Knock Knock - How to use - guide

Knock Knock is a simple push notification service that lets your editorial team send notifications to your app users.
This guide walks you through logging in, sending notifications (immediate or scheduled), the delivery status of each notification, and understanding the analytics.

New in October 2026: The Dashboard and the Analytics page show how many devices received each notification, and why some devices did not receive it. Refer to "What's new" for the full list.

1. Log in with Microsoft Single Sign-On

To access Knock Knock, you use your existing work account email address that Unite AS has added to the Microsoft resource. E.g. name@domain.no.

1. Open the Knock Knock URL provided by your organization.

2. You will be redirected to the standard Microsoft sign-in page:

   Example: Microsoft sign-in screen
   

3. Enter your work email, then click Next.

4. Complete any additional authentication steps required by your organization (e.g. password, MFA).

5. After a successful login, you are taken to the Dashboard.

If you are already logged in, Knock Knock opens your Dashboard immediately.

1.1 Select a publication

Each publication has its own Dashboard. The name of the publication shows at the top of the page, for example Knock Knock | DAGSAVISEN.

Sibling publications: Some publications are siblings, for example TU and Digi. If you work for two sibling publications, they show as tabs at the top of the page. Click a tab to open the Dashboard of that publication.

Example: Tabs for the sibling publications TU and Digi

Bookmark: The address of each Dashboard contains the name of the publication, for example /dashboard/dagsavisen. Save this address as a bookmark to open the Dashboard of that publication directly.

2. The Dashboard

The Dashboard is the default view after logging in.

Example: Dashboard screen with recent notifications

2.1 Notifications list

On the left-hand side, you see a list of notifications. Each card shows:

• Title (e.g. Budsjettet er lagt fram)
• Message (short preview text)
• Sender (who created/sent it)
• Status & time
  • Sent: date and time it was sent, and its delivery status (see section 2.3)
  • Scheduled: date and time it is planned to be sent

This list includes:

• Notifications that have already been sent
• Notifications that are scheduled and will be sent automatically at a later time

2.2 Notification details

When you click a notification in the list, the details panel on the right shows full information:

Example: Sent notification detail view

For a sent notification you can see:

• Title
• Message
• Target URL (the article/page opened when the user taps the notification)
• Delivery (how many devices received the notification, see section 2.3)
• Sender
• Created on: when the notification was created
• Scheduled for: (if applicable) the scheduled send time
• Sent at: the actual time it was sent

For a scheduled (pending) notification you will see:

Example: Scheduled notification with delete option

• Title
• Message
• URL
• Sender
• Created on
• Scheduled for
• A Delete scheduled notification button (see section 6)

2.3 Delivery status

Each sent notification shows its delivery status. The push service gives the result in two steps:

1. When you send: The push service accepts the notification for each device. This takes some seconds. Readers usually see the notification on their device immediately.
2. Approximately 15 minutes later: Apple and Google confirm for each device that they accepted the notification. Knock Knock asks for these confirmations approximately 15 minutes after the send. After that, Knock Knock asks one time each hour for the confirmations that it did not receive yet.

Until Knock Knock receives the confirmation, the devices show as Waiting for confirmation. This is normal. It is not an error.

Example: A notification immediately after the send

In the list, the text after Sent: gives the status:

In the details panel, a bar shows the devices in three groups. A legend below the bar gives the number for each group:

• Delivered (blue): Apple or Google accepted the notification for the device. This does not confirm that the device showed the notification. For example, the device can be off or have no network connection.
• Waiting for confirmation (grey): Knock Knock did not receive the confirmation yet.
• Not delivered (red): The notification did not go to the device. A list below the bar gives the reasons. For example, Device no longer registered means that the app is not on the device, or that push notifications are off.

Example: The same notification after the confirmations

You do not have to reload the page. While a notification waits for its confirmation, the Dashboard updates automatically. The first update occurs at approximately the expected time. After that, the Dashboard updates one time each minute until it has the numbers. When you click a notification, the Dashboard also shows its latest numbers.

3. Analytics

Click the Analytics tab in the top navigation to see the delivery statistics for your publication.

Example: Analytics screen

3.1 Period

At the top right, select a period: Last 7 days, Last 30 days or Last 90 days. All numbers on the page are for this period.

3.2 The four tiles

Each tile has a small ! icon. Put the pointer on the icon, or tap it on a phone, to read what the number means. Press Escape to close the text.

Example: The text behind the ! icon

1. Delivery rate
   The percentage of devices for which Apple or Google accepted the notification, in the period. Devices that wait for their confirmation are not in this number. Thus a new notification does not make the rate lower before its confirmations come. The tile shows a dash (–) only when no device in the period has a confirmation yet, for example on the first day after the update. A normal value is more than 95%.

2. Pushes sent
   The number of notifications that Knock Knock tried to send in the period. A scheduled notification counts when Knock Knock sends it, not when you make it. If you send a notification two times, it counts two times.

3. Waiting for confirmation
   The number of devices that wait for their confirmation. Each new notification shows here for approximately 15 minutes. This is normal. If the number stays high for some hours, the push service can have a problem.

4. Devices with push on
   The number of devices that have the app with push notifications on. Each notification goes to all these devices. The number decreases when a reader removes the app or sets push notifications to off.

3.3 Delivery in the period

The card Delivery in the last N days shows the same bar as the Dashboard, for all notifications in the period. The bar has three groups, counted per device: Delivered, Waiting for confirmation and Not delivered. Below the bar, Why N devices did not get it gives each reason with its number of devices, for example Device no longer registered.

