Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is Notifo?

    Notifo is a way for users to receive mobile notifications for anything. Services integrate with the Notifo API and send users notifications about events, announcements, whatever! Notifo has a set of mobile and desktop applications that receive and interact with notifications. Notifo accounts can also be controlled and managed through Notifo.com, so we are not just a mobile app. Notifo is a complete notifications platform and provider.

  2. What mobile devices are supported?

    Currently there is an iPhone app available for use on iPhones and iPod Touches. Mobile apps for Android and Blackberry phones are currently in development. You can opt-in to receive an email when the Android or Blackberry applications are released.

  3. What are the Notifo Desktop apps?

    In an effort to let anyone take advantage of Notifo that does not have a supported mobile device (see above), we have released a basic OS X Notifo client and Linux client. The OS X version is a lightweight application that integrates with Growl to display notifications on your desktop. At the moment, functionality of the desktop apps is limited to simply receiving and displaying notifications. Notifo Desktop apps can be used in conjunction with multiple mobile devices. Please visit the Desktop Apps page to read more.

  4. Why should I use Notifo over its competitors?

    Notifo is strikingly different from its competitors for its core company goals: striving to create a robust and reliable platform that anyone can use with the API, and releasing mobile applications to support the needs of our users and services.

  5. What is a push notification?

    Push notifications are messages sent and received in real-time that do not rely on the application constantly polling. Think of how you might have to refresh a webpage to receive updated content. Now imagine if the page automatically changed on its own. That's kind of how push notifications function. The user does not have to do anything to receive the notification; it gets pushed. The result is better battery life on your mobile device, the ability to receive notifications without even having the mobile app open and, of course, super fast notifications!

  6. What is the API Secret listed in my account?

    An API Secret is like an automatically generated password used to authenticate account owners with Notifo to use the public API. Some projects require you to fill in the API Secret during setup. This means that you are allowing the program to send messages to yourself through Notifo. One example is the Chrome to Notifo browser extension.

  7. I am not a developer. Can I still use Notifo?

    Absolutely! There are two sides, so to speak, of Notifo. One is the powerful mobile notifications platform geared towards developers and businesses building useful and powerful services. The other allows users to reap the benefits of all the services offered. For example, the Push.ly service for Notifo pushes Twitter mentions directly to your mobile device for free.

  8. What services utilize Notifo to send notifications?

    You can find a complete listing on the Services page.

  9. I have a brilliant idea for Notifo! How can I send a feature request?

    Please see our Contact page or sign into the Notifo Support Forum to submit a feature request ticket.

  10. How much does Notifo cost?

    Notifo is free for users to receive notifications as well as send and receive user to user messages. Services on Notifo pay a monthly subscription fee based the number of notifications sent. Please checkout our Pricing page for full details.

  11. Can I make notifications silent during certain hours?

    You can set "Quiet Hours" in your Notification Settings. During Quiet Hours the notifications sent to your mobile device will be silent. Make sure to properly set your timezone in your account profile for this to be effective.

  12. What is a notification type and how can I change it?

    A notification type is a predefined setting that determines how a notification is delivered. There are currently six settings: Normal, Silent, Stealth, Important, Momentary and Desktop Only. Users may set the notification type for each service. The default setting is Normal and these notifications are sent to all linked devices with an audible sound and/or vibration (depending on phone settings). You can view each of the notification types and their descriptions by clicking "Settings" for any service on the Service Subscriptions page.

  13. What is a service event?

    When a service sends notifications with different titles, each title is an "event" for that service. For example, say a service sends a "Comment Reply" notification as well as a "New Private Message" notification. Those two different titles of notifications from the same service are different events. You can set the notification type for each event in the Notifo iPhone app. To access these settings within the app: Settings » Service Settings » [Service] » Event Settings » [Event Name]. That setting will only appear for services that have received at least one type of notification event (optional for use by services).

  14. How can I unsubscribe from a service?

    Visit your Service Subscriptions page and click Unsubscribe next to the service you wish to remove. If you wish to subscribe again you will have to follow the Services instructions. That usually involves going to their website, providing your Notifo username to have them send a subscription request.

  15. What happens if my service exceeds the number of free notifications?

    You will be sent a notice when your service comes close to the included free notifications (10,000 per month). If you pass the limit you will automatically be upgraded to the next tier of service and be billed the price for that plan. More info can be found on the Pricing page.

  16. I want to integrate Notifo into my product and will need to send 1M+ notifications per month. Can Notifo handle my needs?

    Yup! Notifo is built with performance in mind. Our servers are hosted in a SAS 70 Type II certified datacenter and our application easily scales to more servers as demand grows. Learn more about Notifo for Services ›

  17. Does Notifo have an SLA for services?

    Notifo is currently under a "Best Effort" SLA. We are expanding our resources to provide the guaranteed best service possible and will release an official SLA when that happens in the next few months. Please contact us if you need to use Notifo in a manner requiring an SLA.

  18. How can I show you the sweet project I built with the Notifo API?

    First off, awesome! We always love learning about interesting uses of Notifo, especially if it's open for the public to use or install. The easiest way to point something our way is to tweet it to @notifo, or you can always email us. If we really like it we might promote it on Notifo!

Still looking?

Are you trying to look up a technical issue or bug? The Support Forum might come in handy. Otherwise, feel free to contact us for anything.

Questions?