Notifications
New message sound, unread badges, tab title, desktop notifications, and turning notification sound on or off.
Notification types
Chatmatic alerts you to a new message in several ways at once:
| Type | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Unread badge | Always, in the top menu |
| Notification sound | When a new customer message arrives |
| Tab title | While there are unread messages |
| Desktop notification | While the Chatmatic tab is in the background |
| On-screen alerts | Reminders, service issues, connection issues, etc. |
Unread badges
In the top menu, a red round number appears at the corner of each channel icon. This number is the count of conversations with unread messages, not the number of messages.
- If it is greater than 99, it shows 99+.
- It is shown separately for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Gmail, SMTP email, and Web Chat.
- On Instagram and Facebook, there is an additional separate counter for comments and replies.
Unread badges in the top menuThe badge goes down when you open the conversation and read the messages. The numbers come from the server and update automatically.
Service issue icons
Besides the badge, two warning icons can appear at the corner of a channel icon:
- Yellow triangle: There is a general service issue on the Meta side (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger). Hover over it to see the status text.
- Red circle: There is an authentication problem with the channel’s connection. Hover over it to see which user’s account and which error. To fix it, reconnect the channel. See All Integrations.
Notification sound
A short sound plays when a new customer message arrives. Each channel has a different sound: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger have their own sounds. Email, Gmail, and Web Chat use the WhatsApp sound.
When does the sound play?
- When the message was written by the customer. It does not play if you or a teammate wrote it.
- When nobody is currently viewing the conversation the message arrived in. If the conversation is open on screen, no sound plays.
- When notifications are on (see below).
When the sound does not play
| Situation | Reason |
|---|---|
| Page was just opened | No sound plays for the first 5 seconds after opening, or for 3 seconds after the connection is restored. Otherwise you would hear back-to-back sounds for old messages |
| Consecutive messages from the same channel | There is at least 2 seconds between sounds for the same channel. Even if many messages arrive, you hear a single sound |
| Browser blocked sound | See the “Sound isn’t playing” section below |
| Notifications are off | The bell button is off |
Different channels do not suppress each other’s sounds. If messages arrive from WhatsApp and Instagram at the same time, both sounds play.
Turning notifications on or off
On the WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook screens, there is a button with a bell icon above the conversation list.
- Green (filled): Notification sound is on
- Gray: Notification sound is off
Click the button to toggle it.
The setting is shared across all channels, so if you turn it off on one channel, it turns off for all of them. The setting is stored in your browser and is kept even if you refresh the page. If you have Chatmatic open in multiple tabs, a change made in one is reflected in the others. In a different browser or on a different computer, you need to set it separately.
While it is off, badges and the tab title keep working; only the sound and desktop notification are silenced.
Tab title
The browser tab title shows unread messages:
| Situation | Tab title |
|---|---|
| Unread messages on WhatsApp | (3) WhatsApp | Chatmatic |
| Only on Instagram | (2) Instagram | Chatmatic |
| Only on Facebook | (1) Facebook Messenger | Chatmatic |
| None | Chatmatic |
If there are unread messages on more than one channel, they are shown in priority order: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook. Email and Web Chat are not counted in the title; track them with the badge in the top menu.
Pin Chatmatic to its own tab. The number on the tab alerts you while you work on other things.
Desktop notification
When the Chatmatic tab is in the background (you are on another tab or the window is minimized), a notification also appears in the corner of your screen while the sound plays:
💬 New WhatsApp Message You have received a new WhatsApp message
- The notification closes automatically after 5 seconds.
- If you click it, the Chatmatic tab comes to the front and the relevant channel page opens.
- Consecutive messages from the same channel are merged into a single notification.
- If you are already on that channel’s page, no notification is shown.
Granting permission
The browser asks for notification permission at the first notification. If you do not choose Allow, no desktop notification appears, but sound and badges still work.
To enable the permission later:
- Click the lock (or settings) icon to the left of the address bar.
- Set the Notifications setting to Allow.
- Refresh the page.
Also, your operating system’s notification settings (Focus Assist on Windows, Do Not Disturb on Mac) can hide notifications.
Sound isn’t playing, what should I do?
Browsers block sound until the user has interacted with the page. If you opened the page and did not click anywhere, the first sounds may not be heard.
- Click once anywhere on the page. After that, sound is unlocked.
- Check that the bell button is green.
- Make sure your computer’s sound and the browser tab are not muted (a crossed-out speaker icon appears on the tab).
- Set the Sound setting to Allow from the lock icon in the address bar.
Other on-screen alerts
Besides messages, Chatmatic also shows on-screen alerts in these situations:
| Alert | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Reminders (small button with a badge at the top right) | You have call reminders scheduled for today. Click the button to open the list; you can also update the status from there. See Actions from the Contact Card |
| … Service Issue | There is an issue on the Meta side. When it is resolved, … Issue Resolved and … Back to Normal alerts appear |
| Disconnected | The chat connection was lost and is reconnecting. If messages are not arriving, check your internet |
| Connection Successful | The connection is back |
| Authentication Required | There is a problem with your session. Sign in again |
| New version available — click to refresh | Chatmatic has been updated. Click to refresh the page |
When the “Disconnected” alert appears, new messages may not arrive instantly. When the connection is back, unread counts are updated; however, no sound plays in the first few seconds (see the table above).
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the bell turned off: You do not notice that a message arrived. The badge keeps working but no sound plays.
- Not granting browser notification permission: You miss messages while on another tab.
- Mistaking the badge for a message count: The number shows how many conversations are unread.
- Opening multiple tabs: Each tab can play its own sound. Use Chatmatic in a single tab.