3.4 Latest pushes

The table shows the latest notifications in the period. For each notification, it shows the date, the title, the number of devices and the percentage delivered. It also shows the devices that wait and the devices that did not receive the notification. For a notification that waits for its first confirmation, the table shows the expected confirmation time.

3.5 How a push travels

The card How a push travels shows the four steps of a notification, with the totals for the period:

Example: The four steps

1. Devices: the devices with push notifications on when Knock Knock sent each notification.
2. Sent: the devices for which Knock Knock gave the notification to the push service.
3. Queued: the devices for which the push service put the notification in its queue.
4. Delivered: the devices for which Apple or Google accepted the notification.

The numbers with a minus sign show how many devices did not go to the next step, and why.

At the bottom of the page, a line shows how many notifications Apple and Google accepted for your publication since the start. This number includes the notifications from before October 2026. The numbers above it start on the day of the update. Thus the page shows more data each day after the update.

Use this view to understand the reach and impact of your notifications.

4. Creating a New Notification

From the Dashboard, click the + New notification button in the top-right corner.
This opens the New Notification modal:

Example: “New Notification” modal

The modal contains the following fields:

4.1 Title

• Short title of the notification.
• Maximum length is shown in the top-right corner of the field (e.g. 0/30).
• This is what users typically see first in their notification tray.

Guidelines:

• Be clear and concise.
• Avoid using only uppercase letters.
• Make sure the title summarizes the article or update.

4.2 Message

• The body text of the notification.
• Maximum length is shown (e.g. 0/120).
• Appears under the title on the user’s device.

Guidelines:

• Provide the key takeaway in one sentence.
• Optionally add context or a teaser to encourage opening the article.
• Keep it understandable without needing to open the link.

4.3 URL

• Paste the article URL or page URL you want users to open when they tap the notification.
• This should normally be a public link to your website or article.

Guidelines:

• Verify the URL opens correctly in your browser before sending.
• Include tracking parameters (e.g. UTM tags) if your analytics setup requires it.

4.4 After you click Send Notification

A message shows in the corner of the page and gives the result:

• Push notification was sent successfully: The push service accepted the notification.
• Partly sent: The push service refused a part of the notification, or did not receive it. The message gives the number of devices that received the notification and the number that did not. Look at the details panel for the reasons.
• Sent to no devices: No device had push notifications on for this publication.
• Error – Failed to send the notification: Knock Knock could not send the notification. Usually, the list then shows the notification as Not sent (see section 2.3).
• Push notification was scheduled successfully: You selected a date and time. Knock Knock sends the notification at that time (see section 5.2).

After a send, the notification shows at the top of the list with the text confirmation expected HH:MM (see section 2.3).

5. Scheduling vs Sending Immediately

Below the URL field, you will find Schedule for? (Optional).

Example: scheduling area in the modal

• Date/time format: dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm
• The time zone is clearly indicated in the info box (e.g. Europe/Oslo).

You have two options:

5.1 Send immediately

• Leave the scheduling field empty.
• Click Send Notification.
• The notification will be sent right away to users with push notifications enabled.

5.2 Schedule for later

1. Click the calendar icon and choose a future date and time.
2. Make sure:
   • The date is not in the past.
   • The time makes sense for your audience (e.g. daytime in the configured time zone).
3. Click Send Notification.

The notification will now:

• Appear in the notifications list as Scheduled, with a clock icon.
• Show the Scheduled for time in the details panel.
• Be sent automatically at the chosen time with no further action needed.
• Show its delivery status after Knock Knock sends it (see section 2.3).

If you want to clear the chosen date/time before sending, use the clear (X) icon next to the scheduling field.

6. Managing Scheduled Notifications

For notifications that are scheduled but not yet sent:

1. Go to the Dashboard.
2. In the notifications list, find the card marked as Scheduled (with a clock icon).
3. Click the card to open its details.

Example: Pending/scheduled notification with delete option

Here you can:

• Review the Title, Message, URL, Sender, Created on, and Scheduled for fields.
• If the notification should not be sent, click Delete scheduled notification.

Example: Confirmation dialogue on certain deletion

Once deleted:

• The notification will no longer be sent at the scheduled time.
• It will be removed from the list of upcoming notifications.

Note: You can only delete a scheduled notification that Knock Knock did not send yet. You cannot delete a notification that Knock Knock sent, or that the push service refused. The notification stays in the list with its delivery status, so you can always see the result. Already sent notifications cannot be unsent.

8. Logging Out

To log out safely:

1. Click the Logout button in the top-right corner.
2. You will be signed out of Knock Knock and redirected away from the dashboard.

This is recommended especially if you are using a shared or public computer.

9. Best Practices & Tips

• Double-check links before sending or scheduling to avoid broken URLs.
• Use scheduling to prepare morning or weekend notifications during your normal working hours.
• Keep titles and messages short to ensure they display well on all devices.
• Wait 15 minutes for the confirmation. Readers receive the notification in some seconds. The delivery numbers come approximately 15 minutes later, and the page updates automatically. Grey means "not confirmed yet". It does not mean "failed".
• Do not send the same notification again while it waits for its confirmation. If you do, readers receive it two times.
• Monitor Analytics regularly to:
  • See how many users can receive notifications.
  • Track how often notifications are successfully delivered.
  • See the reasons when notifications did not reach readers.