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Manage Push Notifications for Student Contacts
Manage Push Notifications for Student Contacts

[For Guardians] Learn how to receive & manage push notifications as a student contact from your child's program.

Audrey avatar
Written by Audrey
Updated over a week ago

Brightwheel will send a push notification informing a student contact that there is an update regarding a student they are associated with for them to view. Push notifications are configurable from both, the mobile device settings and from within the brightwheel app for more granular notification options.

Types of Notifications

Student contacts with Parent and Family permissions can receive push notifications for the following updates about their student:

  • Messages - New messages from staff members or administrators

  • Actions - Any activity or action that the provider has logged throughout the day, these are further configurable from within the app

  • Product Updates - Messages from brightwheel regarding important product updates, these notifications are very rare.

  • Customer Support Replies - Notifications when brightwheel’s customer support team replies to an inquiry.

  • New Customer Support Chat - Notification when brightwheel’s customer support team reaches out directly.

ℹ️ New Paperwork (Forms & Requests or Documents) shared by a program to be filled out by guardians does not result in an automatic Push Notification at this time.

From within the app, brightwheel provides additional options where student contacts can further configure their notification settings. Keep in mind that each childcare provider utilizes brightwheel in their own way, some of these actions may not be logged for students at the center.

  • Photos & Videos - Any media activities

  • Notes - General activity for providers to log activities that do not fall into the other categories

  • Check-ins - Any check-in/out record logged by any student contact

  • Messages - All messages received from any other student contact or staff member or messages between student contacts and admins only

  • Incidents, Meds & Health Checks - Any Incidents that have been logged, medication administered, or health checks that are done throughout the day

  • Food, Nap & Potty - All logged meals, start and end times for naps, and potty logs

  • Learning & Kudos - Learning observations and appreciation activities

💡 It is highly recommended that both Messages notification options remain enabled to ensure good communication between the provider and student contacts.

Badge Notifications ↓

Student contacts with Parent and Family permissions can also receive badge notifications on the app icon indicating when there is a new, unread message for their child. Once the app is opened, the badge notification will disappear.

Device Notification Settings

Android and iOS devices allow users to limit general notifications from specific applications. While the application provides more granular options. To adjust notification settings from the device itself (these steps may vary by device):

  1. Open your device Settings

  2. Tap on Apps (if an Android device)

  3. Pick brightwheel from your list of applications and tap on Notifications

  4. Toggle the Allow Notifications or All brightwheel notifications setting ON

Android Hibernation Setting

If you are using brightwheel on an Android device (Samsung or Pixel), the hibernation setting may also affect your ability to receive push notifications. We strongly recommend turning this setting OFF.

Turn off on Samsung Device

  1. Open your device Settings app

  2. Tap on Apps

  3. Pick brightwheel from your list of applications

  4. Toggle the "Remove permissions if app is unused" setting to OFF

Turn off on Pixel Device

  1. Open your device Settings

  2. Tap on Apps

  3. Pick brightwheel from your list of applications

  4. Toggle the "Pause app activity if unused" setting to OFF

App Notification Settings

Brightwheel enables student contacts to configure which activities result in a push notification. This allows them to stay engaged while limiting the number of notifications received throughout the day.

iOS App Notification Settings

Android App Notification Settings

  1. Log into the brightwheel app

  2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top left corner, and select Edit Profile

  3. Scroll down to toggle on/off push notifications for each update type as desired

  4. Tap Save

  1. Log into the brightwheel app

  2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top left corner, and select Settings > Notifications

  3. Scroll down to toggle on/off push notifications for each update type as desired

  4. Tap Save

ℹ️ Push Notifications default to ON when an account is created.

FAQs

I have ensured my app and device notification settings are on and I am still not receiving push notifications and/or receiving them very delayed. What else can I do?

  1. If using an Android device, ensure the hibernation setting on your device is turned off

  2. Try updating the app - Update your Android Apps | Update iOS Apps or Use Automatic Downloads

  3. If updating doesn't help/there's no updates available:

    1. Completely uninstall the brightwheel app from the device by touching and holding down on the app icon, then tap Remove App, tap Delete, then tap Delete to confirm.

    2. Power the device Off and then after about ten seconds, power it back On

    3. Once the device has rebooted, navigate to the App Store or Google Play Store

    4. Search for and download the newest version of brightwheel

    5. Sign back into your account and test!

  4. Connect with your program and ask them to check that the Staff Only device setting is not impacting your visibility/notifications

  5. Confirm that the device is not having any wifi, or cell data connectivity issues. Slow, or inconsistent wifi and cell data can result in delayed notifications. Please visit our App or Website Won't Load resource for steps on how to rule this out.

  6. If all of the above do not help, contact brightwheel Support and provide the mobile app version number for further troubleshooting. To locate the version number:

    1. Tap the three lines in the top right corner of the app

    2. Tap Help

    3. Tap About and copy the version number

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