# Alerts don't arrive

> Find out why Fregata Mobile's alerts aren't reaching your iPhone — the checks in order, what Server Notification Setup, Held back, Notification Activity and Diagnostics each tell you, and the usual causes with their fixes.

An alert travels from a camera, through Frigate's review, to Apple's push service, to this iPhone,
and then through your filters. When one doesn't show up, work through these in order: each one
rules out a part of that path.

## 1. Was it held back on purpose?

Open **Settings › Notification Filters › Held back**. If the alert is listed, a
[filter](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/alerts/filters/) or a [snooze](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/alerts/snooze/) kept it from you, and the list
says which setting. Change that setting, or switch filter.

Also check **Settings › Server-Wide Notifications**: a camera turned off or paused there sends
nothing to anyone.

## 2. Did it arrive and go unnoticed?

Open **Settings › Notification Activity**. It lists what has actually arrived on this iPhone,
newest first. If the alert is there:

- It may have arrived **Silent** or during **quiet hours**: it went straight to Notification
  Center. See [Levels](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/alerts/filters/#levels).
- A Focus held it back: see [Focus and Time Sensitive alerts](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/alerts/focus/).
- iOS has alerts set to deliver quietly, without banners: check **Settings › Notifications ›
  Fregata Mobile** in the iOS Settings app.

## 3. Is everything between server and iPhone still set up?

Open **Settings › Server Notification Setup**. It re-reads your server and reopens any step that's
no longer true: a camera's notifications turned off, the contact address cleared, notifications
turned off for the app in iOS, the server not restarted since this iPhone registered. Fix what it
shows, in the order it shows. If everything is ticked, **Ask Frigate for a test notification** or
walk past a camera.

## 4. Was there anything to alert about?

An alert needs Frigate to have made an **alert** review. Look in [Review](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/cameras/review/)
with **Alerts** chosen. If the moment you expected isn't there, Frigate didn't treat it as an alert:
it may be a **Detection** instead, because of the zones or objects your server's review settings
require. That's a Frigate setting, not the app's.

## 5. Look at Diagnostics

**Settings › Diagnostics** shows the details the other screens summarise:

- **Preflight**: the same checks as Server Notification Setup, each marked blocking or to check,
  such as **Frigate authentication is disabled** or **Notification contact address not set**.
- **Registrations**: this iPhone's registration with your server. **Current** is the one to leave
  alone.
- **Device token**: **waiting** for long means iOS hasn't given the app its notification token.
  That happens when notifications are turned off for the app, or the network blocks Apple's push
  service on port 5223.
- **Notification Extension Log**: what happened each time an alert arrived.

## Common causes

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing ever arrives, and setup says registered | Frigate hasn't restarted since this iPhone registered | Restart Frigate. It reads registrations only when it starts. |
| Nothing ever arrives, and Preflight says **Frigate authentication is disabled** | With sign-in off, Frigate files the registration under its `admin` account. A Frigate that has had sign-in off since it was installed has none, so it accepts the registration and silently saves nothing | Turn Frigate's sign-in on and restart it once, which creates the `admin` account, then run **Server Notification Setup** again. See [Compatibility](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/reference/compatibility/#servers). |
| Nothing ever arrives, and Preflight says **Connected without signing in** | The app's address uses port 5000, which skips sign-in. While sign-in is on, Frigate files the registration under an `anonymous` user that has no account, so it reports success and saves nothing | Change the address to port 8971 in **Settings › Connection** and sign in, then run **Server Notification Setup** again. |
| Stopped after a Frigate update or restart | Every camera chosen for alerts was off when Frigate started, so it never started sending | Turn one on, then restart Frigate. |
| Alerts arrive, but with no picture | This iPhone couldn't reach the server when the alert came in | Add an [Away address](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/getting-started/remote-access/), or check it works with **Test connection**. |
| No picture after changing the address or password | The part of the app that fetches pictures still has the old details | **Settings › Diagnostics › Refresh connection**. |
| Alerts arrive late, or in a burst | The iPhone was offline or out of signal | Late alerts say so. Alerts missed entirely are summarised as **Missed alerts**. |
| Alerts stopped on a new iPhone restored from a backup | Alerts are registered per device, and a backup doesn't carry it | Run **Settings › Server Notification Setup** on the new iPhone. |
| **Notifications are paused** in Settings | This iPhone's registration is too old to be delivered to | Run **Server Notification Setup** to replace it. |

If none of this finds it, see [Getting help](https://mobile.fregata.app/docs/troubleshooting/get-help/): **Copy all** in
Diagnostics gathers everything needed into one report.