Notifications in Echobell

Notifications are at the core of Echobell's functionality. This guide explains how notifications work, the different types available, and how to customize them for your needs.

Notification Types

When subscribing to a channel, you can choose from three notification types based on urgency:

• Normal: Standard app notifications for routine alerts. These follow your device's normal notification settings.
• Time Sensitive: High-priority notifications that can break through certain focus modes. Use these for important alerts that shouldn't be missed.
• Calling: Call-like alerts for critical situations that demand immediate attention. These notifications appear as incoming calls on your device.

Notification Templates

Each channel uses customizable templates for notification content:

• Title Template: Determines what appears in the notification header
• Body Template: Controls the main content of the notification

Templates support dynamic variables using the {{variableName}} syntax. For example:

Title: {{server}} status alert
Body: {{message}} detected at {{timestamp}}

Variables in Notifications

Webhook Variables

When triggering notifications via webhook, you can provide variables through:

• Query parameters: https://hook.echobell.one/t/xxx?server=production&status=critical
• JSON body:

{
  "server": "production",
  "status": "critical"
}

Special Variables:

• externalLink: When included, creates a clickable link in the notification records view

Email Variables

When triggering via email, these variables are automatically available:

• from: Sender's email address
• to: Recipient's email address
• subject: Email subject line
• text: Plain text content
• html: HTML content of the email

Privacy and Storage

Echobell takes a privacy-first approach to notification handling:

• Notification content and history are stored exclusively on your local device
• Only essential data (user accounts, channel configurations, and subscriptions) is stored on servers
• Your notification data never leaves your control

App Settings

Configure how notifications behave through these settings:

• Repeat Voice Content: For call notifications, enables repeating the notification content
• Retry Failed Call: Automatically retries call notifications that failed due to Focus Mode or other reasons

Important Notes

• The app requires notification permission to function properly
• Notifications are delivered in real-time when channels are triggered
• You can receive notifications from both channels you create and channels you subscribe to
• Different notification types can be used for different levels of urgency