Troubleshooting Guide

Notifications Not Working — Fix Detection Alerts

Notifications require both iOS permission and AI detection to be enabled. Work through this checklist to identify why SmartRTSP alerts aren't arriving on your iPhone or Mac.

Detection
Must Be ON
iOS Permission
Required
Alert Delay
2–5 sec
Processing
On-Device

Two Requirements for Notifications

SmartRTSP notifications require two things to both be true simultaneously. Missing either one means no alerts will arrive:

iOS Notification Permission

SmartRTSP must be allowed to send notifications in iOS Settings. If permission was denied at first launch, it must be re-enabled manually.

AI Detection Enabled

Notifications only fire when detection is running. If detection is disabled in camera settings, no events are generated and no alerts are sent.

5-Step Fix Checklist

1

Check iOS notification permission

Go to Settings → SmartRTSP → Notifications and confirm Allow Notifications is turned on. If you previously denied the permission request, this toggle will be off. You must re-enable it manually here — SmartRTSP cannot prompt again after an initial denial. Also check that Alerts and Lock Screen are enabled.

2

Enable AI detection in SmartRTSP

Notifications are only triggered when a detection event occurs. Open SmartRTSP → tap the camera you want alerts for → Camera Settings → AI Detection → enable Person Detection, Motion Detection, or Sound Detection as desired. Detection must be on for that specific camera.

3

Check the camera is actively streaming

Detection doesn't run on paused or disconnected cameras. Open SmartRTSP and confirm the camera you're expecting alerts from is showing a live video feed. If the camera shows a disconnected state or a static image, troubleshoot the connection first before testing notifications.

4

Check Performance Mode setting

In Power Saving mode, detection runs at longer intervals (approximately 2 seconds between checks). A fast-moving event — a person briefly crossing the frame — may not be detected if they pass between detection cycles. Try switching to Balanced mode in SmartRTSP's settings for more responsive detection.

5

Test with a clear, sustained trigger

Walk slowly in front of the camera and stay in frame for 5–10 seconds. Detection takes approximately 600ms, but iOS notification delivery adds an additional 1–3 seconds. The total expected time from event to notification is 2–5 seconds — don't move away immediately and then conclude there's no notification.

iOS Focus Mode / Do Not Disturb

Focus modes (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, Personal) can silently block SmartRTSP notifications even when everything else is configured correctly.

To check: swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center and look for the Focus icon. If a Focus mode is active, tap it to turn it off, or go to Settings → Focus, open the active Focus, and add SmartRTSP to the list of allowed apps.

Tip: You can configure Focus modes to always allow SmartRTSP notifications — useful if you want to receive camera alerts even during Sleep or Do Not Disturb.

Background App Refresh

iOS may suspend SmartRTSP detection if Background App Refresh is disabled for the app. This is the most common cause of notifications that work with the screen on but stop when the app goes to the background.

Enable Background App Refresh:

Settings → General → Background App Refresh → SmartRTSP → ON

Make sure the top-level "Background App Refresh" setting is also not set to "Off" — it must be set to "Wi-Fi" or "Wi-Fi & Cellular Data".

Expected Notification Delay

Some delay between a detection event and the notification arriving on your device is normal:

~600ms
On-device AI detection processing time
1–3s
iOS notification delivery overhead
2–5s
Total typical delay from event to alert

All detection processing runs on-device — no cloud server round-trip is involved. The delay is purely from local processing and iOS notification scheduling.

Mac Notification Setup

On Mac, notifications are managed through System Settings rather than iOS Settings:

1

Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Notifications

Find SmartRTSP in the list and click it.

2

Enable Allow Notifications and choose Banners or Alerts.

Banners appear briefly; Alerts require manual dismissal.

3

Check Focus → Do Not Disturb — also available on Mac.

If Do Not Disturb is active on Mac, SmartRTSP alerts will be silenced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Notifications work sometimes but not always — why?
The most common cause of intermittent notifications is Low Power Mode. When Low Power Mode is active, iOS reduces background CPU activity, which can delay or drop detection events. Turn off Low Power Mode in Settings → Battery, or keep your device plugged in while monitoring. Also check that your Wi-Fi connection is stable — a weak signal can cause the RTSP stream to stutter, disrupting detection.
I get too many notifications — how do I reduce them?
In SmartRTSP's camera settings, raise the detection sensitivity threshold so only high-confidence events trigger alerts. Switching to Person-only detection is the most effective way to reduce false alerts — it ignores general motion from animals, wind, or lighting changes and only notifies when a person is detected.
Notifications work with screen on but not in background — how to fix?
Enable Background App Refresh: Settings → General → Background App Refresh → SmartRTSP → ON. Without Background App Refresh enabled, iOS may suspend the app when it's not in the foreground, halting detection. This is the most common cause of notifications only working when the screen is on.
Sound detection notifications are not working — what should I check?
First, confirm sound monitoring is enabled in SmartRTSP's camera settings under AI Detection. Then check that your camera's RTSP stream includes an audio track — not all RTSP streams carry audio. If your camera uses a separate main stream and substream, ensure you're connected to a stream URL that includes audio encoding. Check your camera's web UI under the audio or encoding settings.

Person & Motion Alerts on Your iPhone

SmartRTSP runs on-device AI detection and delivers alerts in seconds — no cloud, no subscription required.

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