Why don't I receive notifications from Canary?

Important: The steps in this article have been updated to reflect app version 7.8.0, please update your app today for the best Canary experience.

Table of Contents:

1. Check Canary status
2. Make sure notifications are enabled
3. Check the Canary app
4. Make sure your masks are accurately placed

By default, the Canary app will send you a notification if your Canary device detects motion when it's in Away mode. Alerts should take between 5-15 seconds to be delivered, however they can take up to 45 seconds. The time it takes for a motion notification to be delivered is dependent on three factors:

1. Home network environment and configuration.
2. The Canary cloud and computer vision processing time.
3. Your mobile phone's connection.

Canary uses "computer vision" to determine if motion is happening, which means it’s analyzing changes in the pixels on the screen. Once enough video is processed, Canary's computer vision algorithms attempt to filter out repetitive motion from things like ceiling fans, or background motion like lights and shadows to provide you with intelligent notifications.

In most cases, you can troubleshoot motion notification issues right from your phone and the Canary app.

With Premium Service, regardless of when the motion notification is received, your Canary will immediately start recording footage when motion is detected. To find out more about Premium Service, click here.

Note: To learn more about customizing modes, visit Modes overview. 

Check Canary system status to see if we're experiencing any temporary service interruptions that may impact notifications being delivered. If the status is "Operational" that means all things are normal with the Canary Cloud.  

Make sure you have a good mobile signal and your device is not in 'do not disturb' or 'airplane mode.' Both iOS and Android have these settings that can block alerts and notifications from being received.

Double-check that you've allowed Canary to send you notifications. In your mobile device's settings, verify that you've enabled this feature and that the specific notification style for the Canary app meets your preferences.

Enable iOS notifications

1. Tap the Settings app.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Scroll down and tap the Canary app icon.
4. Make sure the Allow Notifications toggle is green.
5. Make sure the Show on Lock Screen toggle is green.
6. Make sure Alert Style When Unlocked is set to Banners or Alerts.

Enable Android notifications

1. Navigate to the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap Canary.
4. Select Show notifications.

Make sure your device or location is set in a mode that sends notifications.

To enable notifications, you may need to:

• Manually switch to Away mode.
• Manually toggle the Set location to private setting off.
• Customize Home, Away, or Night mode to record video and send notifications.

Note: Recording in all modes, and alerting in home mode is restricted to Canary Premium Service users. To learn more about Canary Premium Service, click here.

If you continue to have issues, please complete the following:

1. Force close the Canary app.
2. Delete, re-download, and reinstall the Canary app.

If you use the iOS Canary app, visit How can I reinstall the iOS app?
If you use the Android Canary app, visit How can I reinstall the Android app?

Important: After re-install make sure you select Ok when prompted to allow Push Notifications

You can use masks to ignore activity in certain zones which reduces the number of false alarms. However, if your masks are covering an area of important activity, you won’t record video or receive a notification regarding that activity. If you have adjusted the placement of your Canary device, your masks may no longer be covering the correct area, and may need to be adjusted.

To adjust your masks, follow these steps:

1. Open the Canary app.
2. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down to Take Action.
4. Tap Set camera masking.
5. Tap on the name of the device to which you would like to add a mask.
6. Drag the edges of the mask until it is the desired size and position.
7. Tap Save mask.

If you're using the Do Not Disturb feature on iOS, you will need adjust the settings to allow notifications. To find out how to do this, please visit: How to set up Canary notifications with Do Not Disturb (iOS)

Activity Zone Masking, person detection, video recordings, video history and bookmarks are only available with Premium Service.