Pushover Notifications

Send LIVCK alerts, incidents, maintenance notifications, and announcements as push notifications to iOS and Android devices using Pushover.

Overview

Pushover is a simple push notification service that delivers real-time notifications to your mobile devices. With Pushover, team members receive LIVCK alerts instantly on their phones and tablets, even when they're not actively monitoring email or other channels.

Prerequisites

Before configuring Pushover notifications, you need:

  1. A Pushover account (free or paid)
  2. The Pushover app installed on your device(s)
  3. A Pushover application token (created for LIVCK)

Setup

Step 1: Create a Pushover Account

  1. Visit Pushover.net
  2. Sign up for a new account (or log in if you already have one)
  3. Download the Pushover app on your device(s):
  4. Log in to the Pushover app with your account

Pricing:

  • Free 30-day trial
  • $5 one-time purchase per platform (iOS, Android, Desktop)
  • No recurring fees

Step 2: Create a Pushover Application

LIVCK requires an application token to send notifications:

  1. Log in to Pushover.net
  2. Scroll down to Your Applications
  3. Click Create an Application/API Token
  4. Fill in the application details:
    • Name: LIVCK Status Page (or your preferred name)
    • Type: Application
    • Description: Status page notifications
    • URL: Your LIVCK status page URL (optional)
    • Icon: Upload a logo (optional)
  5. Agree to the terms and click Create Application
  6. Copy the API Token/Key (looks like: azGDORePK8gMaC0QOYAMyEEuzJnyUi)

Step 3: Configure Environment Variable

Add the Pushover application token to your .env file:

PUSHOVER_TOKEN=azGDORePK8gMaC0QOYAMyEEuzJnyUi

Replace azGDORePK8gMaC0QOYAMyEEuzJnyUi with your actual application token.

Step 4: Restart Application

Restart LIVCK to apply the configuration:

docker compose restart app

User Configuration

Once the Pushover application token is configured at the system level, each team member needs to add their personal Pushover User Key to receive notifications.

Step 1: Get Your Pushover User Key

  1. Log in to Pushover.net
  2. Your User Key is displayed at the top of the dashboard
  3. It looks like: uQiRzpo4DXghDmr9QzzfQu27cmVRsG
  4. Copy this key

Step 2: Add Pushover Key to Your Profile

  1. Log in to LIVCK
  2. Navigate to /user/profile
  3. Find the Pushover Key field
  4. Paste your Pushover User Key
  5. Click Save

Step 3: Test the Configuration

After saving your Pushover Key:

  1. Click the Test all configured Notification-Channels button in your profile
  2. Check your device for the test notification

If you receive the test notification on your device, Pushover is working correctly.

Notification Triggers

Members receive Pushover notifications for:

  • New Alerts - When new announcements, incidents, or maintenance windows are created (if "Notify Subscribers" is enabled)
  • Alert Updates - When alerts are updated with new information
  • Status Changes - When incident or maintenance status changes
  • Alert Resolution - When incidents are resolved or maintenance is completed

Pushover Message Format

Pushover notifications include:

  • Title - Alert type and status
  • Message - Alert title and description
  • Priority - Normal for routine updates, high for critical incidents (if configured)
  • URL - Direct link to view the alert on your status page
  • Timestamp - When the notification was sent

Notification Priority Levels

Pushover supports different priority levels:

  • Normal (-1 to 0) - Default notification sound and behavior
  • High (1) - Bypass quiet hours, appear at top of notification list
  • Emergency (2) - Repeat until acknowledged (requires confirmation)

LIVCK may use different priority levels based on alert severity (implementation-dependent).

Multiple Devices

Pushover automatically delivers notifications to all devices where you're logged in:

  • iPhone/iPad
  • Android phone/tablet
  • Desktop (Chrome, Firefox, Safari extensions)

You can manage which devices receive notifications in your Pushover account settings.

Troubleshooting

Pushover Notifications Not Arriving

Check System Configuration:

  • Verify PUSHOVER_TOKEN is set in .env
  • Ensure the token is correct (no extra spaces)
  • Verify the application still exists in your Pushover account
  • Restart LIVCK after changing configuration: docker-compose restart app

Check User Configuration:

  • Verify your Pushover User Key is correct in your profile
  • Ensure you copied the User Key, not the application token
  • User Key should be 30 characters long

Check Pushover Account:

  • Ensure your Pushover subscription is active (not expired trial)
  • Verify you're logged in to the Pushover app on your device
  • Check if notifications are enabled in the app settings

Check Device:

  • Ensure the Pushover app is installed and running
  • Check if device notifications are enabled for Pushover
  • Verify internet connection
  • Try force-closing and reopening the Pushover app

Check Logs:

docker compose logs app | grep -i pushover

Invalid Token Error

Cause: The Pushover application token in .env is incorrect or expired.

