Set Up Browser Notifications

Browser notifications are optional alerts that tell you to open UnoLock and check your Safe. You can keep using Vault Messaging without enabling them.

These instructions apply to app and hosting versions that include the notification companion. An older app may use a different setup flow. Availability also depends on your browser and host; browser support alone does not mean a particular UnoLock app release has been qualified on that platform.

Before You Start

Open the Safe you want to receive alerts for, on the device that should show them. Keep that Safe open while you finish setup.
Use a current browser that supports Web Push and can reach your host over HTTPS. Use a regular browser profile with persistent storage. Chrome does not deliver notifications in Incognito mode; private modes are unsuitable for this setup.
On a federated node, the Administrator must enable browser notifications. If the notification option is missing, ask about availability before changing any device settings. You do not need the operator's private keys or admin credentials.

Choose The Privacy Tradeoff

The companion does not receive your Safe keys, PIN, or message contents. Its alerts are generic, and opening an alert does not unlock a Safe.

Push providers can observe subscription identifiers, delivery timing, frequency, sender identity, and payload size. Alerts may be visible on your lock screen. A browser registration shared by Safes on the same hosting URL can link their alert activity. Decide whether this tradeoff suits you; enabling push does not provide anonymity or guaranteed delivery.

Set Up An Installed UnoLock App

Open Vault Messaging, then Settings (the Messaging Settings screen). Select Register for Notifications and continue through the app's prompt.
The app opens UnoLock Notifications, a small companion in your browser. Confirm that it uses the same hosting website as your Safe. Leave the setup dialog open in UnoLock.
Read the privacy and delivery information. If you choose to proceed, select Allow browser notifications, then allow notifications in the browser prompt.
When the companion asks you to return to UnoLock, switch back to the app. Browser permission alone does not finish setup. Wait for UnoLock to report Notification registration successful.
Finish within five minutes. If you cancel, close the Safe, change Safes, reload the setup page, or run out of time, start again from that Safe's settings.

Simply opening /notifications/ on the hosting website does not pair a Safe. Start in UnoLock so the companion receives a fresh setup code. Treat that code and the full setup link as private, even though they expire quickly. Never enter your Safe PIN, recovery material, or passkey details into the companion.

Cancelling setup in UnoLock does not revoke permission already granted in the browser. Use Turn Notifications Off if you also want to stop that browser registration.

If You Use UnoLock In A Browser Or PWA

Open Vault Messaging → Settings → Register for Notifications in that browser or installed Safe PWA. This flow requests permission there directly; it does not need the installed-app companion. Wait for UnoLock's registration confirmation. On iPhone/iPad, launch the Safe PWA from its Home Screen icon before registering.

Permissions belong to the browser/profile or Home Screen app where you enabled them. Enabling notifications in one browser does not enable another browser or device. If you change browsers or profiles, repeat setup in the one you will use. Saving a new destination for the same Safe access can replace its previous saved destination. Do not assume that registering a second browser makes both receive alerts; test each device/access you intend to use.

iPhone And iPad Companion Setup

Apple supports Web Push for Home Screen web apps on iOS/iPadOS 16.4 and later. A normal browser tab is insufficient. If a companion-capable UnoLock app opens setup in a tab:

Select Copy setup code on the companion page.
Use the browser's Share menu and Add to Home Screen to install UnoLock Notifications. This is separate from any installed Safe app.
Launch that Home Screen icon, paste the code into Setup code from UnoLock, then select Use setup code.
Select Allow browser notifications, approve the permission request, and return to the original UnoLock setup dialog to finish.
If installation took more than five minutes, cancel the original setup and start again. Copy a new code into the already installed companion.

After pasting, remove the copied setup code from any clipboard history you use. Browser and Home Screen permissions/storage can differ; use the same Home Screen companion when checking or turning off its registration.

Check Delivery And Open An Alert

After setup succeeds, send a disposable test message from another Safe to the receiving Safe's Receive Address. On managed hosting, use an established Contact with notification sharing set up; browser permission does not make every incoming message path send an alert. On nodes, the host must be online and unlocked.

