Stay informed about your parking lot activity in real-time. Learn how to enable and customize push notifications for payments, violations, events, and more.
By Ovlo Team•December 19, 2025•6 min read
How to Configure Push Notifications
Stay informed about your parking lot activity in real-time. Push notifications alert you instantly when payments come in, violations are issued, vehicles enter or exit, and events are about to start. This guide shows you how to enable and customize notifications in the Ovlo mobile app.
What Problem This Solves
You need to know what's happening at your parking lot, but you can't watch the dashboard 24/7. Push notifications solve this by:
Instant alerts when important events happen
Real-time payment notifications so you know revenue is coming in
Violation alerts to stay on top of enforcement
Event reminders so you never miss special pricing windows
Customizable preferences so you only get the notifications you care about
Before You Start
Make sure you have:
The Ovlo mobile app installed and logged in
A device that supports push notifications (iOS or Android)
Device permissions enabled for notifications (the app will request this)
Notifications are opt-in. You must explicitly enable them in Settings. They're disabled by default to respect your privacy.
Step 1: Enable Push Notifications
Open the Ovlo mobile app
Navigate to the Settings screen (tap your profile icon or access from the main menu)
Scroll to the Preferences section
Tap "Push Notifications"
You'll see the Notification Settings screen with a master toggle at the top.
Toggle "Enable Push Notifications" to ON
The app will request permission from your device. Tap "Allow" when prompted.
If you deny permission, you can enable it later in your device's Settings app under Notifications → Ovlo.
Step 2: Customize Notification Types
Once push notifications are enabled, you can customize which types you receive. The screen is organized into sections:
Activity Notifications
These notify you about real-time parking lot activity:
Payments (Recommended: ON)
Get notified when someone pays for parking
Shows plate number and payment amount
Perfect for tracking revenue in real-time
Tickets Created (Recommended: ON)
Alert when a new parking ticket/violation is issued
Includes plate number
Helps you stay on top of enforcement
Tickets Paid (Recommended: ON)
Notification when someone pays a ticket
Shows plate number and payment amount
Track ticket revenue separately from regular payments
Violations (Recommended: ON)
Alert when a violation is detected
Important for enforcement monitoring
Helps you respond quickly to issues
Vehicle Activity (Optional)
These can be noisy but useful for monitoring:
Vehicle Entered (Recommended: OFF for busy lots)
Notification every time a vehicle enters
Can be overwhelming on high-traffic lots
Useful for low-traffic monitoring
Vehicle Exited (Recommended: OFF)
Notification when vehicles leave
Usually less important than entry
Can be disabled to reduce noise
Session Closed (Recommended: OFF)
Alert when a parking session ends
Useful for tracking session duration
Can be disabled if not needed
System & Events
System Alerts (Recommended: ON)
Important system notifications
Critical updates and alerts
Should generally stay enabled
Event Reminders (Recommended: ON)
Get reminded before special pricing events start
Customizable timing (see Step 3)
Perfect for event parking management
Step 3: Configure Event Reminders
If you use event parking, you can get reminders before events start:
Make sure "Event Reminders" is enabled
Tap the reminder time option
Choose when you want to be notified:
5 minutes before event starts
15 minutes before event starts
30 minutes before event starts
1 hour before event starts
2 hours before event starts
Recommended Settings:
Small events: 15-30 minutes (enough time to verify everything is set up)
Large events: 1-2 hours (gives you time to prepare and monitor)
Last-minute events: 5 minutes (just a quick heads up)
Event reminders are sent for all active events in your lots. You'll get one reminder per event at your chosen time.
Best Practices
1. Start Conservative
When first enabling notifications:
Enable only critical types: Payments, Tickets Created, Tickets Paid, Violations, System Alerts
Leave vehicle activity notifications OFF initially
You can always enable more later
2. Adjust Based on Traffic
High-Traffic Lots:
Disable "Vehicle Entered" and "Vehicle Exited" (too noisy)
Keep payment and ticket notifications ON
Use event reminders for special pricing
Low-Traffic Lots:
You can enable vehicle activity if you want detailed monitoring
All notification types are manageable
Consider enabling session closed for analytics
3. Use Event Reminders Strategically
Set reminders based on event size and importance
Large revenue events: 1-2 hour reminder
Regular events: 15-30 minute reminder
Test events: 5 minute reminder
4. Monitor and Adjust
After a week, review:
Which notifications are most useful?
Which ones are too noisy?
Adjust settings based on your workflow
What Each Notification Looks Like
Payment Notification
Title: "Payment Received"
Body: "Payment of $X.XX received for plate ABC123"
When: Immediately when payment is processed
Ticket Created Notification
Title: "New Ticket"
Body: "Ticket created for ABC123"
When: When a violation is issued
Ticket Paid Notification
Title: "Ticket Paid"
Body: "Ticket paid for ABC123 - $X.XX"
When: When someone pays a ticket
Event Reminder Notification
Title: "Event Starting Soon"
Body: "Event 'Concert Name' starts in X minutes at Lot Name"
When: At your chosen time before event start
Vehicle Entered Notification
Title: "Vehicle Entered"
Body: "Vehicle ABC123 entered the lot"
When: When vehicle is detected entering
Troubleshooting
Not Receiving Notifications
Check:
Push notifications are enabled in app Settings
Device notifications are enabled in device Settings