Notifications
Loupe tells you about new mail with notifications, also while the app is closed. By default it checks for mail in the background about every 15 minutes. If you want mail within seconds, there is an experimental Instant Delivery option.
Background sync
When Loupe isn’t open, Android wakes it about every 15 minutes to check for mail, as long as the phone has a network connection. Android decides the exact moment: when the phone is idle (Doze), checks can come later.
The same background work also sends scheduled messages, brings back snoozed messages and runs device rules.
There is no setting for the interval. While Loupe is open, it keeps the Inbox up to date by itself.
Note: Don’t use Force stop on Loupe in Android’s app settings. It cancels Loupe’s background work until you open the app again. Swiping Loupe away from the recent apps is fine.
What you are told about
Loupe notifies you of new messages in your inboxes, and of messages from your VIPs in any folder. It doesn’t notify you of:
- mail that is already read (for example by a rule, or because you read it on another device);
- drafts, junk, and mail from your own addresses;
- the mail that is already there when you add an account.
A notification shows the sender, the subject and the start of the message. Encrypted mail says “Encrypted message”, unless its subject was already decrypted on your phone (see End-to-end encryption).
Notification actions
Each notification has three buttons:
- Archive archives the message (when the account has an Archive folder);
- Mark as Read marks it read;
- Reply opens Loupe to reply.
Archive and Mark as Read work without opening Loupe. Tapping the notification itself opens the message.
Notification settings
Go to Settings › Notifications.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| New Mail | One switch per account. All accounts notify by default. |
| VIP Only | Only messages from your VIPs notify. Off by default. |
| Hide Content | Notifications only say “New message from” and the account, not who wrote or what about. Off by default. |
| Instant Delivery | Experimental. See below. Off by default. |
| Send Test Notification | Shows a notification for the newest message in your inboxes, so you can see how they look. |
| App Icon Badge | The number on Loupe’s icon: Off, Unread in Inboxes (the default) or Unread in VIP |
Loupe also creates a notification channel in Android for each account and one for VIPs. You can set their sound and importance in Android’s settings for Loupe.
The badge updates whenever Loupe checks for mail, also in the background. Some home screens don’t show numbers on app icons; Loupe tells you when yours doesn’t.
Instant Delivery
Experimental: Instant Delivery is new and may not work on every phone. It uses more battery than the 15-minute schedule.
Instant Delivery keeps a connection to your inboxes open, so new mail notifies you within seconds. While it is on, a quiet notification says “Watching for new mail”. It starts again by itself after the phone restarts.
- Go to Settings › Notifications.
- Turn on Instant Delivery.
- If Loupe shows Allow Unrestricted Battery Use, tap it and allow it. Otherwise Android may stop Instant Delivery to save battery.
Instant Delivery watches the inboxes of the accounts whose New Mail switch is on. Other folders, such as VIP mail elsewhere, still follow the 15-minute schedule.
If notifications don’t arrive
- Tap Send Test Notification. If nothing appears, notifications are off for Loupe: Loupe shows Open Android Settings to turn them on.
- Check that the account’s switch under New Mail is on, and that VIP Only is off.
- In Android’s settings, open Apps › Loupe › Battery and choose Unrestricted. Some phones stop background work of apps that are “optimised” or “restricted”.
- Remember the schedule: without Instant Delivery, new mail can take 15 minutes or more to notify.
More help is in Troubleshooting.
On iOS
Loupe for iOS isn’t released yet. On iOS, apps can’t keep a connection open in the background, so there will be no Instant Delivery there: new mail arrives when iOS lets Loupe check, which can be hours apart.