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iOS Delivery Setup

Ensure your Hugin notifications get through, even when your phone is in Do Not Disturb or Sleep mode.

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Why This Matters

iOS Focus modes (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, etc.) silence most notifications by default. If you use Hugin to monitor production systems, you want those alerts to break through—especially at 3am when your server crashes.

This guide shows you how to configure iOS to increase the chance that critical Hugin alerts reach you immediately, even when Focus is active.

Important Disclaimer

Hugin does not have iOS "Critical Alerts" entitlement and cannot guarantee notifications will bypass all system settings. The steps below help increase reliability, but iOS ultimately controls notification delivery.

Step 1: Enable Notifications

First, make sure notifications are enabled for Hugin Alerts:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone
  2. Scroll down and tap Hugin Alerts
  3. Tap Notifications
  4. Enable Allow Notifications
  5. Enable Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners
  6. Set Banner Style to Persistent (optional, but recommended)

Time-Sensitive Notifications

Hugin uses Time-Sensitive notifications, which have a higher chance of breaking through Focus modes. Make sure this is enabled:

  1. In Settings → Hugin Alerts → Notifications
  2. Enable Time Sensitive Notifications

Step 2: Allow Hugin Through Focus Modes

This is the critical step. iOS Focus modes block most notifications by default. You need to explicitly allow Hugin Alerts.

For All Focus Modes:

  1. Open Settings → Focus
  2. Tap on each Focus mode you use (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, etc.)
  3. Tap Apps under "Allowed Notifications"
  4. Tap Add Apps
  5. Search for and select Hugin Alerts
  6. Repeat for every Focus mode you use

Pro tip: Sleep Mode

If you use Sleep mode at night, make sure to add Hugin to the allowed apps list. Otherwise, your production alerts won't wake you up. When configured correctly, Hugin notifications can break through Sleep mode and appear on your lock screen.

Step 3: Test Your Setup

Don't wait for a real production incident to find out your notifications aren't getting through. Test it now:

Test Checklist

  1. Enable a Focus mode (e.g., Do Not Disturb or Sleep)
  2. Lock your phone and place it face-down (to simulate real sleep conditions)
  3. Send a test event via curl: 
    curl -X POST https://api.huginalerts.com/v1/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INGEST_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "system": "production",
    "event": "test",
    "description": "Focus mode test"
  }'
  4. Check if the notification appears on your lock screen within 1-2 seconds
  5. If it doesn't appear, revisit Step 2 and double-check that Hugin is in the allowed apps list for that Focus mode

Troubleshooting

Notifications not appearing in Focus mode

Most likely, Hugin is not in the allowed apps list for that Focus mode. Go to Settings → Focus → [Your Focus Mode] → Apps and add Hugin Alerts.

Notifications delayed by several minutes

This is usually an iOS power-saving behavior or network issue. Check:

  • You have a stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular)
  • Low Power Mode is not overly aggressive (Settings → Battery)
  • Background App Refresh is enabled for Hugin (Settings → General → Background App Refresh)

Sound or vibration not working

Check that your phone's ringer is on (physical switch on the side of the phone). Also verify in Settings → Hugin Alerts → Notifications that Sounds are enabled.

Notifications work during the day but not at night

You likely have a scheduled Focus mode (like Sleep) that activates automatically. Make sure Hugin is added to the allowed apps list for that mode.

Best Practices

Use Hugin for critical alerts only

If you send too many low-priority notifications, you'll train yourself to ignore them. Reserve Hugin for events that genuinely need your immediate attention.

Test your setup regularly

iOS updates can sometimes reset Focus mode settings. Test your notification delivery quarterly or after major iOS updates.

Keep your phone charged

Obvious, but worth stating: if your phone is dead or in airplane mode, you won't receive notifications. Keep it charged and connected to the internet.

Consider a backup alerting method

For truly critical systems, have a secondary alerting channel (e.g., PagerDuty, SMS, or a phone call). Hugin is reliable, but no single notification system should be your only line of defense.