Configurable iOS High-urgency/Critical Alerts volume

#1

Hi! I was just added to my organization’s PagerDuty rotation, and after setting up the iOS app on my phone and testing out the notifications, I discovered that I cannot adjust the volume of the high-urgency notifications, which are sent as native Critical Alerts.

A quick Google for “ios critical alerts volume” shows that controlling the volume of these alerts is not possible as an iPhone user, but it is possible as an app developer; this blog post shows something called “PushOver” allowing users to configure Critical Alert volume on a scale of “loud” to “deafening”.

“Deafening” is how I would describe the current volume level of the high-urgency notifications, and this is just not acceptable in my situation: I’m not the only person in my building, and I can hear these notifications outside on the street, two-stories down :sweat_smile:. I understand their importance, but the whole apartment building doesn’t, and I’m sure to run into problems with the neighbors if I turn these on.

Can you please prioritize an update that will let me set the volume of these high-urgency alerts to something more humane? :pray: As it stands, I cannot enable them unless I build some sort of sound-dampening phone case. :laughing:

5 Likes
#2

Hi!

I’m Chandler the Product Manager for Mobile at PagerDuty. We’re so excited you are using this feature and that you can hear your pages from two blocks away :wink: #nevermissapage

In all seriousness, we really appreciate this feedback. We tried to pick something that would be loud enough but not turn volume all the way up. We used a default so that we could get this feature to folks ASAP. Allowing you to adjust and set the volume is on the roadmap.

Let us know if you have any other feedback!
Chandler

3 Likes
#3

Thanks for the response and update, Chandler! I appreciate the transparent communication, and look forward to the eventual update :smile: I would love to use this feature.

#4

I think there needs to be even more configurability regarding Critical Alerts.

I love: overriding DND and the mute switch, because I generally use both when I go to bed. I need all the help I can get when it comes to waking me up.

I don’t love: that 24/7 the mute switch is overridden. I can imagine receiving a page during a movie or during a talk or … where the tap on my wrist from my watch would be more than sufficient to get my attention.

Could a normal alert vs a critical alert be two different contact methods in preferences? I’d be fine overriding the mute button if I had an opportunity to interact with a non-critical alert once or twice first and failed to.

Or, does iOS make access to the “bedtime” status available and maybe therefore have different escalations during bedtime? Or maybe just a different configuration for waking vs sleeping hours as configured statically?

2 Likes
#5

Is there any way to change the text tone used for critical alerts? Once I enable critical alerts it overrides the tones I have set for both High-Urgency and Low-Urgency. And, in comparison to Chris’s problem, it is not loud enough for me. I want it really loud so I don’t miss a page.

#6

I just wanted to bring more attention to this again. Having Pagerduty alerts that will override normal volume/mute or other phone settings is super useful to ensuring pages are noticed, but the inability to change to set the volume of the “critical alert” makes it untenable for regular use. It appears Apple has documented the ability to set critical alert volume https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/unnotificationsound/2967455-criticalsoundnamed
Even if you were able to just implement low, medium, high volume options it would be an immense usability improvement to the function of critical alerts.

3 Likes
#7

Hello,

Any update on this much needed feature? Waking up the whole home everytime I get paged it not acceptable.

I appreciate the fact that High Urgency alerts are supported by the iOS app, and I applaud the feature but the current volume is approximately 10 times louder (modulo all this logarithmic stuff ofc).

The alternative is to buy a smart watch to be buzz-waken up but this is not part of the PagerDuty shop ;). Or move home but my wife is definitely against it, and, believe me, in a conflict between my work, my pager and my family, the winner is already known.

Cheers and keep up the good paging,
P.

#8

Following up here - it is deafening and far too loud right now to be without a volume control. Is there any update here?

Jacob

#9

I have just encountered the same issue with ridiculously loud PD critical notifications.
Is there any update on this?

#10

Looks like Atlassian already implemented it in Opsgenie few months ago:

I hope PD will catch up soon…

#11

After trying so many things eventually got rid of the issue by turning off the Bluetooth on the iPhone.

#12

I tried every possible fix out there untill i fixed it by uninstalling certain video calling apps.

#13

This is still an issue and it makes this nearly unusable at night. Can you please implement this, when OpsGenie has it for 2 years+ all-ready?

1 Like
#14

I now know I will die of a heart attack to the sound of a barbershop quartet. Seriously though, it’s loud; damn loud. Maybe a setting to politely alert and then not so polite if not acked within some amount of time?

#15

I get it - and completely relate to - how nightmarish it is to wake up to a crazy loud sound in the middle of the night (or any time of the day tbh). :tired_face::disappointed_relieved:

I brought this request to the mobile team’s attention and want to assure you all that your requests have not gone unnoticed. PD understands the importance of the volume control for critical alerts to your workflow and recognize that its absence has caused frustration.

As we kick off the first quarterly roadmap of 2024, our mobile development team is dedicated to bringing this requested feature to life - updates will be shared with you (in the meantime, I hope your services are running smoothly so that you get less critical alerts 🫨).

#16

I looked for this on various websites including youtube and solved it using to receive a message that “Home would like to send you critical alerts” on your iPhone, it means that the Home app wants to send you notifications for critical events such as security breaches or important updates. Here’s how you can fix this issue:-
1. Allow Critical Alerts:- If you trust the Home app and want to receive critical alerts from it, you can simply allow it to do so. When you receive the notification, tap on “Allow” or go to Settings > Notifications > Home and enable “Critical Alerts.”
2. Review Home App Settings:- Open the Home app on your iPhone and check its settings. Make sure notifications are enabled for the devices and services you want to receive alerts from. You can customize notifications for each device or service within the Home app.
3. Check iPhone Settings:- Go to Settings > Notifications > Home and make sure that notifications are turned on. Also, make sure that the Allow Critical Alerts setting is enabled if you want to receive critical alerts from the Home app.
4. Restart iPhone:- Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve software glitches that may be causing issues with notifications. Restart your iPhone and check if the problem persists.
5. Update iOS and Home App:- Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS and that the Home app is up to date. Software updates often include bug fixes and improvements that can resolve issues with notifications.
Follow for more informatics instruction below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HykFdiWQF_Q&ab_channel=TheGeekPage

#17

I just want to +1 to the urgency on this. It’s a major quality of life issue for people with e.g. breastfeeding newborns. Waking up my entire family at 2am for no reason is just not acceptable. This is the #1 reason why I would lobby my company to switch to another solution.