VanLife Connect Help Guide 3

Notifications & Smart Arrival Troubleshooting

Manage your VanLife Connect notifications and work through common issues if Smart Arrival, messages or booking alerts are not appearing as expected.

About 4 minutes Updated August 2026

Before you start

VanLife Connect uses notifications for important app activity such as booking updates, chat messages and Smart Arrival prompts. If notifications are disabled or restricted by your device, you may not see these alerts when expected.

Two sets of settings can affect notifications VanLife Connect has its own notification preferences, while your phone also controls whether the app is allowed to display notifications. Both need to be set correctly.

1. Open VanLife Connect Settings

VanLife Connect’s Smart Arrival and notification controls are managed from the Settings screen.

1

Open My VanLife

Tap My VanLife in the bottom navigation.

2

Open Settings

Under Account & Settings, tap Settings.

3

Review your controls

The Settings screen contains your Smart Arrival controls and individual notification preferences.

Quick pathMy VanLife → Settings

2. Set up Smart Arrival notifications

The Smart Arrival section controls whether Smart Arrival is active, whether it can notify you, how long VanLife Connect waits before notifying you and the reminder behaviour if you do not act on the first notification.

1

Enable Smart Arrival

Turn Enable Smart Arrival on if you want VanLife Connect to detect supported campsite arrivals.

2

Turn on Smart Arrival Notifications

Enable Smart Arrival Notifications if you want VanLife Connect to notify you after the selected dwell time.

3

Choose your Dwell Time

Select 10 mins, 15 mins or 30 mins. This determines how long VanLife Connect waits before notifying you after detecting that you have remained at the location.

4

Choose Reminder Behaviour

Select Gentle Reminder (default) or Remind Again if Not Actioned to control what happens if you do not act on the initial Smart Arrival notification.

Dwell time helps reduce unnecessary promptsSmart Arrival waits for the period you select before notifying you rather than treating every brief stop or pass through an area as a check-in opportunity.

3. Choose which notifications you receive

The Notification section lets you use the All switch or manage the available notification groups individually.

  • Service – booking activities and transactions.
  • Community – posts, reactions, comments and replies.
  • Mates – chats, group chats and mate requests.
  • System – system and account-related updates.
  • Email notifications for booking updates – payments, cancellations and dispute updates.
Use the All switch for a quick changeThe All control at the top of the Notification section provides a quick way to enable or disable the notification groups together. You can then adjust individual categories as needed.

4. Check your phone settings

Even if notifications are turned on inside VanLife Connect, your device can still block or limit them.

1

Allow notifications for VanLife Connect

Open your phone’s settings and confirm that notifications are allowed for VanLife Connect.

2

Check Focus, Do Not Disturb or silent modes

These settings can suppress alerts even when VanLife Connect has permission to send them.

3

Check background activity

Some phones restrict apps running in the background to save battery. If VanLife Connect is heavily restricted, notifications and Smart Arrival may be delayed until you reopen the app.

On Android Battery optimisation settings vary between manufacturers. If notifications only appear after you open VanLife Connect, check whether the app has been placed into a restricted or sleeping mode.

5. If Smart Arrival doesn’t trigger

Smart Arrival depends on your phone’s location services as well as notifications. If you arrive at a supported campsite and do not receive a prompt, work through these checks.

  • Make sure location services are turned on for your device.
  • Check that VanLife Connect has the relevant location permission.
  • Check background location permission if you want Smart Arrival to work when the app is not open.
  • Make sure notifications are allowed for VanLife Connect.
  • Check that battery-saving settings are not preventing background activity.
  • Confirm the campsite is included in the VanLife Connect location database.
You can still check in manually If Smart Arrival does not trigger, open the map, find your campsite and use the manual Check In option.

6. If chat or booking notifications are delayed

Messages and booking updates depend on both an internet connection and your device’s notification settings.

1

Check your connection

If you are in an area with poor or no mobile coverage, notifications may not arrive until your device reconnects to the internet.

2

Open VanLife Connect

Reopening the app can refresh your current messages, booking status and notifications after connectivity returns.

3

Check the relevant app section

If you think an alert was missed, check Chats, Bookings and Notifications directly rather than relying only on the push notification.

Important booking activity If you are waiting on a booking request, quote or time-sensitive message, open VanLife Connect periodically when you regain coverage to confirm the latest status.

7. Still not working?

If notifications or Smart Arrival still do not work after checking the settings above, try the following basic troubleshooting steps.

  • Make sure you are using the latest version of VanLife Connect.
  • Fully close and reopen the app.
  • Restart your phone.
  • Check that your phone’s operating system is up to date.
  • Log out and back in if the problem appears to be limited to your account.
  • If the issue continues, contact VanLife Connect support and include your phone model, operating system and a description of what happened.
Do not rely on Smart Arrival for safety or emergency purposes Smart Arrival and app notifications are convenience features and can be affected by device settings, GPS accuracy, connectivity and third-party services.

Account, Profile & Privacy Settings

Learn how to manage your personal details, profile, verification, privacy settings and account controls.

Account, Profile & Privacy Settings

Related guides

Getting Started with VanLife Connect Smart Arrival & Check-In Guide Account, Profile & Privacy Settings Finding & Booking a Service

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