Push Notifications in Canvas Parent app for Communication

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(5)

I recently learned that push notifications are only available in the Android Parent app for assignment and event reminders, not announcements or Inbox messages.  The app gives the parents the opportunity to turn on alerts for the following:  course/assignment grades above/below a certain threshold, missing assignments, Course Announcements, and Institution Announcements.  However, these alerts only appear in the Alerts tab of the app once the app is opened.  The app should provide push notifications for any communication (Announcements or Inbox messages) in addition to any alerts the parent has chosen to receive.  Additionally the default for these communication notifications should be "on" rather than the parent having to go in and turn on the announcement notifications.

10 Comments
Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Open
 
robin_salars
Community Member

The Canvas Parent App also needs to allow parents to set notifications from the app without having to login to a browser.

Additionally - the SIS data import for Observers should allow us to include Phone Numbers for those parents who do not have an app enabled smart phone but would like to receive text message updates.

Parents should then have the ability to turn on notifications based on email, app notifications or SMS.

LD1121
Community Member

The Parent App does not currently create notifications outside of the app.  With the removal of SMS messages for notification in July of 2021, districts need to be able to notify parents through announcements.  The Parent App should work for this purpose, but does not work efficiently because parents do not receive notifications on the device outside of the app itself.  Parents are not notified when to check for new information within the app. Simply put, once the ability to send SMS was removed, you lost almost all communication with K12 parents. Many had their phone number in the student accounts to get announcements, etc. The parent mobile app doesn’t send a notification, but the student and teacher apps do. I don't understand why 2 of the 3 do, but not the other.  Parents that are used to notifications aren’t going to check an app in a timely way without some kind of alert that tells them to check it. Please add a notification option for cellular devices for the Parent App.

 
KristinL
Community Team
Community Team

Hi!

Both push notifications and email notifications are available for Observers. Even without SMS, there are some great options available!

How do I view alerts in the Canvas Parent app on my iOS device? 

How do I set alerts for a student in the Canvas Parent app on my Android device? 

How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as an observer? 

 

After reviewing these lessons, is there something the observers you serve are missing? I'd love to collaborate further and help find some resources.

LD1121
Community Member

The alerts are in app only.  There is no signal on an Android or Apple device to notify that there is an alert without opening the app.  The student and teacher app allow for notifications through the device itself.  The parent app does not.  Parents must open the app to check for information.  Many will not do that without knowing that there is information to view through some type of external signal.  The alerts that you mention are not really alerts in the sense that they alert the user to check the app.

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team

Hi! You're right. It seems like reminders create push notifications (like Student and Teacher), but not Inbox messages, Announcements, or Alerts. Thank you for taking the time to point this out!

audra_agnelly
Community Champion

Upvote for this. I've been directing parents to use the app because it has additional alert options such for grade thresholds that are not available through the web notification preferences, but without a push notification or other cue that there is a new alert, information falls through the cracks.

MrsS
Community Member

Upvote!

PaulAustinTx
Community Participant

Thank you @KristinL for confirming no push notifications for observers as near as we can tell. For teachers and students, there is a dedicated column for configuring push. That helps keep teachers' and students' email threads clean of dozens of status messages. They love that.  The app data is always up to date and important messages get to you immediately.  (e.g. class canceled)

Right now parents feel out of the loop. This is mainly an issue for Elementary school ages. I'd be glad to help collaborate as well. Thank you very much. The C4E work overall is making great progress. ( picture from Canvas 2-14-2022)

Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 6.08.11 PM.png

ProductPanda
Instructure
Instructure
Status changed to: Archived
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