Why Am I Not Receiving Notifications When Birds Visit the Feeder?

Quick Answer

Missing bird notifications are almost always caused by one of three things: the BirdSnap app does not have notification permission on your phone, in-app motion detection notifications have been turned off, or Do Not Disturb mode is active. Work through the checklist below and notifications should be back within a few minutes.

What's Happening

The notification path for BirdSnap has two steps: the camera detects motion and uploads a clip, then the app sends a push notification to your phone. If the camera is online and recording but you are not receiving alerts, the break is almost always in the second step — the notification permission or app settings rather than the camera itself.

Step-by-Step: Restoring Notifications

Step 1 — Check your phone's notification permissions.

The most common cause. If BirdSnap does not have permission to send notifications at the system level, no alerts will arrive regardless of in-app settings.

• iPhone: Go to Settings → Notifications → BirdSnap → make sure Allow Notifications is toggled on.
• Android: Go to Settings → Apps → BirdSnap → Notifications → make sure notifications are enabled.

Step 2 — Check the in-app notification settings.

Open the BirdSnap app and tap the settings icon on your camera → Notification Settings → confirm that Motion Detection Notification is toggled on.

Step 3 — Check for Do Not Disturb mode.

In the BirdSnap app, look for a small bell icon in the top corner of the home page. If it shows a crossed bell or a timer, Do Not Disturb mode is active for a scheduled period. Tap it to disable DND or adjust the schedule.

Step 4 — Check that the camera is online.

The camera must be connected to WiFi to send notifications. If the camera shows as "Offline" in the app, notifications cannot be delivered. See the related article on reconnecting an offline camera.

Step 5 — Check motion detection sensitivity.

If sensitivity is set very low, the camera may not be triggering on smaller birds. Go to Camera Settings → Motion Detection → Detection Sensitivity and try setting it to Medium or High.

Step 6 — Make sure the app is running in the background.

On some phones — particularly those with aggressive battery optimization (many Android devices) — the operating system may kill background apps. Allow BirdSnap to run in the background:

• Android: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization → BirdSnap → Don't optimize.
• iPhone: Make sure Background App Refresh is enabled for BirdSnap in Settings → General → Background App Refresh.

When to Contact Support

If all of the above settings are correctly configured but notifications are still not arriving for motion events you can see in the camera's Library, contact support with your phone model, operating system version, and a description of the notification settings you have configured.

• Email: support@birdsnap.com
• Phone: +1 573-514-4826
• Live chat: Available at BirdSnap.com
• In-app chat: Tap the chat icon in the BirdSnap app
• Facebook Messenger: Message us via our official Facebook page

Our support team is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time.