First confirm the message appears when you open the receiving Safe. Then check for an alert with UnoLock in the background, and repeat under the closed-app conditions you expect to use. Delivery still depends on browser background behavior, OS notification settings, network access, battery restrictions, and Focus/Do Not Disturb. One successful test does not guarantee later delivery.

A companion alert says that new activity is available. Tap it to open the companion; it attempts to launch UnoLock and also provides Open UnoLock. Approve the browser's app-opening prompt if you want to continue. Select the appropriate installed app if offered a chooser, then open the correct Safe and authenticate normally. The alert does not select a Safe or switch hosting servers for you. If the app does not open, launch UnoLock yourself.

Notifications are separate from message custody. A missing alert does not prove a message is missing. Do not rely on notifications as your only way to check for messages or Lockout Guard warnings. Node message push does not add Lockout Guard reminder scheduling.

Turn Notifications Off

For the companion, open /notifications/ on the same hosting website in the same browser/profile or Home Screen companion and select Turn off this companion’s notifications. Closing its tab or the UnoLock app is not an unsubscribe action.

You can also block the site's notifications in browser settings, or turn off the Home Screen app's notifications in device settings. For browser/PWA Safe notifications, use that site's browser permission controls.

A companion registration can serve several Safes on the same host in that browser. Turning it off can stop their companion alerts too. Blocking site permission can also stop the host's other browser notifications. Other browsers and devices have their own registrations. Turning alerts off does not delete Safes or messages; a host may retain a stale subscription until the provider reports it invalid.

To enable notifications again, repeat setup from the intended Safe and wait for UnoLock's confirmation. Repeat it for other Safes that need their registrations refreshed, including after a host changes its push configuration.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What to check or do
No Register for Notifications option	Check app/host availability with the service operator. Nodes can leave push disabled. Changing browser permission cannot enable an unconfigured host.
Permission prompt never appears, or notifications were denied	Review notification permission for the exact hosting website in that browser/profile. Look for a quiet/blocked prompt indicator. If you choose to allow it, return to UnoLock and start setup again. Check OS permission for the browser or Home Screen app too.
Brave cannot subscribe	Review Use Google services for push messaging in Brave's privacy settings. Enabling it is another provider/privacy choice. You can instead decline notifications.
Browser does not support Web Push	Use a compatible current browser on HTTPS. On iPhone/iPad, launch the companion from its Home Screen icon. Browser feature support is separate from UnoLock app availability.
Setup expired, page reloaded, or the setup code disappeared	Cancel the pending setup in UnoLock and restart it. Setup lasts five minutes; reloading removes its in-memory pairing information. A node restart also discards unfinished setup.
Browser says permission is enabled, but UnoLock reports failure	Return to the same Safe's still-open setup dialog. If it was cancelled, switched, or expired, repeat setup and wait for the app's success message.
Setup could not finish	Confirm the host is reachable over HTTPS and, for a node, online and unlocked. Ask the operator to check companion/API availability if it repeats. Do not bypass certificate, client-integrity, or signature warnings.
Messages arrive but alerts do not	Check permission, the browser/profile used for setup, OS notification settings, Focus/Do Not Disturb, background/battery limits, and connectivity. Retry with the browser running. Permissions can be removed by the browser after inactivity. On managed hosting, check the established Contact's notification setup too.
Alerts stopped after an update or browser-data cleanup	Review permission and repeat registration. Do not clear Safe storage, reset access credentials, or remove trust settings as a notification troubleshooting step.
Tapping an alert opens only the companion	Select Open UnoLock and review the app-opening prompt. Check that a compatible installed app handles the link. Otherwise open UnoLock manually; no Safe reset or re-registration is needed.

If the problem remains, record the time, device/OS, browser and app versions, exact visible error, whether browser permission was granted, and whether UnoLock showed its success message. Tell your host which step failed. Keep setup links/codes, push subscription endpoints, PINs, recovery material, message contents, and raw diagnostic captures private.