Inbox and notifications
Review requests and planning changes, take the next action, and choose how Harmonise alerts you.
Show instructions for
Inbox is the place for planning requests and changes that may need your attention. It can bring together an Event invitation, a friend request, a group invitation, a booking request, a Task assignment, or another supported planning update.
A notification is the alert that tells you something happened. It may arrive in the app, as a push notification, by email, or through a connected messaging service. An Inbox item is the lasting card you can return to. The two are related, but they are not the same thing.
What belongs in Inbox?
Inbox is for information you may need to review or act on. For example:
- Ada invites you to Project review;
- a friend request is waiting for your response;
- you are added to a planning group;
- a booking request needs approval;
- a Task is assigned to you; or
- an Event, booking, or other shared Plan changes.
Harmonise shows only the actions that make sense for the item in its current state. An Event invitation might offer Accept, Tentative, and Decline, while a Task update may only need View.
Inbox item or notification?
The distinction is useful when an alert arrives but Inbox looks different from what you expected.
| Experience | What it does |
|---|---|
| Inbox item | Keeps a request or update available so you can read it, act on it, or dismiss it. |
| Push notification | Alerts an eligible signed-in device. |
| Email notification | Delivers an eligible update to your email address. |
| Messaging notification | Delivers an eligible update through a connected messaging service. |
| Reminder | Gives you notice before an Event or Task and normally does not create an Inbox item. |
Receiving a notification does not mark its Inbox item as read, dismissed, or completed. An Inbox item can also remain available when a push or email could not be delivered.
A complete Inbox example
Suppose Ada invites you to Project review on Monday at 10:00 AM.
The Inbox card can show:
Project review
- From: Ada Lovelace
- When: Monday at 10:00 AM
- Status: Active
- Actions: Accept, Tentative, or Decline
Choose Accept when you plan to attend, Tentative when you are not ready to commit, or Decline when you cannot attend. Harmonise applies the response to the Event invitation; marking the card as read does not respond for you.
On mobile
- Open Inbox from the main app navigation.
- Choose All, Active, Updates, or History to narrow the list.
- Open an item to review its details and related Plan.
- Choose one of the actions shown on the card when a response is needed.
- Return to Inbox and confirm that the item shows the expected outcome.
Urgent items appear ahead of ordinary items. Within the same level of urgency, newer items appear first.
On web
- Open Inbox from the signed-in navigation.
- Use All, Active, Updates, or History to find the item you need.
- Open the item or its related planning thread for more context.
- Choose an available action when the item needs a response.
- Refresh Inbox if the result is not visible after the action finishes.
Only choose an action once. If the result is uncertain, refresh the item before trying again.
Use the Inbox filters
All
All brings together current requests, informational updates, and available history that has not been dismissed.
Active
Active shows items that still need attention or have an action available. Start here when you want to know what needs a decision.
Updates
Updates shows informational changes, such as an Event moving or a shared Plan being revised. An update may offer View instead of a decision.
History
History shows completed, cancelled, or expired items that remain available for reference. Dismissed items no longer appear in the active Inbox presentation.
Read, act, or dismiss
These controls do different jobs:
| Choice | What changes | What does not change |
|---|---|---|
| Mark read or unread | The way the item is presented and counted. | The Event, Task, booking, invitation, or request. |
| Choose an action | The related workflow and the item’s outcome. | Other unrelated Plans. |
| Dismiss | Removes the item from the active Inbox presentation. | The related Event, Task, booking, friendship, or group. |
Marking an invitation as read does not accept it. Marking it unread does not undo a response. Dismissing a booking request does not cancel the booking. When an important decision is still required, Harmonise may keep dismissal unavailable until the request is resolved.
Choose the action that matches your decision
An Inbox item may offer actions such as:
- Accept, Decline, or Tentative for an invitation;
- Respond or Suggest time for a scheduling request;
- Join for an eligible group invitation;
- Approve for a booking that needs approval;
- Reconfirm when an invitation changed and needs a new response;
- View when no direct decision is needed; or
- Dismiss when the card can be removed without changing the related Plan.
The available buttons are part of the item. If an action is not shown, open the related Event, booking, group, Task, or planning thread and use the controls available there. A link from Inbox helps you navigate; it does not grant access to something you otherwise cannot open.
After an action succeeds, Harmonise records the outcome and marks the item read. A completed decision cannot be repeated as though it were a new request. If the related Plan changed before you acted, review its latest state before choosing a new response.
Unread count
The unread count represents Inbox items that are still included and unread. It does not count every push notification, email, reminder, or messaging delivery.
Marking an item read lowers the count without resolving the request. Acting on an item also marks it read. Dismissing an item removes it from the active Inbox and its unread count.
Reminders do not normally appear in Inbox
Event and Task reminders are alerts about time, not requests for a decision. A saved reminder normally creates a push notification without adding an Inbox item or increasing the unread Inbox count.
This means a reminder can arrive even when Inbox has no new card. It also means that dismissing an Inbox item does not remove reminders configured on the related Event or Task. Open the Event or Task itself to change those reminders.
Notification preferences
Use your account settings to turn eligible email and push notifications on or off. A preference change applies to future eligible notifications; it does not remove alerts that have already been sent or clear existing Inbox items.
Push notifications also require permission from your phone or tablet. A user can receive notifications on more than one signed-in device, and disabling one device does not remove Inbox items or disable another eligible device.
Daily summaries and Inbox delivery through Telegram or WhatsApp are configured inside the connected messaging service. Changing those settings does not mark items read or complete their actions.
Privacy and related details
Notification previews may show less information than the full Inbox card, especially when Harmonise cannot be certain who is looking at the device or delivery channel.
Open the item in Harmonise to review private details and act. A notification or Inbox link is only a route to the related item; normal account and sharing rules still apply.
Common problems
An action is not available
The related request may already be completed, cancelled, expired, or changed. Refresh Inbox, then open the related Plan to review its current state. Use only the actions Harmonise currently shows.
I marked an item read but nothing else changed
That is expected. Read state changes the presentation only. Reopen the item and choose its response action if you need to accept, decline, approve, join, or make another decision.
I dismissed an item but the Event or Task still exists
Dismissal removes the Inbox card, not the related Plan. Open the Event, Task, booking, friendship, group, or planning thread to manage the underlying item.
My reminder is not in Inbox
Reminders normally arrive as push notifications and do not create Inbox items. Open the Event or Task to confirm that its reminder is still saved, then check that push notifications are enabled and Harmonise has device permission.
A push notification did not arrive
Confirm that push notifications are enabled in Harmonise and in the device’s system settings. Make sure the device is signed in and online. The Inbox item may still be available even when alert delivery fails.
The unread count looks different from my notification history
The Inbox count includes unread Inbox items, not every alert delivered to every device or channel. Open Inbox and mark the relevant items read, act on them, or dismiss them where allowed.
My action is not visible on another device
Reconnect both devices and refresh Inbox. If the result remains uncertain, open the related Plan and check its current state before acting again.