set up plant care reminders
• Managing Reminders - Edit and optimize reminders
• Account Settings - Manage your account and profile
• Display Customization - Customize your interface

💡 Pro Tip: Start with daily digest emails + quiet hours. This gives you one email per day at your chosen time, with peaceful evenings. Adjust after 2 weeks based on your habits!