# Notifications: sounds, alerts and your online status

Source: https://frosvo.com/docs/notifications-and-presence
Updated: 2026-10-22

Choose how Frosvo tells you about new messages and visitors, turn on alerts for when the desk is closed, and use Online, Away and Do not disturb to control who is bothered.

A support desk only works if you hear about the message. Frosvo lets each person decide how.

![Settings, Notifications: sound, desktop notifications and new visitor alerts](/docs-img/settings-notifications.webp)

## Turn alerts on

1. Go to **Settings → Notifications**.
2. Switch on **Play a sound** if you want a sound for a new message.
3. Switch on **Show a notification when the desk isn't in front of me**, then click **Allow notifications** and accept the browser's question.

If you have not decided yet, a bar at the top of the desk says "Turn on notifications to hear about new visitors and messages." Browsers do not show any notification until you click it and choose Allow.

If the page says notifications are blocked in this browser, open the browser's site settings for the desk address and allow notifications. Some browsers cannot show notifications at all, and the page tells you.

## Which messages notify you

New visitor messages that the assistant is not answering, and chats the assistant hands to the team that are yours or not assigned to anyone. Chats assigned to someone else do not notify you. These settings belong to each device.

## When the desk is closed

Switch on **Notify this device even when the desk is closed**. The notification then arrives through the browser's push service even if the tab is shut. On an iPhone or iPad, add the desk to your Home Screen first.

The [Windows desktop app](/docs/install-desktop-app) shows system notifications and a badge, and the phone app notifies you when it is signed in.

## Tell me about new visitors

Under the same settings, tick **Also tell me when someone arrives on the website**. Clicking the alert opens the visitor on the [Visitors screen](/docs/live-visitors-map).

## Your status: Online, Away, Do not disturb

Use the presence menu to set one of three states:

- **Online:** taking chats.
- **Away:** not taking new chats.
- **Do not disturb:** not taking new chats, and no sounds or notifications.

Your status also affects whether the widget tells visitors that someone is online. The desk can set Away for you when you are idle, but it never overrides a status you chose yourself.

## If notifications still do not arrive

See [troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting), and check that your status is Online and the device is not in a silent mode. Learn how chats reach you in the [inbox guide](/docs/inbox).

## Common questions

### Why do I get no notifications at all?

Your browser must allow them. If the desk shows a bar asking to turn on notifications, click it and choose Allow. If the browser has blocked them, change that in the browser's site settings.

### Are these settings for my whole account?

No. They are set per device, so your laptop and your phone can behave differently.

### Which chats notify me?

Messages the assistant isn't answering and chats it hands over to the team, if they are yours or not assigned to anyone.

### Can I get alerts on an iPhone?

Yes, once you add the desk to your Home Screen from Safari. Browsers on iPhone only allow notifications for apps added there.