Summary: This guide explains how to send push notifications to your church app users. You can send messages immediately, schedule them for a future date, or set up recurring notifications to keep your congregation engaged with event reminders, encouragements, and updates.
Before You Begin
Permissions: You must be an Admin to access the App Dashboard and send notifications.
Notification Type: Currently, the Church App sends Banner notifications (pop-ups on the screen) but does not support Badge notifications (the little red number on the app icon).
User Settings: Users must have notifications enabled on their mobile devices and must have opted-in to specific groups to receive those targeted messages.
You can check out our push notification overview video and follow the steps below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Option 1: Sending an Immediate Notification
Log in to Tithely as an Admin and select Apps.
Click on Push Notifications in the menu.
Click the Add New button.
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Enter your notification details:
Title: The headline of your message.
Message: The main content.
Website Link: (Optional) A URL to direct users to when they tap.
Image: (Optional) A visual to accompany the text.
Select Filter by groups (Optional) if you only want to reach specific segments of your church.
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Click Send.
Note: This will broadcast your message to users immediately.
Option 2: Scheduling a Future Notification
Navigate to Apps > Push Notifications.
Select the Scheduled tab from the top menu.
Click Add New.
Enter your notification details (Title, Message, Link, Image).
Select a Date and Time for the notification to be sent.
Click Send (this effectively "Saves" the schedule).
Option 3: Scheduling a Recurring Notification
Navigate to Apps > Push Notifications.
Select the Scheduled tab from the top menu.
Click Add New.
Enter your notification details.
Select a Recurrence Rule (e.g., Weekly on Fridays).
Click Send to activate the recurring schedule.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
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Why is a user not receiving my notifications? There are usually two reasons for this:
Device Settings: The user has disabled push notifications for the app in their phone's main Settings menu.
Group Settings: If you sent a group-specific message, the user might not be subscribed to that group within the app.
Can I send a notification to just one person? The system is designed for broadcast or group-based messaging. You cannot select a single individual user from a list, but you can filter by specific Groups.
Do red badges appear on the app icon when I send a message? No. Currently, the app supports Banner notifications (which appear in the notification center/lock screen) but not Badge counts (the red number on the app icon).