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# Notifications by Email and SMS

ChurchDesk automatically keeps you informed about important activities – for example, when you are assigned to a rota, receive a new group message, or are reminded of an upcoming event. This way, you always stay up to date – via email, push notification on your smartphone, or SMS.
In this article, we’ll show you:
* what types of notifications are available,
* how you can choose how you want to receive them,
* and what to keep in mind to ensure they work as expected.

### When will I receive notifications?
ChurchDesk sends notifications, for example, in the following situations:
* When you are assigned to a rota or event (New booking)
* When you are reminded of an upcoming rota (rota reminder)
* When there’s a new message or reply in a group (New group message or reply)
* A monthly overview of your transfers (Transfer confirmation)
* …and more.

You can find all types of notifications in your personal settings. There you can also see which channel is active for each one (email, push, SMS):
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/b/e/3/7/be3725c5cc2ea800/bildschirmfoto-2025-06-18-um-0_j64e8g.png)
### How to manage your notification settings
#### Step-by-step guide:
1. Click on your name in the top right corner of the blue bar.
2. Select **“My Settings.”**
3. In the overview, click on **“Notification Settings.”**
4. Open **“Notification Settings.”**
5. Enable or disable the types of notifications you want.
6. Save your changes.

For each notification, you can choose whether to:
* receive an **email**,
* get a **push notification** on your smartphone,
* or receive an **SMS** (see below).

### Push notifications in the app
If you want to receive push notifications:
* Download the **ChurchDesk app**.
* Allow the app to send push notifications (via your device settings).
* Enable push notifications for the types you want inside ChurchDesk.

| Tip: Push notifications appear directly on your phone – perfect for last-minute updates or new messages.


### SMS notifications
SMS messages are helpful if you don’t regularly use the app or email. However:
* **SMS messages are not free** – they are deducted from your organisation’s SMS balance.
* Once the balance is used up, **no more SMS messages will be sent**.
* An organisation administrator can check the current balance:
    * Top right menu > **ChurchDesk Settings** > **Contacts**
    * Or directly via: **“Buy SMS packages”**

||| Attention: Once the SMS messages included in your installation are used up, no further notifications will be sent in the selected area. There is no automatic switch to email notifications – this needs to be adjusted manually.

More information about pricing and purchasing:
 [SMS packages – Pricing and purchasing](https://support.churchdesk.com/en/article/sms-packages-pricing-information-and-order-form-w04jf9/)
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/b/e/3/7/be3725c5cc2ea800/bildschirmfoto-2025-06-18-um-0_1fw084q.png)
### What to keep in mind
To make sure you receive all your notifications:
* Add a valid **email address and phone number** in your personal settings:
[ Article: My Settings - Personal Informations](https://support.churchdesk.com/en/article/my-settings-personal-informations-1lre29m/)
* **Allow push notifications** on your smartphone if you use the app.
* Check your notification settings regularly.
* Important: If your phone number is incorrect or your device blocks push notifications, you won’t receive any.

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