Notifications

Guide to configuring alerts and notifications for business events.

Overview

TheCompanyApp's notification system keeps you informed of important events: new orders, low stock, task assignments, payments, and team activity.

Notification Types

TheCompanyApp supports 9 notification categories:

1. Order Events: New orders, status changes

2. Invoice Changes: Invoices generated or updated

3. Payment Received: Payment recorded

4. Dispatch Updates: Shipment status changes

5. Low Stock Alerts: Items below threshold

6. Task Assignments: Tasks assigned to you

7. Overdue Items: Tasks or orders past due date

8. Team Member Changes: New participants, access changes

9. Contact Updates: Customer/supplier changes (future)

Enabling Notifications

Initial Permission Request

On first launch, iOS requests notification permission:

1. Alert appears: "TheCompanyApp Would Like to Send You Notifications"

2. Tap Allow to enable

3. If denied, notifications won't work until re-enabled

Re-Enable After Denial

If you previously denied:

1. iOS Settings → TheCompanyApp → Notifications

2. Toggle Allow Notifications ON

3. Return to app

Configuring Notification Preferences

Settings → Reminders:

Per-Type Toggles:

• Enable/disable each notification type individually

• Changes take effect immediately

• Preferences saved per device (not synced)

Example Configuration:

✅ Order Events: ON
✅ Payment Received: ON
✅ Low Stock Alerts: ON
✅ Task Assignments: ON
❌ Invoice Changes: OFF
❌ Dispatch Updates: OFF
❌ Overdue Items: OFF
❌ Team Member Changes: OFF
❌ Contact Updates: OFF

Notification Behavior

Foreground Notifications

When App is Open:

• Banner appears at top

• Dismisses after 3 seconds

• Tap banner to view details

Background Notifications

When App is Closed/Background:

• iOS standard notification banner

• Shows on lock screen

• Badge on app icon (number of unread)

• Tap to open app to relevant screen

Notification Content

Format:

[Icon] TheCompanyApp
Title: "Low Stock Alert"
Body: "Item 'Laptop Computers' is low on stock (2 remaining)"

Actions (future):

• Quick actions from notification

• "View Item", "Dismiss", "Snooze"

Notification Examples

Order Events

Title: "New Order Received"
Body: "Order #1234 from TechStart Inc. ($500)"

Payment Received

Title: "Payment Received"
Body: "$500 from TechStart Inc."

Low Stock

Title: "Low Stock Alert"
Body: "Item 'Laptop Chargers' below threshold (5 remaining)"

Task Assignment

Title: "New Task Assigned"
Body: "John Anderson assigned you: 'Review inventory'"

Overdue Items

Title: "Overdue Task"
Body: "Order #456 is 3 days overdue"

Managing Notifications

View Notification History

iOS Notification Center:

• Swipe down from top of screen

• View all recent notifications

• Clear individually or clear all

In-App (future):

• Notifications tab showing history

• Mark as read/unread

• Quick actions

Badge Count

App icon badge shows:

• Number of pending tasks

• Or total unread notifications (future)

Clear Badge:

• Open app (auto-clears)

• Or manually clear in iOS Settings

Quiet Hours (future)

Planned Feature:

• Set "Do Not Disturb" hours

• Example: No notifications 10 PM - 7 AM

• Urgent alerts override (optional)

Troubleshooting

Not Receiving Notifications

Check Permission:

1. iOS Settings → TheCompanyApp → Notifications

2. Ensure Allow Notifications is ON

3. Check notification style (Banners recommended)

Check Preferences:

1. TheCompanyApp → Settings → Reminders

2. Verify desired notification types are enabled

Check Focus Modes:

• iOS Focus/Do Not Disturb may block notifications

• Settings → Focus → Customize notifications

Delayed Notifications

Causes:

• CloudKit sync delay (up to 1 minute)

• Network issues

• iOS power management (Low Power Mode)

Solutions:

• Ensure good internet connection

• Disable Low Power Mode for immediate notifications

• Pull to refresh if expecting notification

Technical Details

NotificationManager

Notifications managed by NotificationManager.swift:

Convenience Methods:

await NotificationManager.shared.notifyPayment(amount: "$500", customerName: "TechStart")
await NotificationManager.shared.notifyLowStock(itemName: "Laptops", quantity: 2)
await NotificationManager.shared.notifyTaskAssignment(taskName: "Review", assignedBy: "John")

Permission Check:

let status = await NotificationManager.shared.checkAuthorizationStatus()

User Preferences: Stored in @AppStorage:

@AppStorage("enableOrderNotifications") var enableOrderNotifications: Bool = true
@AppStorage("enablePaymentNotifications") var enablePaymentNotifications: Bool = true
// ... etc.

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Related: Dashboard, Tasks