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Handle On-Call on iOS

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Download our mobile app

If you would like the best possible experience as a responder, download the Harness On-Call app for iOS.

When you are paged, we try to contact you according to your notification rules. By default, assuming you have enabled them, this will include:

  • Email
  • Slack
  • Push notifications to your phone
  • SMS messages
  • Phone calls

Receive notifications during Do Not Disturb​

For push notifications, phone calls, and SMS messages, there are steps you can take to ensure you get notified, regardless of how your phone's silent mode and Do Not Disturb settings are set up.

Save the Harness On-Call contact to your phone​

Save the contact card and enable Emergency Bypass so calls and messages ring even in silent or Focus modes:

  1. Download and save the Harness On-Call contact card to your contacts.
  2. Open the Contacts app and open the contact you just saved.
  3. Tap Edit at the top and scroll down to Ringtone.
  4. Enable the Emergency Bypass toggle, which allows calls and messages from Harness On-Call to make a noise regardless of your silent or Focus settings.
  5. Go back to the contact card, tap Text Tone, and again enable Emergency Bypass to ensure that SMS messages also ring audibly.

Add Harness On-Call to your Do Not Disturb allowed apps​

To ensure push notifications from the Harness On-Call app can reach you during Do Not Disturb:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to Focus.
  3. Select Do Not Disturb (or whichever Focus mode you use most often).
  4. Tap Apps under "Allowed Notifications".
  5. Click the Add icon and select Harness On-Call from the list.
  6. Repeat for any other Focus modes you use (Sleep, Work, etc.).

Configure Time-Sensitive notifications​

The Harness On-Call app uses Time-Sensitive notifications, which are designed to break through most Focus modes when properly configured.

  1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
  2. Scroll down to Harness On-Call and select it.
  3. Select Notifications.
  4. Ensure Allow Notifications is enabled.
  5. Under "Alert Style When Unlocked", select Banners or Alerts.
  6. Enable Sounds and Badges.
  7. Scroll down and ensure Time Sensitive Notifications is enabled.

Test your setup​

After configuring these settings, use the Test Notifications feature in the Harness AI SRE module to verify you receive alerts:

  1. Open the Harness AI SRE module on the web.
  2. Go to On-Call from the menu, then the contact settings.
  3. Tap Test.
  4. Enable Do Not Disturb mode on your phone.
  5. Send a test notification to confirm it comes through with sound.

Important: If the test notification does not make a sound while in Do Not Disturb, double-check that you have:

  • Added Harness On-Call to your Do Not Disturb allowed apps list.
  • Enabled Emergency Bypass for the Harness contact (for SMS and calls).

Customize notification sounds​

For push notifications, you can pick a custom notification sound from Notifications > Sounds. If you want the notification to make a sound for a long time, Harness provides notification sounds ranging from 1 second to 2 minutes long.

Important notes​

The following settings in iOS could interfere with push notifications:

  • Announcing notifications: If you have toggled "Announce notifications" in your Harness On-Call app settings, sounds might go through connected AirPods or other devices when your device is locked.
  • Screen Time: If you have a time limit set on your device, iOS might not deliver notifications correctly.
  • Low Power Mode: In rare cases, Low Power Mode can delay notification delivery.

Additional recommendations​

Follow these recommendations to keep notifications reliable over time:

  • Keep the app updated: Regularly update the Harness On-Call app from the App Store to ensure you have the latest notification improvements.
  • Repeat the setup for all Focus modes: If you use multiple Focus modes (Sleep, Work, Personal, Driving), make sure to add Harness On-Call as an allowed app in each one.
  • Test regularly: Periodically test your notification setup, especially after iOS updates or if you have changed Focus mode configurations.

Troubleshooting​

I am not receiving Harness On-Call notifications on my iPhone.

Verify notification permissions in Settings > Harness On-Call > Notifications, confirm Harness On-Call is in the allowed apps list for your active Focus mode, ensure the device has internet, restart the app, enable Emergency Bypass on the Harness contact for SMS and calls, and confirm you are logged into the correct Harness organization.

Harness On-Call notifications do not make a sound during Do Not Disturb on iOS.

Add Harness On-Call to the allowed apps list for your active Focus mode, enable Time Sensitive Notifications for the app, and enable Emergency Bypass on the Harness contact card for calls and text tones.

If issues persist, contact support through the app or email support@harness.io.

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