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Get notified about new mail

Show an alert on your screen when new email arrives, and how to allow it in your browser.

uMail can show a notification when new mail arrives. It is off until you turn it on.

Notifications only work while uMail is open in a browser tab. If you close the tab, you will not get them. uMail does not send alerts to a closed browser or to your phone's lock screen yet.

Turn it on

  1. Open Settings and find Notifications.
  2. Turn on Show a notification when new mail arrives.
  3. Your browser asks if uMail may show notifications. Choose Allow.
  4. Click Send a test notification. If nothing appears, your computer or phone may be hiding alerts from your browser. Check its notification settings.

Your choices are saved to your account, so they follow you to other devices. Each browser still asks for its own permission, so turn the switch on once on every device you use.

What you will see

  • Only mail in your Inbox, on any uMail page: mail, calendar, tasks, contacts or settings.
  • If you are looking at uMail, a short message shows at the bottom of the page with an Open button. If uMail is in another tab or behind another app, your computer or phone shows the alert.
  • Mail that arrives within a few seconds comes as one alert, like "3 new emails".
  • One email shows the sender and the subject. Click it to open that email.
  • Mail that comes back from snooze also counts as new mail.
  • Shared mailboxes never send alerts. Only your own Inbox does.

Options

  • Only for Primary: skip Newsletters and Updates. This is on by default.
  • Show the sender and subject: turn it off on a shared screen. The alert then only says "You have new mail".

If your browser blocked notifications

Once you choose Block, the browser will not ask again. You must allow it in the browser settings. Then reload uMail and turn the switch on again.

  • Chrome: click the icon left of the address (a lock or sliders). Open Site settings, set Notifications to Allow, then reload the page.
  • Edge: click the lock left of the address. Open Permissions for this site, set Notifications to Allow, then reload the page.
  • Firefox: click the icon left of the address. Next to Send notifications, remove the Blocked setting, then reload the page and try again.
  • Safari on Mac: open Safari, then Settings, then Websites, then Notifications. Find this site and choose Allow.

Your computer can also silence alerts. If nothing shows, check that Focus, Do not disturb or Focus assist is off, and that your browser is allowed to show notifications in the system settings.

iPhone and iPad: Safari only shows web notifications for sites added to the Home Screen. Browser tabs there will not show them.