Solution:

  1. Log in to Pushover.net
  2. Verify the application still exists
  3. Copy the correct API Token/Key
  4. Update PUSHOVER_TOKEN in .env
  5. Restart LIVCK: 
    docker compose restart app

Invalid User Key Error

Cause: The Pushover User Key in your profile is incorrect.

Solution:

  1. Log in to Pushover.net
  2. Copy your User Key (displayed at the top)
  3. Update Pushover Key in your LIVCK profile at /user/profile
  4. Save and test again

Pushover Trial Expired

Cause: Your Pushover free trial has ended.

Solution:

  1. Purchase a Pushover license ($5 one-time per platform)
  2. Open the Pushover app
  3. Follow the in-app purchase flow
  4. Notifications will resume after purchase

Notifications Delayed

Possible Causes:

  • Device in low power mode
  • Poor internet connection
  • Pushover service temporary delay
  • LIVCK queue processing delay

Solution:

  • Check device internet connection
  • Disable low power mode temporarily
  • Check Pushover status: status.pushover.net
  • Restart queue workers: 
    docker compose restart app

Best Practices

User Key Management

Security

  • Keep your Pushover User Key private
  • Don't share your User Key with others
  • Regenerate your User Key if exposed (via Pushover.net settings)

Verification

  • Test notifications after initial setup
  • Verify notifications arrive promptly
  • Test periodically to ensure continued functionality

Device Management

Multiple Devices

  • Notifications automatically go to all logged-in devices
  • Disable specific devices in Pushover account settings if needed
  • Use device naming in Pushover to identify each device

Quiet Hours

  • Configure quiet hours in Pushover app to avoid nighttime notifications
  • Set high-priority notifications to bypass quiet hours for emergencies
  • Use per-device quiet hours for different schedules

Notification Management

Avoid Notification Fatigue

  • Don't send every minor update via Pushover
  • Use Pushover for important alerts
  • Consider using email for routine notifications
  • Group updates when possible

Testing

  • Test notifications after configuration changes
  • Verify notifications arrive on all devices
  • Ensure message formatting is clear and actionable

Use Cases

On-Call Engineer

Configure Pushover for immediate mobile notifications when critical incidents occur, ensuring fast response times.

Team Notifications

All team members configure their Pushover keys to receive simultaneous notifications on their devices.

Multi-Device Monitoring

Receive notifications on phone, tablet, and desktop simultaneously for redundancy.

Priority-Based Alerting

Use Pushover's priority levels to differentiate between routine updates and critical emergencies.

Advanced Features

Pushover Groups

Instead of individual User Keys, you can use Pushover Groups:

  1. Create a group in Pushover.net
  2. Add multiple users to the group
  3. Use the group key instead of individual User Keys
  4. All group members receive notifications

Note: Groups require a Pushover subscription for each member.

Custom Sounds

Pushover supports custom notification sounds:

  • Configure in the Pushover app settings
  • Choose different sounds for different applications
  • Use distinctive sounds for LIVCK alerts

Device-Specific Settings

Configure per-device settings in the Pushover app:

  • Different notification sounds per device
  • Device-specific quiet hours
  • Vibration patterns
  • LED color (Android)

Pushover Limits

Free Tier:

  • 30-day trial
  • 10,000 messages per month per application
  • All features included during trial

After Purchase:

  • Unlimited messages
  • All features included
  • No recurring fees

Cost Comparison

Pushover is often more cost-effective than SMS:

  • Pushover: $5 one-time purchase
  • SMS: €0.05-€0.50 per message

For frequent notifications, Pushover is significantly cheaper than SMS.

Security Considerations

Token Protection

  • Never commit PUSHOVER_TOKEN to version control
  • Restrict access to .env file
  • Regenerate tokens if exposed
  • Use environment variables, not hardcoded values

User Key Privacy

  • User Keys are stored in LIVCK member profiles
  • Only users with appropriate permissions can view member profiles
  • Use permission system to control access
  • See Permissions for access control

Alternative Push Services

LIVCK currently supports only Pushover for push notifications. If you need a different service:

  • Consider using Telegram (free alternative)
  • Use email-to-push gateways
  • Contact the LIVCK team to request support for additional push notification providers

Additional Resources