How to Enable Push Notifications for New Responses

Receive instant browser notifications when someone submits your form #

Push notifications in FORMEPIC deliver real-time alerts directly to your browser or device the moment someone submits your form. No need to constantly refresh your dashboard or check emails—instant notifications ensure you never miss an important submission. This feature is perfect for time-sensitive forms, urgent requests, or any situation where immediate awareness matters. With customizable notification messages that can include form field data, you stay informed and can respond quickly to your audience, improving response times and customer satisfaction.

Accessing Push Notification Settings #

To set up push notifications for your form:

1. Open your form in the Builder
2. Click on the Push Notifications tab in the left sidebar
3. You’ll see the push notification configuration panel

Enabling Browser Notifications #

Before you can receive push notifications, you need to grant permission in your browser.

Step 1: Enable Notifications in Your Browser

1. In the Push Notifications panel, click the Enable Notifications button
2. Your browser will show a permission request popup
3. Click Allow to grant notification permission
4. You’ll see a confirmation that you’re subscribed to notifications

Browser Support:
Push notifications work in modern browsers:

• Google Chrome (desktop and mobile)
• Mozilla Firefox (desktop and mobile)
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari (desktop and mobile)
• Opera

Important: If you previously denied notification permission, you’ll need to manually enable it in your browser settings for the FORMEPIC site.

Configuring Push Notifications for Your Form #

Once you’ve enabled browser notifications, you can configure how push notifications work for your specific form.

Basic Setup #

Step 1: Enable Push Notifications

1. Toggle Enable Push Notifications to ON
2. This activates the push notification system for the form

Step 2: Enable Notify on Submission

1. Toggle Notify on Submission to ON
2. This ensures you receive a notification immediately when someone submits the form
3. If turned off, push notifications are disabled even if the feature is enabled

Customizing Notification Messages #

By default, notifications show a simple message like “New form response received!” However, you can customize this to include specific information from the submission.

Step 1: Write Your Custom Message

1. In the Custom Notification Message field, type your desired message
2. Keep it concise—notifications have limited display space
3. Example: “New contact inquiry from [Name]”

Step 2: Add Form Field Data

1. Click the Add Field button in the message editor
2. Select any form field from the dropdown list
3. The field placeholder will be inserted into your message
4. When a notification is triggered, actual submission data will replace the placeholders

Example Custom Messages:

• “New order received from {{Customer Name}} – {{Product}}”
• “{{Priority}} support ticket submitted by {{Name}}”
• “{{Name}} just completed your survey!”
• “New application: {{Applicant Name}} – {{Position}}”

Step 3: Save Your Settings

1. Click Save Settings to activate your configuration
2. You’ll see a confirmation that settings were saved successfully

Testing Push Notifications #

To verify your push notifications are working:

1. Make sure you’ve enabled notifications and saved your settings
2. Open your form in a new browser tab or share it with someone
3. Submit a test response
4. Within seconds, you should see a push notification appear on your screen
5. Click the notification to be taken directly to your responses dashboard

Troubleshooting Test Notifications:

• Ensure your browser’s “Do Not Disturb” or “Focus” mode is not active
• Check that system notifications are enabled in your operating system settings
• Verify you’re logged into FORMEPIC in the same browser where you enabled notifications
• Try closing and reopening your browser if notifications aren’t appearing

How Push Notifications Work #

Real-Time Delivery:
Push notifications are delivered instantly when forms are submitted, typically within 1-2 seconds. This ensures you can respond quickly to time-sensitive submissions.

Multi-Device Support:
You can enable push notifications on multiple devices and browsers. Each device where you grant permission will receive notifications independently.

Notification Appearance:
Notifications typically appear in the corner of your screen (location varies by operating system):

• Windows: Bottom right corner
• macOS: Top right corner
• Mobile devices: Standard notification area

Notification Content:
Each notification includes:

• Your custom message (or default message)
• Form field data if configured
• Timestamp of when the submission occurred
• Click action to view the submission details

Notification Duration:
Notifications typically stay visible for a few seconds before automatically dismissing. You can usually access recently dismissed notifications through your browser’s or device’s notification center.

