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. Beyond these safety-net features, families also manage their own notification preferences directly in the app, including mailing list and news subscriptions, calendar reminders, and what happens if push notifications are turned off on their device. Important announcements always arrive regardless of personal settings. Within the Notifications screen, mailing lists, news, and chat channel rows are grouped under the Subscriptions section.

💡Quick answers

What is the prerequisite for SMS reminders? SMS reminders are available for US-based districts only and require 10DLC registration through Sinch. Once registration is complete, the feature becomes available automatically. If you can see the SMS options, you're all set. If you don't see them, registration hasn't been completed yet.
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 the admin-configurable settings located? Navigate to Mobile Apps > Chats > Settings to access all SMS reminder and email digest configuration options.
Where do families manage their own notification preferences? In the app, under Profile > Notifications. This covers mailing list and news subscriptions, calendar reminders, and their device's push notification status.
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.
What happens if a family turns off push notifications on their device? A banner appears on their Notifications screen letting them know, with a link to re-enable it in their device settings.
Can Important announcements be turned off? No. They're always on and can't be disabled, since they're reserved for urgent, emergency communications.

📱 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.
Don't have SMS yet? You can still configure your email chat message digest settings which have no additional requirements and are 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 is sent directly to the device when the app is in the background, for any subscribed content sent from Messages, Messages XR, or Messages XR Enterprise, including 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.

How families manage mobile app configurations

Families can shape exactly how much (or how little) communication comes through their mobile app. Push notifications, mailing list and news subscriptions, calendar reminders, and Important announcements can each be tuned to fit a family's routine. For example, muting a specific mailing list that's no longer relevant, choosing whether calendar events sync reminders, or checking the bell icon inbox instead of relying on push alerts when notifications are off on a device. The sections below cover each of these settings in more detail.

If push notifications are turned off for the app

If push notifications are turned off for the app on a family's device, a banner appears at the top of their Notifications screen to let them know.

Tapping Enable in Settings on the banner jumps straight to the app's notification permission in their phone's settings. Once notifications are back on, everything already subscribed to picks back up automatically, with nothing to set up again.

Families always receive important announcements

Important announcements cannot be turned off and are always enabled.

The toggle next to Important announcements always appears on and can't be switched off, since these are reserved for urgent, emergency communications.
Tapping the locked toggle shows a brief on-screen message confirming that Important announcements can't be disabled.

How families manage news boards and mailing list subscriptions

Toggle individual boards on or off (for example, Athletics, Fine Arts, or school-wide announcements) to control which content generates an immediate push notification.

Mailing lists (Push & Inbox): Subscribed content arrives both as a push notification and in the bell icon inbox.
News/Posts (Push & Inbox): Toggle on or off to control whether posts arrive as push notifications and show up in the Inbox.
A list with push notifications turned off shows a Push disabled badge next to its name, so it's easy to tell at a glance which lists are muted.
Tapping a muted list shows a quick confirmation of its current push status.

How families manage calendar event subscriptions

Open any calendar event in the app and tap Subscribe to receive reminders for it. Tap Add to calendar to sync the event to a personal device calendar (Apple or Google).

To remove a synced event from a personal calendar, delete it directly from the phone's native calendar app. Changes made in the phone's calendar do not affect the school's calendar.

How families manage Chat messages notifications

Chat notifications have more granular controls because conversations can be high volume. Navigate to the profile bubble, then click on the Notifications button to access all of the following settings.

Chat messages

Families can choose when the phone is allowed to send notifications about new chats, using this to set quiet hours for evenings, weekends, or any other times.

Chat reminders

In the Chat reminders screen, families can toggle off to stop receiving SMS nudges entirely.
Replying STOP to any SMS message also works immediately from any device.

Unread messages digest

Under Unread messages digest, families can toggle the digest on or off and choose a preferred frequency:

Daily: A digest for each day there are unread messages.
Every 3 days: A digest every three days if there are unread messages.
Weekly: A single weekly digest with all missed conversations.

How admins can configure Finalsite Chat notifications

For districts with Finalsite Chat enabled, admins have several levers for controlling how chat-related notifications reach families. This includes setting up an automated Welcome message for newly added users, configuring SMS reminders for unread messages or extended inactivity, and enabling an email digest that bundles missed conversations at a chosen cadence. The sections below walk through configuring each of these options.

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.

Families receive 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 via SMS/text (Finalsite Chat only)

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.

Families receive 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 via SMS/text (Finalsite Chat only)

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.

Families receive 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 (Finalsite Chat only)

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.

Families receive an email summary of unread conversations with links to open each thread directly.

To configure the settings, 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.

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.

Now that you get it? 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.