How to Fix UniFi Protect Event Notifications Not Sending

Problem Description

UniFi Protect is not sending push notifications to your phone when motion or smart detections occur — the camera records events but no alerts arrive. Notifications must be enabled in the Protect app per camera, the phone must allow push notifications, motion detection must be active, and the NVR must have internet access for cloud push delivery.

Why This Happens in Real Homes

UniFi Protect not sending notifications is usually a notification-settings issue across two layers: the phone's permission for the Protect app, and Protect's own per-camera and per-type notification settings. If either is off, or a Focus/Do Not Disturb is silencing alerts, you get nothing.

Enable notifications for the Protect app in your phone settings, then in Protect turn on notifications for the specific cameras and the event types you want (motion, person, vehicle). Exempt the app from Do Not Disturb and battery optimization so it can deliver in the background. Confirm you're logged into the right console and the app is current. Since push relies on the cloud, a remote-connectivity issue can also block alerts.

Symptoms

• No push notifications
• Event notifications not sending
• No alerts on the phone
• Notifications missing
• No motion/smart alerts
• Alerts stopped
• Some events don't notify
• Silent events

Recognize these? Here's what usually causes it.

Common Causes

• Notifications disabled in the Protect app (phone)
• Per-camera notification settings off
• Notification type not enabled (motion/smart)
• Do Not Disturb / Focus silencing
• Not logged into the account/console
• OS battery optimization
• App out of date
• Remote access/connectivity issue

Tools & Requirements

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Check notification settings in the Protect app

In the Protect mobile app: go to Settings > Notifications. Verify 'Push Notifications' is enabled globally. Then check per-camera: select each camera and verify notifications are on for motion, smart detections, or both. If a camera's notifications are off: you will not receive alerts for that camera. Also check the notification schedule — if 'Do Not Disturb' is enabled or a schedule restricts notifications to certain hours: alerts outside those hours are suppressed.

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2

Verify phone notification permissions

The Protect app needs permission to send push notifications on your phone. On iOS: Settings > Notifications > UniFi Protect > Allow Notifications must be on. Check 'Alert Style' is set to Banners or Alerts (not None). On Android: Settings > Apps > UniFi Protect > Notifications > enable all categories. If battery optimization is enabled for the app: Android may kill the app in the background, preventing notifications. Disable battery optimization for UniFi Protect specifically.

3

Check that motion detection is enabled on the camera

Notifications require motion events to trigger. If motion detection is disabled on the camera: no events are generated and no notifications are sent. In Protect: Devices > select camera > Settings > Motion Detection. Verify it is enabled. Check motion sensitivity — if set very low: only extreme motion triggers an event. Set to 50-70% for a good balance. Also check motion zones: if zones are defined, motion outside the zones does not trigger events. Adjust or remove zone restrictions if you want full-frame detection.

4

Verify smart detection is working for filtered notifications

If you set notifications to only fire on 'Person' or 'Vehicle' detections: standard motion events do not trigger notifications. In Protect: Devices > camera > Smart Detections > verify the types you want are enabled (Person, Vehicle, Animal, Package). Smart detections require a compatible camera (G4 or newer) and sufficient processing power on the NVR. If smart detections are not firing: check the Events page for smart detection entries. If none appear: the model may not be loaded — restart the Protect application.

5

Test with a manual motion event

Walk in front of the camera and check: (1) Does an event appear in the Protect Events list? If no event: motion detection is off or sensitivity is too low. (2) Does a push notification arrive on your phone? If an event appears but no notification: the notification settings or phone permissions are the issue. (3) Check notification latency — push notifications from Protect route through Ubiquiti's cloud relay. If your NVR has no internet access: push notifications cannot be sent. Verify internet connectivity on the NVR.

Quick Solutions

Still having issues? This is usually the deeper cause below.

Need More Help? UniFi Protect Support

Note: The contact information below connects you directly to UniFi Protect's official customer support team, not Trunetto. They can help with warranty claims, device replacements, and advanced technical issues.