Why notifications work differently on a web app
A store app gets permission to notify you when you install it. A web app asks the browser instead, and each browser has its own rules. Android and computer browsers let a website ask straight away. Apple is stricter: on an iPhone or iPad, only a web app that has been added to the home screen can ask for notifications, and only on iOS 16.4 or later.
That is why Chatiwi does not ask an iPhone user for notifications in Safari. It waits until you have installed it.
Turn on Chatiwi notifications on an iPhone or iPad
- Check your version in Settings › General › About. You need iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later.
- Open chatiwi.app in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
- Close Safari and open Chatiwi from the new kiwi icon.
- When Chatiwi asks about notifications, tap Allow.
The full install steps, with what to expect on the first open, are on the Chatiwi web app page.
Turn on Chatiwi notifications on Android
- Open chatiwi.app in Chrome. Installing it (⋮ › Add to Home screen or Install app) is recommended but not required.
- When Chatiwi asks about notifications, tap Allow.
- If you tapped Block by mistake: open Chrome's ⋮ menu › Settings › Site settings › Notifications, find chatiwi.app and set it to Allow.
Turn on Chatiwi notifications on a computer
- Chrome or Edge (Windows or Mac): allow notifications when Chatiwi asks. If you blocked them, click the icon at the left of the address bar, open the site settings and set Notifications to Allow.
- Safari on a Mac: add Chatiwi to the Dock (File › Add to Dock) and allow notifications when asked, or manage them in Safari › Settings › Websites › Notifications.
- Your computer's own settings (Windows Notifications, macOS Notifications) also need to allow notifications from the browser or the installed app.
Not getting Chatiwi notifications?
- On iPhone, make sure you opened Chatiwi from the home-screen icon, not from Safari.
- Check that Focus or Do Not Disturb is off, or lets Chatiwi through.
- Battery saver modes on some Android phones stop background notifications; exclude your browser.
- If you reinstalled the home-screen app, allow notifications again; it counts as a new install.
Turn Chatiwi notifications off
On iPhone: Settings › Notifications › Chatiwi. On Android: long-press the Chatiwi icon › App info › Notifications, or the browser's site settings. On a computer: the browser's site settings for chatiwi.app. Removing the Chatiwi app from your home screen also stops them.
Notifications are a convenience, not a requirement: everything on Chatiwi works without them. Read how Chatiwi works or jump straight into a video chat.