Notifications & Reminders
Set up smart reminders for medications, meals, appointments, and more, with fine-grained control over what you get notified about.
Staying on Top of Care
MoaTails sends you reminders so you don't have to rely on memory for your pet's daily care. From medication doses to vet appointments, you'll get a nudge at the right time.
How Notifications Work
MoaTails uses two types of notifications:
Local push notifications: Scheduled directly on your device. These work even without an internet connection and fire at the exact time you've set.
Server notifications: Sent when something happens in your care team (a team member completes a task, or a new invite arrives).
Customizing What You Get Notified About
This is where MoaTails really shines. Instead of a simple on/off switch, you get layered control:
Per-Event-Type Levels
For each type of calendar event, choose how much you want to hear about it:
All: Get notified for every instance of this event type
Assigned only: Only get notified for events assigned to you
None: No notifications for this event type
Don't want a ping every time someone logs a water refill? Set Water notifications to "none" and keep Medication on "all." You'll hear about the important stuff without the noise.
Per-Pet Overrides
Have multiple pets? You can override notification settings on a per-pet basis. For example:
Keep all notifications on for your senior dog who takes daily medication
Set most notifications to assigned only for your healthy young cat
The notification system resolves in this order: pet-level override > your global preference > system default. So you can set a sensible default and only override where needed.
Collaborator Updates
Optionally receive notifications when care team members complete tasks. This is great for keeping tabs on pet sitters, or knowing your partner has fed the dog without asking.
Reminder Timing
When creating or editing a calendar event, you can set a reminder offset: how many minutes before the event you'd like to be reminded. Recurring schedules can carry several reminders each (3 on Free, 10 on Plus, up to 100 on Premium; see Plans & Pricing). Common setups:
Medications: Remind at the exact time, or 5 minutes before
Appointments: Remind 30-60 minutes ahead so you have time to prepare
Daily routines: Remind at the scheduled time
Managing Notification Settings
Find all notification controls in Settings > Notifications:
Master toggle: Turn all notifications on or off
Per-type levels: Set the notification level for each event type
Per-pet overrides: Fine-tune for individual pets
Collaborator updates: Toggle team activity notifications
Just got a new puppy with lots of reminders? Once you've got the routine down in a few weeks, dial back the notifications to just the essentials. MoaTails grows with you!
Notification Recovery
If your phone restarts, MoaTails automatically reschedules all pending local notifications. You won't miss a reminder just because your phone rebooted overnight.
Reminders Arriving Late on Android?
Android delays app alarms by default to save battery, sometimes by several minutes. For medication reminders, minutes matter, so MoaTails asks Android for permission to fire at the exact time.
The fix takes two taps:
In MoaTails, open Settings > Notifications and look for the Precise Reminders tile. If it says "Reminders may arrive late. Tap to fix," tap it
Android opens its Alarms & reminders permission page. Turn it on for MoaTails
Still arriving late? Some phones (especially Samsung, Xiaomi, and Oppo) also apply aggressive battery rules per app:
Find MoaTails in your phone's Settings > Apps > Battery and set it to Unrestricted (the name varies by brand)
Make sure MoaTails isn't in any "sleeping apps" or "deep sleep" list
If a reminder ever feels late, check the Precise Reminders tile first. When it shows all-clear, your reminders fire on the dot.
FAQ
Do reminders work offline? Yes. Event reminders are scheduled locally on your device, so they fire on time with no connection. Only care-team activity notifications need the network. More in Offline Mode.
Does everyone on the care team get my reminders? No. Each person sets their own levels and per-pet overrides, so your settings never spam your sitter.
Why didn't I get a reminder? Check the master toggle in Settings > Notifications first, then the per-type level for that event type, then any per-pet override. The most specific setting wins.