Managing Notification Preferences #

Enabling for Multiple Forms:
You can configure different push notification settings for each form:

• Enable notifications only for high-priority forms
• Use different custom messages for different form types
• Subscribe to some forms but not others

Disabling Notifications:
To stop receiving push notifications:

1. Go to the form’s Push Notifications settings
2. Toggle Enable Push Notifications to OFF
3. Save your settings

Alternatively, revoke notification permission entirely in your browser settings to stop all FORMEPIC notifications.

Managing Notification Volume:
If you receive many submissions and notifications become overwhelming:

• Consider disabling instant notifications for high-volume forms
• Use email digest notifications instead for summaries
• Enable notifications only for specific, priority forms
• Use conditional automations to notify only for certain responses

Requirements #

• An active FORMEPIC account
• A published form
• Modern browser that supports web push notifications (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Browser notification permission granted
• Internet connection to receive real-time notifications

Tips and Tricks #

Keep messages concise: Notification space is limited—include only the most critical information in your custom message.

Use field data strategically: Include key identifiers like names, priority levels, or order numbers to quickly understand the submission at a glance.

Test different messages: Experiment with different notification formats to see what works best for your workflow.

Enable selectively: You don’t need to enable notifications for every form—choose the ones where immediate awareness matters most.

Check browser settings: If notifications stop working, check your browser and system notification settings to ensure they’re still enabled.

Multiple devices: Enable notifications on both desktop and mobile for maximum flexibility and awareness.

Click to view: Remember that clicking a notification takes you directly to your responses—use this as a quick access shortcut.

Combine with other alerts: Use push notifications alongside email alerts for redundancy—you’ll get instant notifications plus an email record.

Important Notes #

• Push notifications require browser permission—users must explicitly grant access
• Notifications only appear when you’re actively using or have your browser open
• System “Do Not Disturb” or “Focus” modes will suppress notifications
• Each browser session requires separate permission—enabling on Chrome doesn’t enable on Firefox
• Notifications are not stored—once dismissed, they disappear (though submissions are always saved)
• Push notifications work independently of email notifications—you can use both simultaneously
• Mobile browsers may have different notification behaviors based on the device and OS
• Notifications respect your browser and system notification preferences
• If you clear browser data or cookies, you may need to re-enable notification permission

Common Issues & Troubleshooting #

“Enable Notifications” button doesn’t work:

• Check if your browser supports push notifications (most modern browsers do)
• Ensure you haven’t previously blocked notifications for the site
• If blocked, manually enable notifications in your browser settings:
• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications
• Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications
• Safari: Preferences > Websites > Notifications
• Try using a different browser or device

Not receiving notifications after enabling:

• Verify that “Enable Push Notifications” is toggled ON in the form settings
• Ensure “Notify on Submission” is also enabled
• Check that you clicked “Save Settings” after making changes
• Confirm your system notifications are enabled (not in Do Not Disturb mode)
• Check your browser notification settings to ensure FORMEPIC isn’t blocked
• Try logging out and back into FORMEPIC
• Test with a fresh browser window or incognito mode

Notifications appear but don’t show custom message:

• Verify you entered text in the “Custom Notification Message” field
• Click “Save Settings” after writing your custom message
• Check that field placeholders are correctly formatted (should show as colored pills)
• Submit a new test response to trigger a fresh notification

Custom field data not appearing in notifications:

• Ensure the fields you’re referencing exist in your form
• Verify field placeholders were added using the “Add Field” button (not typed manually)
• Check that the fields contain data in the submission
• Some field types may not display well in short notification formats

Notifications work on one device but not another:

• Notification permission must be granted separately on each browser/device
• Click “Enable Notifications” on each device where you want to receive alerts
• Verify you’re logged into FORMEPIC on all devices
• Check individual device notification settings

Notification permission request doesn’t appear:

• Your browser may have blocked automatic permission requests
• Manually enable notifications in browser settings for the FORMEPIC site
• Clear browser cache and cookies, then try again
• Ensure your browser is up to date

Too many notifications:

• Disable notifications for high-volume forms
• Turn off “Notify on Submission” if you prefer not to be notified for every response
• Consider using email digest notifications instead for summaries
• Set up conditional automations to notify only for specific response types

Clicking notification doesn’t open responses:

• Ensure you’re logged into FORMEPIC in the browser
• Check that your browser allows notification click actions
• Try clicking the notification again—sometimes it needs a moment to register
• Manually navigate to your responses dashboard as an alternative