Overview
Drawing from years of customer feedback and our development experience with iPhones and iPads, we've identified the most frequently asked question regarding the CrisisGo iOS app: Why didn’t my iPhone or iPad receive the CrisisGo alert?
Based on all of our investigations and research, 90% of the issues are not caused by the CrisisGo iOS app itself—most are related to the following problems:
The user hasn't opened the CrisisGo app for an extended period, and iOS automatically offloaded the app due to the "Offload Unused Apps" setting, preventing it from receiving alerts.
The iPhone is muted or Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, while the CrisisGo app lacks permission to bypass these modes.
The Apple Push Notification Service (APNs) delayed or failed to deliver the CrisisGo alert.
See the sections below for more details.
Device Is Muted or Do Not Disturb Is Turned On
If you've ever wondered why you didn't hear or see a CrisisGo alert on your iPhone or iPad, even though others did, there's a good chance your device was either muted or in Do Not Disturb mode at the time.
In such cases, while the CrisisGo app does successfully receive the alert, the sound and notification prompt may be silenced or hidden by the iOS system. As a result, you may not notice the alert and mistakenly assume that the app didn't receive it at all.
To ensure an app can always bypass the silent mode and Do Not Disturb settings, iOS offers a feature called Critical Alerts. When enabled, this allows approved apps like CrisisGo to override mute and Do Not Disturb, ensuring alerts are always delivered with sound and visibility—regardless of your phone's sound settings.
Typically, when you first install and launch the CrisisGo app, you will see a pop-up asking for permission to allow Critical Alerts. At this point, it is important to tap "Allow" so that CrisisGo can override silent and Do Not Disturb modes when sending emergency notifications.
However, if you accidentally tapped "Don't Allow", you will need to manually enable Critical Alerts in your device settings later. Here's how:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap Notifications.
Find and tap CrisisGo from the list of apps.
Look for the Critical Alerts option and toggle it on.
Under the Alerts section, make sure Sounds and Badges are also turned on.
After turning on these options, your CrisisGo app should receive alerts and play sounds even if your iPhone is muted or in Do Not Disturb mode.
NOTE: This is not the only potential cause of missed CrisisGo alerts. Please also review the issues listed below and ensure you are not affected by them.
CrisisGo App Was Offloaded by the System
As we all know, the CrisisGo app is designed for emergency alerts and responses, so it is used infrequently—users typically don't open it until there is a drill or an actual emergency. Because of this low usage, the iOS system will classify CrisisGo as an "unused app".
Once the CrisisGo app is identified as unused, iOS will automatically offload it to save storage space. When this happens, the app is removed from the device and can no longer function until the user manually reinstalls it. This is one of the main reasons some of our customers experience issues during drills or real emergencies.
To prevent the CrisisGo app from being offloaded by the iOS system, you need to disable the "Offload Unused Apps" feature on your iPhone or iPad. Here's how:
Tap the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad's home screen.
Scroll down and tap General.
In the General settings, tap iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage).
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, where you'll find the "Offload Unused Apps" option.
If the option is turned on, toggle the switch to off (the switch will turn gray).
If you cannot find the option in Storage, here's an alternative way to turn it off:
Tap the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap App Store.
Under the Automatic Downloads section, you should see the Offload Unused Apps option.
Toggle the switch to turn off the Offload Unused Apps feature.
By disabling this option, you prevent the iOS system from automatically removing apps you don't use frequently, ensuring the CrisisGo app remains on your device and able to receive critical alerts during emergencies or drills.
NOTE: This is not the only potential cause of missed CrisisGo alerts. Please also review the issues listed below and ensure you are not affected by them.