Self check does not work as expected

[davidhedlund]

Foss Warn is an important app. I listed it in a software collection that I maintain: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Collection:Replicant

Describe the bug

1. I installed ntfy as suggested by the startup guide which also says that the server must be changed.
2. Then I had problems with Foss Warn:
3. I received "Detected problem with push notifications
   Tap here for more information"
4. When I tapped "Tap here for more information" it activates "Self check": "Server check
5. This server has been unreliable in the past or has had other issues. We recommend choosing another server. You may not be able to subscribe to this server, or you may not receive notifications."
6. I changed the server to https://unifiedpush.kde.org in ntfy
7. I restarted Foss Warn but it still gave me the same error seen in step 3-4.
8. To get rid of the error message I had to manually navigate to Settings and tap "Self check". It took me two hours to figure this out!

Unfortunately, this issue makes Foss Warn difficult to use, and many people will likely never manage to start using it successfully. This is especially concerning because an easy setup is crucial during emergency alerts—precisely when people are often likely to try installing it.

Expected behavior
Self check should work when it is executed from the error message.

Device :

• Device: Two different brands so this is not a device issue
• OS: Android 10, 15
• App-version: 1.0.1
• Battery optimization: False

[nucleus-ffm]

Thanks for the report. https://unifiedpush.kde.org/ is also not recommended, as the server is quite unreliable. We do not block subscriptions with the KDE server, but you should know what you are doing you are using this server. This is also written in our wiki if a user clicks on the button "to the wiki" in the selftest view, the check results are explained. But after changing the server of the distributor, the user must refresh the push registration, e.g., by going to settings -> push service and again selecting the service to use. This will use the new server. I will add a note in the wiki page that this step is required after changing the push server.

Do you have any other suggestions on how we could design the process more intuitively?

[davidhedlund]

Thank you for your help.

Thanks for the report. https://unifiedpush.kde.org/ is also not recommended, as the server is quite unreliable. We do not block subscriptions with the KDE server, but you should know what you are doing you are using this server. This is also written in our wiki if a user clicks on the button "to the wiki" in the selftest view, the check results are explained. But after changing the server of the distributor, the user must refresh the push registration, e.g., by going to settings -> push service and again selecting the service to use. This will use the new server. I will add a note in the wiki page that this step is required after changing the push server.

So which server(s) is recommended then? Can you please list them in the wiki?

Do you have any other suggestions on how we could design the process more intuitively?

A notification message in the Foss Warn that you have to manually navigate to Settings and tap "Self check" to reload the settings from the ntfy service.

[nucleus-ffm]

So which server(s) is recommended then? Can you please list them in the wiki?

It's already in there. https://github.com/nucleus-ffm/foss_warn/wiki/What-is-UnifiedPush-and-how-to-select-a-distributor#for-nfty-which-default-server-should-i-use

[davidhedlund]

So which server(s) is recommended then? Can you please list them in the wiki?

It's already in there. https://github.com/nucleus-ffm/foss_warn/wiki/What-is-UnifiedPush-and-how-to-select-a-distributor#for-nfty-which-default-server-should-i-use

Thank you. I just submitted:

• Add link to recommended servers to Server check notifcation #273