Mobile App and Chat for school leaders: Manage your subscriptions and notifications

Misty Flowers

September 12, 2025 17:37

Most families do not consistently open the school app. SMS reminders can; however, reach them when unread content is waiting and the email digest bundles missed conversations into a single email. Important announcements always arrive regardless of personal settings. Learn more below!

💡Quick answers

What is the prerequisite for SMS reminders? SMS reminders are available for US-based districts only and require 10DLC registration through Sinch. Contact Finalsite support to confirm the district's dedicated number is provisioned before enabling SMS features.
Does the email digest require special setup? No. The email digest is available for all regions and uses the school's logo and primary color from the Mobile Apps CMS setup page automatically.
Where are these settings located? Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings to access all SMS reminder and email digest configuration options.
Can users override admin-configured defaults? Yes. Users can adjust their own inactivity thresholds, digest cadence, and opt out of SMS at any time. User-level overrides are never reset when district-wide defaults are updated.
What is the character limit for SMS messages? Custom SMS text is limited to 60 characters. The system appends a deep link to the app automatically.
How do users opt out of SMS? Users can reply STOP to any SMS reminder to immediately opt out, or toggle off reminders in their app profile under Notifications > Chat reminders.

📱 Finalsite Chat feature

While this article provides assistance with your Finalsite Mobile App needs, it also may highlights aspects of the Finalsite Chat feature, an optional add-on package designed to streamline your communication. To learn more, please reach out to your Client Success Manager or email clientsuccess@finalsite.com.

Requirements before enabling SMS

SMS reminders are available for US-based districts only. Before enabling any SMS feature, confirm the district has completed 10DLC registration and that a dedicated number has been provisioned. Contact Finalsite support to verify registration status. The email digest has no additional requirements and is available for all regions.

Notification methods

The table below covers the three notification types with distinct delivery mechanisms and configuration options.

Notification type	How it arrives	What it does
Push notifications	Lock screen / banner	An app notification sent directly to the device when the app is in the background, for any subscribed content: news, mailing lists, chat messages, and emergency alerts.
SMS reminders	Text message (US only)	A nudge sent when the chat feature has not been opened and unread chat messages are waiting. Includes a deep link that opens the app, a branded landing page, or web chat.
Email digest	Email (all regions)	A bundled summary of unread chat messages sent at a chosen cadence: daily, every 3 days, or weekly.

🔔 Important Note: Bell icon inbox

All push notifications also appear in the bell icon inbox, where they stay accessible even if the original alert was dismissed. This provides a chronological record of all alerts received, including news, calendar, and chat, and remains accessible even when push notifications are disabled on the device. A red bubble on the bell indicates unread updates.

Users can filter the notification history by type (news, calendar, or chat) using the filter buttons at the top of the notification screen. This view is read-only for admins; individual users manage it from their own profiles.

Configure a Welcome message

US only. A one-time automated SMS sent to newly added users on weekdays. It includes a direct login link and is never repeated. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings tab > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Welcome message to expand configuration options.

For a full overview of how to configure these settings, see Chat environment settings: Configure Chat reminders via text messages > Configure a Welcome message section.

What families see: A single text from the district's dedicated school number with a link to get started. The message is never repeated. Families can reply STOP at any time to opt out of all future SMS, or reply START to resume.

Configure Unread messages reminders

US only. Sent when a user has unread content and has not opened the app for a configurable number of days. At most two reminders send per week, only between 8 AM and 9 PM local time. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Unread message reminder to expand options.

For a full overview of how to configure Unread messages reminders, see Chat environment settings: Configure Chat reminders via text messages > Configure Unread chat messages reminders section.

What families see: A text from the district number with a deep link. Tapping it opens the app (if installed), a branded school page with download links (if not installed), or web chat on desktop. Families can reply STOP to opt out immediately, or adjust their personal inactivity threshold in the app.

Configure Dormant re-engagement reminders

US only. Targets users who have been inactive for an extended period and have unread messages pending. The minimum configurable threshold is 30 days. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Chat reminders via text messages and toggle on Dormant re-engagement to expand options.

For a full overview of how to configure Dormant re-engagement reminders, see Chat environment settings: Configure Chat reminders via text messages > Configure Dormant re-engagement reminders section.

What families see: A text bundling a summary of missed content with a deep link to catch up. As with all SMS, families can reply STOP at any time.

Configure Unread chat messages digest

All regions. Bundles unread chat conversations into a single email sent at each user's preferred cadence. Each digest includes up to 10 channels with the two most recent messages from each, plus deep links that open directly in the app, mobile browser, or desktop web chat. Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings > Unread chat messages digest and toggle on Enable email digest to make this feature available to users.

For a full overview of how to configure Dormant re-engagement reminders, see Chat environment settings: Configure Chat reminders via text messages > Configure Unread chat messages digest section.

What families see: An email summary of unread conversations and links to open each thread directly.

A digest only sends when there are unread messages.
Families can unsubscribe by clicking the link in any digest footer, or by toggling off Unread messages digest in their app profile.
User-level overrides are preserved when district-wide defaults change.

Important announcements

Important announcement message notifications are always enabled for users and cannot be toggled off. They are reserved for urgent, school-wide communications and reach 100% of users regardless of any personal notification settings.

To send an Important Announcement from Messages/Messages XR, first create your message and give it an internal name. Then, on the Message Details screen, select the Important Announcement toggle. Two select buttons will appear next to the Message To field, one dropdown for Groups and one for Constituents. Learn more in the article, "Promotional vs Important Announcement email messages."

News boards and mailing list subscriptions

School leaders control the structure of news boards (made in the Posts module) and mailing lists (made in the Messages module) so that they can be subscribed to in the app by users.

Clear organization (for example, grouping by Athletics, Fine Arts, or grade level) makes it easier for families to subscribe to the categories most relevant to them.
Users toggle individual boards on or off in Profile > Notifications > News section to control which categories generate a push notification.

Calendar

School leaders manage the global calendar feed that allows families to subscribe to reminders or sync school dates to their personal devices.

While a calendar event cannot be forced onto a user's personal device, a well-maintained global calendar gives families everything they need to stay organized.
Users can open any event in the app and tap Subscribe to receive reminders, or Add to calendar to sync to Apple or Google Calendar.

Share with families

Here are some actions you can take to help your community stay engaged!

Before activating automated nudges, inform families that SMS messages will arrive from a dedicated number and provide them this number so that they can save and recognize the number.
Suggest saving it in contacts as "[School Name] Updates" so messages are recognized as trusted communications.
Share the family-facing article, "Mobile App + Chat for community users: Manage subscriptions and notifications", during onboarding. It covers how to customize quiet hours, manage notification volume, and configure the email digest cadence.
School leaders can also use that article to manage their own personal notification preferences, including chat quiet hours, news board subscriptions, and calendar reminders.