The OLL.E blog: how to get told the moment something matters
Written by the people who build OLL.E. Every post answers one question in the first two sentences, says what works on iPhone and what doesn't, and is signed by a person you can look up. 35 posts so far.
Notifications not working
Fix the app first, then make the messages that matter loud.
- Gmail notifications not working? The 9 fixes, in the order to try themOn Android it is almost always battery optimisation putting Gmail to sleep. On iPhone it is Focus or Scheduled Summary. Nine fixes, in the order to try them.
- Outlook notifications not working? Fix them on iPhone, Android and your computerOutlook on your phone only notifies for Focused Inbox mail by default. How to fix notifications and sounds on iPhone, Android, Windows and Outlook on the web.
- WhatsApp notifications not showing? Fix them on Android and iPhone, then give one person their own soundGive one WhatsApp contact their own notification sound, then fix missing alerts on Android and iPhone, including the icon missing from the status bar.
- Slack notifications not working? Check these in order, Mac firstSlack notifications not working? On a Mac it is usually macOS permission or a Focus, then Slack's pause and mentions-only settings. Phone fixes too.
- Discord notifications not working, the wrong sound, or too many: the fixes, and how to get called for one channelDiscord notifications fail mostly from a mute, Do Not Disturb or being active on desktop. Fix phone and desktop, change the sound, alert on one channel only.
- Microsoft Teams notifications not working? Fix them by what you seeNo banner, no sound, late alerts or only the hourly missed activity email? Fix Microsoft Teams notifications in Settings > Notifications and activity.
- Messenger notifications and auto-reply: what a personal account can do, what a Page can do, and how to fix missing alertsPersonal Messenger has no auto-reply; Pages get instant replies. Change notification sounds per chat, fix missing iPhone alerts, and get alerts for one person.
- Google Messages notifications: change the sound, give one contact a tone, fix the silenceChange the Google Messages notification sound for every text or one contact, fix notifications that stop, and see why Messages has no auto-reply of its own.
- LinkedIn notifications: what to turn off, what to keep loud, and how to hear a prospect's replyLinkedIn notification settings live in Settings & Privacy > Notifications. Turn off feed noise, keep messages on push and email, fix alerts that don't arrive.
Auto-reply
Answer the people who are waiting on you, and nobody else.
- Auto-reply to clients on WhatsApp from a personal account: three ways, and what each one missesWhatsApp only auto-replies from the Business app. Android responder apps answer through the notification; on iPhone no app can. What each one misses, and why.
- Auto reply text messages on iPhone: the two ways that work, and why apps can'tiPhone auto-replies to texts only through the Driving Focus or a Shortcuts automation. No App Store app can, because iOS blocks apps from answering your texts.
- Out of office message: 15 templates that sound like a person wrote themA good out of office message says when you're back and who handles urgent requests. 15 templates to copy, plus the exact Gmail and Outlook setup steps.
- "Is this still available?" on Facebook Marketplace: why buyers send it and how to answer fastBuyers send it with one tap, so it says little. Fix Marketplace notifications, use five replies that sort real buyers from browsers, spot scams, and auto-reply.
- Airbnb automated messages: five templates to schedule, and the messages you shouldn't automateSet up Airbnb scheduled messages under Messages > Manage quick replies, copy five templates, see how response rate is counted, and fix missing notifications.
Alerts that call you
Turn one email, price move or post into a phone call.
- How to get a phone call or an alarm when a specific email arrives (Gmail, iPhone, Android)Gmail cannot ring for one sender. Four ways that work: a filter with High priority only, iPhone VIP sounds, an Android label channel, or a real call from OLL.E.
- How to set up Google Alerts for companies, and actually see the important onesSet up Google Alerts for a company: name in quotes at google.com/alerts, Show options, Create Alert. Six alerts founders should use, and why some never arrive.
- Crypto price alerts that call you: one night, three watches, and the moves that matterA crypto price alert can call your phone. OLL.E turns the alert your exchange or Telegram bot already sends into a call, with technicals and X mood attached.
