Fewer Notifications in Kroni: Choose What You Hear and When
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni7 min read
You don't have to choose between getting every alert and getting none. In a family app, notifications come in three separate layers, and you can adjust each one on its own:
- Your own choices as an adult. How you want to follow up, and whether you want scheduled summaries. These settings only affect you.
- Shared reminders for the kids. These apply to the whole family, and the family's time zone decides when they go out.
- Event notifications. These arrive when something happens, for example when a child marks a chore as done.
Underneath all three sits the phone itself. If the device has notifications turned off for the app, or it has no connection, nothing gets through, whatever you've chosen.
Think of your notifications as a map with several parts, not one big on/off switch. Then it's easier to cut the noise without losing the alerts that actually help.
Layer 1: Choose how you follow up
Adults in the same home often like to keep track in very different ways. One wants to know right away when something is waiting for approval. Another would rather see everything once a day and skip the small pings during work hours.
In Kroni, each adult has their own notification settings. When you turn yours down, the other adult still gets theirs. So talk about who handles what, instead of both of you trying to keep an eye on everything.
Questions that help you decide:
- Do you want to respond as things happen, or is a summary enough?
- What time of day do you actually have a few minutes to look over chores?
- Are there days you know you won't follow up, for example when you work shifts?
One practical approach is to split roles. One adult handles approvals on weekdays, the other on weekends. Then only the adult who's on duty needs the instant alerts. If you don't have a set approval routine yet, a weekly chore approval routine: 5 tips for a calmer weekend is a good place to start.
About scheduled summaries
The daily overview covers unfinished chores. The weekly family summary looks back at activity. Approval alerts and other event notifications have their own rules; choosing a daily overview does not automatically collect all messages into one. Two things are worth knowing:
- The timing is approximate. The message arrives around the time you picked, not necessarily on the minute.
- No relevant information can mean no message. An overview of unfinished chores and an activity summary have different reasons to be sent. A missing message alone does not mean something is broken.
Layer 2: Agree on the kids' reminders
Reminders for the kids are shared across the family. It's a good idea for the adults to agree before anyone changes them, because any adjustment changes what the kids see, no matter which of you makes it.
Three things to settle together:
- Timing. When in the day does a reminder make sense? Right after school, before dinner or after practice can work very differently from one home to the next.
- Time zone. Scheduled messages follow the family's time zone. If one adult is traveling for work in another time zone, the family setting still decides when reminders go out at home. Check that it's correct, especially after a move or a long stay abroad.
- Which device your child uses. If your child uses a shared tablet, the reminder shows up there. If that tablet sits in a drawer all afternoon, fine-tuning the time won't help much.
A reminder is a nudge. It can help a child remember, but it doesn't do the chore. If the chores don't fit your child, it's often better to adjust them than to add more reminders. What should kids be able to do at home? A complete list by age can help you find tasks that suit your child, but you know your child best.
Layer 3: Event notifications and quiet periods
Chores waiting for approval have separate choices for an immediate alert and a later reminder. Other events, such as reward requests or account issues, do not wait for the daily overview. Do not assume one setting turns off every event notification; read what each setting covers.
Need some peace for a while, like during a vacation or a busy week? You can turn your own notifications down. That doesn't quiet the other adult's notifications, and it doesn't approve chores or pay anything out. Chores that are waiting stay there until someone looks at them.
A note on money: Kroni keeps a virtual balance. Even if you get a notification before an agreed payday, no money moves on its own. If your child is getting cash or a transfer, you handle that yourselves outside the app, the way you've agreed.
When notifications don't arrive
Everything looks right in the app, but nothing shows up? The cause is often on the phone:
- Notifications for the app are turned off in the phone's settings.
- The phone is on silent or set to do not disturb.
- The device has been offline.
- Battery saving is limiting apps running in the background.
Menus differ between phones, so look for the app's notification settings on your device. Check your child's device too, not just your own.
Example: a notification map for a fictional family
The family below is made up. Hanna wants to follow up as things happen on weekdays. Jonas only wants one summary in the evening. Ella, 10, uses a shared tablet that stays in the kitchen.
| Who | What they get now | Keep | Change | Review later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanna (adult) | Immediate approval alerts and a later approval reminder | Immediate approval alerts | Turns off the later approval reminder | Whether she keeps up without that reminder |
| Jonas (adult) | Immediate approval alerts and a later approval reminder | Evening approval reminder | Turns off his immediate approval alerts; other event notifications may still arrive | After two weeks: did he keep up with weekend approvals? |
| Ella (child, shared tablet) | Reminder at 3:00 pm | One daily reminder | Moves the reminder to around 4:30 pm, when she's home from after-school club and practice | Whether the tablet is actually on and has notifications enabled |
| Shared | Family time zone is set | Time zone as it is | Nothing | Next time someone is away for a long stretch |
Notice that Hanna and Jonas each change their own rows without affecting each other. Ella's reminder is something they agreed on together.
Template: your family's notification map
Copy this table and fill it in for your family. Try to set aside ten minutes when both adults are there.
Copyable worksheet
| Who | What they get now | Keep | Change | Review later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult 1: | ||||
| Adult 2: | ||||
| Child 1: | ||||
| Child 2: | ||||
| Shared (time zone, reminder times): |
Checklist before you finish:
- Each adult has chosen how they follow up and whether they want a summary
- You agree on when the kids' reminders go out
- The family time zone is correct
- Notifications are enabled on every device that should get them
- You've agreed who approves chores on which days
- You've set a date to look at the map again
A simple plan for this week
- Day 1: Fill in the template together. Just write down what each of you gets today.
- Day 2: Each adult adjusts their own settings. Only change the kids' reminder if you both agree.
- Day 3: Check the phone settings on every device, including your child's.
- End of the week: Look at the "Review later" column. Did you miss anything, or is something still too noisy?
The goal isn't the fewest possible notifications. It's that each message reaches the person who's actually going to act on it.
Frequently asked questions
- If I turn down my notifications, does the other parent get fewer too?
- No. Each adult has their own notification settings, so what you change only applies to you. The kids' reminders are shared, though, so agree on those together.
- Why didn't I get a summary today?
- Check which message you expect: an overview of unfinished chores, an activity summary or an approval reminder. It is only sent when the conditions for that message are met, and the timing is approximate. Also check your notification choices, phone permission and connection.
- Does the app pay out allowance when I get a notification before payday?
- No. The app keeps a virtual balance, and notifications don't move money. You handle cash or transfers yourselves outside the app, the way your family has agreed.
