Messaggi — Notifiche sul telefono e contatore sull'icona dell'app

When push notifications are switched on, a new message shows a notification on the phone and a count on the app icon — in both the staff app and the family app, even while the app is closed.

Nothing personal appears on the lock screen. The notification always reads the same, such as “New message from school”. No pupil or parent name and no message text is ever sent: the push carries only the unread count, encrypted so that only that phone can read it.

The count works differently by phone. On an iPhone and on computers it shows the number of unread conversations (family app) or messages (staff app). On Android the phone makes up its own mind: Samsung and most others show a number, while Google Pixel phones show a dot. Swiping a notification away on Android can lower the count although the message is still unread — the list inside the app is always right, and opening the app puts the count back.

Nothing shows until the app has been added to the home screen and notifications have been allowed. On an iPhone this has to be done from Safari, and push does not work in a Safari tab. If a family’s count ever looks wrong, Recalculate badge in the family app’s settings resets it.