Why there is no push
Most apps get their alerts from a company server, which hands them to Apple (APNs) or Google (FCM) to send to your phone. That server sees who wrote to you and when. Nostr Vault has no such server. The relay inside the app collects what tags you, and the app makes the notification itself on your device.
So an alert can only come while that relay is running. How often it can run is different on each device.
On every device:
- Only people in your web of trust set off an alert. New followers from outside it are counted ("3 new followers") instead of named.
- You choose the kinds under Settings → Notifications (more). Likes and reposts are off until you turn them on.
- While the app is open, new things show as a pill at the top, not as a system alert.
- With more than one account, each alert shows which account it's for, and each account's alerts are grouped together. In the account switcher, each other account shows how many new things it has.
- Something older than 24 hours never sets off an alert. When the vault catches up after being away, the first five items alert and the rest fold into one summary.
iPhone and iPad
iPhone: when iOS lets it run
What wakes it: iOS's Background App Refresh. The app asks to be woken every 15 minutes at the earliest. iOS decides when that actually happens, based on how often you use the app, your battery and your connection. There is also a longer check that iOS only runs while the phone is charging and online.
- Open: things arrive right away and show as a pill at the top. They are also listed in Notification Center.
- In the background: the app keeps going for about 30 seconds after you leave it, then iOS pauses it. After that, alerts come only when iOS wakes the app. That can be minutes later or much longer.
- Swiped away: this stops your vault. iOS may not wake an app you swiped away until you open it again, so alerts wait until then.
- With a Mac: if your Mac is your vault, each wake asks it for what came in while the phone was asleep. The Mac is always listening, so less is missed.
What to allow: notifications (the app asks during setup), and iOS Settings → General → Background App Refresh on for Nostr Vault. The app doesn't check that second one for you. Low Power Mode pauses Background App Refresh.
The honest limit: an iPhone without a home vault is not instant. If you need alerts right away, keep a home vault running or open the app.
Android
Android: your vault keeps running
What wakes it: nothing has to. Your vault runs as a service you can see: the Your Vault notification, which says Vault running and has a Stop Vault button. It listens to your relays all the time and checks for anything it missed every 15 minutes.
- Open: new things show as a pill. Pills you didn't look at are filed quietly under Missed while open.
- In the background or swiped away: alerts come right away, because the vault keeps running.
- After a restart or an app update: the vault starts again by itself, as long as Start Vault Automatically is on (it is unless you turned it off, under Settings → Your Vault).
- Force stopped or Stop Vault: no alerts until you open the app again.
- Using another app's relay (such as Citrine) instead of the built-in one: Nostr Vault makes no alerts.
What to allow: notifications. On Android 13 and newer, setup asks with Enable Notifications, and turning on Settings → Notifications asks again if you said no.
The honest limit: some phones' battery savers close background apps anyway, and the app doesn't ask to be left alone. If alerts stop, set Nostr Vault's battery use to Unrestricted in Android's settings. If the vault keeps failing, it stops restarting itself after four tries in six hours; opening the app starts it again.
Mac
Mac: always on while it's running
What wakes it: nothing has to. Nostr Vault lives in the menu bar, with no Dock icon, and your vault keeps running when you close its window. It listens to your relays all the time.
- Running: alerts come right away, as normal Mac notifications. You won't get a banner while the Nostr Vault window is in front of you.
- Asleep: nothing arrives while the Mac sleeps. When it wakes, the vault catches up.
- Quit: no alerts until you open it again.
What to allow: notifications (the app asks as setup finishes). To have your vault running after a restart, turn on Launch at Login under Settings → Startup. It is off until you turn it on. Start Vault Automatically is there too.
The honest limit: a Mac is the best always-on vault you have, but only while it's awake. It also helps your iPhone: each time iOS wakes the phone, it asks the Mac what came in.
Web app
Web: only while a tab is open
What wakes it: nothing. There is no Web Push. While Nostr Vault is open in a tab, it asks your relays what tags you about once a minute, or every five minutes while the tab is in the background. It checks again as soon as you come back to the tab.
- Open: the tab's title shows how many new things are in your Vault list. If you're looking at that list, no alert pops up.
- In a background tab: each new thing is a browser notification. More than three at once become one ("5 new in your Vault"). Clicking one opens it in the app.
- Every tab closed: nothing arrives. The next time you open the app, your Vault list has it all, but there is no alert for it.
What to allow: turn on Browser notifications under Settings → Notifications. It is off until you do, and turning it on is when your browser asks for permission. The kinds to alert on are listed below the switch. On iPhone and iPad, add Nostr Vault to the Home Screen first: Safari can't show notifications from an ordinary tab.
The honest limit: the web app is for checking in, not for being reached. Message alerts need a signer that can open messages, so a read-only sign-in gets none.