Alarms and Notifications

Align sends a notification when a time block is about to start. You choose when with alarms, which you set on each time block. Align can also remind you to review your day after your last time block.

Alarms on a Time Block

Alarms are set in the Alarms section of the time block editor.

Add an Alarm

Open a time block to edit it.
In the Alarms section, tap Add alarm.
Tap the new alarm to choose when it goes off.
Save the time block.

The first alarm you add is set to At time of event. Each extra alarm starts 5 minutes earlier than the alarm you added most recently. A time block can have several alarms.

Alarm Options

When you tap an alarm, you can choose one of these times:

At time of event
5, 10, 15, 30 or 45 minutes before
1 hour before or 2 hours before
1 day before, 2 or 5 days before
1 week before or 2 weeks before

In the editor, each alarm is listed by its time, for example "15 minutes before".

Remove an Alarm

Tap the × next to an alarm in the Alarms section, then save the time block.

Where Alarms Are Stored

Alarms are saved on the calendar event itself, not only in Align. They stay with the event in your calendar, alongside any alerts added in other apps.

Align only uses alarms set a fixed time before (or at) the start of an event. Alerts set for a specific date and time, or for arriving at or leaving a location, are not shown in Align and do not produce Align notifications. Align keeps them on the event when you edit its alarms.

Events from Read-Only Calendars

Events from read-only calendars, such as subscribed or shared calendars you can't edit, can already have alarms. Align sends notifications for those alarms, as long as the calendar is turned on in Align. See Locking Time Blocks for more on read-only calendars.

What the Notification Says

The notification shows the time block's title, followed by when it starts:

Starts in 15 minutes at 9:00 AM, for an alarm set before the start time.
Starts now, 9:00 AM, for an alarm set at the time of the event.

Tap the notification to open Align on that time block.

Align schedules notifications for the next 15 days, for calendars that are turned on in Align. iOS limits each app to 64 scheduled notifications, so Align schedules the 64 that come soonest. No notification is sent for an alarm whose time has already passed, or for a time block that has already started.

Notification Permission

Align needs permission to send notifications. When notifications are not fully allowed, a message appears under the Alarms section of the time block editor.

Before You Allow Notifications

If Align hasn't asked for permission yet, the editor shows "Notifications are currently off. Enable notifications to get important updates and reminders." Tap Continue. Align first asks for quiet (provisional) notifications, so iOS starts delivering them to Notification Center right away without showing a prompt. See Quiet Notifications for how to upgrade to full notifications.

Quiet Notifications

When you tap Continue for the first time, Align starts with quiet (provisional) notifications. These are delivered to Notification Center without a sound or banner, and the editor shows:

"You're receiving quiet notifications temporarily. To continue receiving notifications, please allow full notification access. Continue"

Allow Full Notifications from the Editor

Open a time block to edit it.
Under the Alarms section, tap Continue in the quiet notifications message.
Allow notifications in the iOS prompt that asks for full access.

When notifications are fully allowed, the message no longer appears.

Turn On Notifications in the Settings App

If you turned notifications off, the editor shows "Notifications are currently off." To turn them back on:

Under the Alarms section, tap Open settings. You can also open the Settings app and go to Align → Notifications.
Turn on Allow Notifications.

Daily Review Reminder

The Daily review reminder is a notification titled How did today go? that invites you to look back at your day: "See what moved, what is done, and what needs a reset."

When It Arrives

It arrives 5 minutes after your last time block of the day ends. All-day events don't count toward this time.
If you set custom start and end times for your day, it arrives when your day ends, or when your last time block ends if that is later.
It is only sent on days that have time blocks.

What It Opens

Tap the notification to open Insights for that day, with the Day view selected.

Notification Settings

To manage notifications in Align, open Settings and tap Notifications.

Daily review reminder: Get a reminder after your last time block to review your day. It is on by default. Turn it off to stop the reminder and remove any that are already scheduled. Alarms on your time blocks are not affected.

If Align is using quiet notifications, a message at the top of this screen lets you allow full notifications. Tap Continue, then choose to allow full notifications in the iOS prompt. See Quiet Notifications for more on quiet and full notifications.

Tips

Add two alarms to important time blocks, for example 1 hour before and At time of event.
To hear a sound or see a banner, allow full notifications. Quiet notifications only appear in Notification Center.

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