Notification Settings: Control What Alerts You Receive

Your Notifications, Your Way

Notifications are the bridge between your group's activity and your attention. When someone posts a prayer request, an event is coming up, or a chat message needs your response — notifications make sure you know about it.

But too many notifications feel overwhelming, and too few mean you miss what matters. Flock gives you full control over what buzzes your phone, so you can find the balance that works for you.

Types of Notifications

Flock sends notifications across four main categories:

Prayer Notifications

Notification	What Triggers It
Someone prayed for your request	A member taps the heart on your prayer
Prayer marked as answered	A prayer you follow is marked answered
Someone sent encouragement	A member writes an encouragement on your prayer
New prayer in your group	A new prayer request is posted

Event Notifications

Notification	What Triggers It
New event created	A leader creates a new event in your group
Event reminder (24 hours)	An event you are part of starts tomorrow
Event reminder (1 hour)	An event starts in one hour
Event cancelled	A scheduled event has been cancelled

Chat Notifications

Notification	What Triggers It
New message in group chat	Someone sends a message in the main chat
You are @mentioned	Someone mentions you by name in a message
New message in a chat group	A message is sent in a sub-conversation you belong to

Attendance Notifications (Leaders Only)

Notification	What Triggers It
Attendance reminder	A recent event has no attendance recorded

How to Customize Your Notifications

In the Flock App

Open the app and navigate to your profile or settings.
Find Notification Preferences.
Toggle each notification type on or off based on what you want to receive.

Each notification type can be turned on or off individually. Want prayer notifications but not chat alerts? Done. Want event reminders but not new event alerts? You can do that too.

Per-Conversation Chat Muting

Beyond the global notification settings, you can mute individual chat conversations:

Mute a chat group — If the "Event Planning" chat group is buzzing and you do not need real-time alerts, mute it. You will still see unread badges when you open the Chat tab, but your phone will not buzz.
Mute the main group chat — If the general conversation is too active, mute it and check in at your own pace.
Keep important conversations unmuted — Leave your most important conversations (like a prayer partners group or leadership chat) unmuted so you never miss those.

Muting is specific to each conversation. Muting one chat group does not affect notifications from other conversations, prayers, or events.

Finding the Right Balance

If You Are Getting Too Many Notifications

Start by identifying which category is the noisiest:

Chat messages are usually the biggest source of notification volume. If your group chats actively throughout the day, consider muting specific conversations and checking in on your own schedule.
New prayers in group can also add up in active groups. If you prefer to check the Prayer Wall on your own time, turn off the new prayer notification.
Event reminders are generally helpful to keep on, since they help you remember what is coming up.

If You Are Missing Important Things

Make sure these key notifications are turned on:

Someone prayed for your request — Knowing people are praying for you matters
Event reminders — So you never forget a meeting
@Mentions — When someone specifically calls your name in chat
Prayer marked as answered — Celebrations are worth seeing

Suggested Settings by Role

For group members:

Turn on prayer notifications and event reminders
Turn off or mute busy chat groups
Keep @mention notifications on

For group leaders:

Keep most notifications on so you stay aware of group activity
Mute high-volume chat groups if needed, but check them regularly
Keep attendance reminders on so you do not forget to record attendance

For pastors and staff:

Focus on prayer and at-risk notifications
Mute group-level chats that do not require your attention
Keep event reminders for meetings you attend

Phone-Level Settings

In addition to Flock's in-app settings, your phone has its own notification controls:

On iPhone

Go to Settings > Notifications > Flock to control:

Whether notifications appear on your lock screen
Whether they make a sound
Whether they show as banners

On Android

Go to Settings > Apps > Flock > Notifications to control:

Notification channels (prayer, chat, events)
Sound and vibration settings
Whether notifications appear as pop-ups

If you have turned off Flock notifications at the phone level, the in-app settings will not matter — your phone is blocking them before they can reach you. Make sure Flock is allowed to send notifications in your phone's settings.

Tips for Notification Wellness

Set a check-in time. Instead of reacting to every notification in real time, pick two or three times a day to open Flock and catch up. This is especially helpful for chat messages.

Use Do Not Disturb wisely. If your phone's Do Not Disturb mode blocks Flock notifications during sleeping hours, you will catch up in the morning without being woken up.

Remind your group. If members complain about not seeing updates, ask them to check their notification settings — both in the app and on their phone. Often the issue is a phone-level setting they forgot about.