- Stock and options alerts that call you: fix the alerts you already set, then make the important ones ringStock alerts get missed because they arrive as one more buzz. Fix broker and TradingView alerts, then turn the ones that matter into a real phone call.
- Telegram signals alerts: how to stop missing the one forex or crypto signal that mattersKeep the signal channel's notifications on, give it its own sound, or let OLL.E phone you only for the signal you describe. Plus fixes when Telegram goes quiet.
- Shopify order notifications: fix the ones you have, then get a call for the orders that matterTurn on the Shopify app's order push and the staff order email first. Shopify cannot call you; here is how to get a call for big or problem orders only.
- On-call alerts without PagerDuty: a phone call for P1s when you are a team of threeRunning a rotation? Use PagerDuty. If you are one to three people whose alerts land in Gmail and Slack, here is how to get a real phone call for a P1 alert.
- PayPal notifications: spot the fake ones, keep the ones that matterCheck any PayPal payment email in the app before you ship. How to spot fake PayPal emails, turn on the right notifications and meet dispute deadlines.
- Stripe notifications: the dispute email is the one you can't missStripe gives you 7 to 21 days to answer a dispute. Which Stripe notifications to keep, which to switch off, and where each email and push setting lives.
- Zillow alerts: how to get new listings first, and what to send the landlordSet up Zillow alerts by saving a search and picking the fastest email option, usually instant. Three landlord messages, why alerts get missed, how to stop them.
Playbooks by job
The watches we would set up first, by the work you do.
- The four watches a freelancer should set up on day one, and everything to switch off firstFour things should ring a freelancer's phone: a matching Upwork job, a client after hours, a pricing email and a meeting soon. What to switch off, and how.
- Running an agency from your phone: five watches that catch a client before they quietly leaveFive OLL.E watches an agency owner sets once: VIP clients on WhatsApp or Slack, emails about cancelling, pricing leads, site-down alerts, today's meetings.
- The candidate who replied an hour ago is already talking to someone else: three watches for a recruiter's phoneReply inside the hour, from your phone. Three recruiter watches: a call when a candidate replies, an alarm for LinkedIn or WhatsApp, a call before an interview.
- Speed to lead when you are the whole sales teamSpeed to lead is the minutes between a lead's email and a reply from a person. How a founder or consultant with no SDR hits that: make the lead's email ring.
- Etsy messages: where to find them, and how to answer the ones that matter firstEtsy messages are under Your account, Messages on Etsy.com and the Messages tab in the Etsy Seller app. Fix missed alerts, use 5 templates, reply faster.
- Are Zillow leads worth paying for? Only if you answer firstZillow leads pay off only if you reply within minutes, since buyers contact several agents. What to ask Zillow before signing, and first replies to copy.
- Buying insurance and mortgage leads: what to ask, and how to answer firstBuying insurance or mortgage leads? Exclusive vs shared, real-time vs aged, what to ask a vendor, call and text scripts, and how to hear about each lead fast.
Ideas and comparisons
How we think about alerts, assistants and the tools around them.
- What a personal AI agent on your phone actually does, from the insideA personal AI agent on a phone watches your inbox, messages, job boards and calendar, matches on meaning, and calls you only when it matters. How it works.
- Zapier vs IFTTT in 2026: which one to pick, and the alert job neither one doesZapier for multi-step business automation, IFTTT for simple personal triggers and smart home. Neither reads what a message says or rings your phone. What does.
- I stopped checking my phone every 5 minutes, and clients still reach meBlockers and detox apps raise the fear of missing a client. What worked: pick the few things allowed to interrupt you, make them loud, silence the rest.
- Best apps for freelancers in 2026: nine that earn their place (two are ours)Nine apps for freelancers in 2026, grouped by the moment money is lost: finding work, missed messages, proposals, time, invoices, contracts, calls and pay.
Looking for ready-made watches instead? All nine examples, with setup steps.