alfred-mobile/NOTIFICATIONS.md

Background Notifications

Overview

Alfred Mobile now supports background notifications so you can receive alerts when Alfred finishes processing work while the app is in the background.

Features

✅ Background alerts - Get notified when Alfred responds, even when the app is minimized
✅ Auto-permission request - App asks for notification permission on first launch (Android 13+)
✅ Smart notifications - Only sends notifications when app is backgrounded (no spam when you're actively chatting)
✅ Tap to open - Tap notification to jump back to the conversation

How It Works

Foreground (App Open)

• Messages appear in chat instantly
• TTS plays if "Voice On" is enabled
• No notifications (you're already looking at the app)

Background (App Minimized)

• Alfred's responses trigger a notification
• Notification shows message preview
• Tap to open app and continue conversation

Permission

Android 13+ (API 33+)

• POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission required
• App requests permission ~2 seconds after first launch
• If denied, you won't get background notifications (but everything else works)

Android 12 and below

• No permission needed
• Notifications work automatically

Use Cases

Example 1: Long Processing

1. Ask Alfred a complex question
2. Switch to another app while waiting
3. Get notification when Alfred responds
4. Tap notification to see the answer

Example 2: Background Work

1. Tell Alfred to "remind me in 10 minutes"
2. Close the app
3. Get notification when reminder fires
4. Tap to open conversation

Example 3: Multitasking

1. Start a voice conversation
2. Switch to check email while Alfred processes
3. Get notified when Alfred responds
4. Switch back to continue

Wake Word Model Loading

When you enable wake word mode for the first time:

1. Toast notification: "Loading wake word model..."
2. Model unpacks from assets (~39MB, takes 5-10 seconds)
3. Toast notification: "Wake word ready!"
4. You can now use "Hey Alfred" or "Alfred" to trigger voice input

Technical Details

Notification Channel

• ID: alfred_messages
• Name: "Alfred Messages"
• Importance: Default (makes sound + shows on lock screen)
• Vibration: Enabled
• Lights: Enabled

Notification Content

• Title: "Alfred"
• Message: Full text of Alfred's response
• Style: BigTextStyle (expands to show full message)
• Action: Tap to open app
• Auto-cancel: Yes (dismisses after tap)

Background Detection

Uses Android lifecycle observers to track when app moves to background:

• ON_RESUME → Foreground (no notifications)
• ON_PAUSE → Background (send notifications)

Implementation

• NotificationHelper.kt: Manages notification channel and sending
• MainActivity.kt: Initializes notification channel on startup
• MainScreen.kt: Tracks foreground/background state, sends notifications

Privacy

• Notifications only appear on your device
• No data sent to external services
• Same privacy as in-app messages

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements:

• Notification actions (reply directly, dismiss, etc.)
• Group conversations into single notification
• Custom notification sounds
• Notification priority/importance settings
• Do Not Disturb integration
• Notification history/log

Related Files

• Notification logic: app/src/main/java/com/openclaw/alfred/notifications/NotificationHelper.kt
• Channel setup: app/src/main/java/com/openclaw/alfred/MainActivity.kt
• Background detection: app/src/main/java/com/openclaw/alfred/ui/screens/MainScreen.kt
• Permissions: app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

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Stay connected with Alfred, even when multitasking! 🔔