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Remember the days when we all used web browsers to physically VISIT a website, and we had to remember to keep coming back to visit them in case they got updated? Like, that's so 2003, grandpa! It's all about staying updated on the go, and I'm happy to announce that the Sonic Stadium now has a fully functioning mobile web app - complete with push notifications so you don't miss a thing!
No longer will you miss an epic Sonic News day - and all the community buzz surrounding it - if you forget to check into the 'Stadium on a particular day. Just install the app, log in, set up the push notifications you'd like to see, and let your phone do all the hard work.
You can choose to be notified on content posted by users you follow (so if I post a new topic in the future, for example, you'll know about it), followed content in general (you can click the 'Follow' icon on any piece of content across the Sonic Stadium to be notified of new replies, comments and more), and any mentions of you in other posts, as well as Club updates, any DMs you may receive and even newly-won Community Achievements.
It's a very useful feature, and one that has actually been available for Android users for a couple of years now. The big change here is that, with Apple recently updating their iPhone software to allow for web apps (or PWAs) to receive push notifications, iOS users will now get the chance to experience Sonic Stadium updates on their devices too!
This is just another way we're working hard to keep things fresh for the Sonic community, and hopefully you'll find it useful to stay in touch with your Sonic pals online too! As it's early days for the iOS push notification implementation, there may be some quirks that our forum software will soon tweak to enhance the experience, but I've been using it for some time now and it's been great fun.
I've also been inspired, thanks to the new app, to rethink the user journey on this site and maybe help build a mobile-first design that may help make things easier and more accessible for those with phones to access all of the content we have to offer. Stay tuned for more on that.
In the meantime, please take a look at our setup guide below to get the Sonic Stadium app on your mobile device!
How to Install the Sonic Stadium Mobile App
These steps specifically cover iOS (Safari), but you there are similar 'add to home screen' options available on Android devices too. Once the app is installed, the push notification settings directions is identical for all platforms.
1. Visit the Sonic Stadium Message Board at https://board.sonicstadium.org (this feature isn't available on our Wordpress blog at this time). On mobile Safari (iOS), you'll notice a 'Share' button at the bottom of the screen. Press this button once the SSMB loads up.
2. A list of options will appear. It's all rather daunting, but buried within this mess will be something called 'Add to Home Screen'. Press this to begin adding the app to your mobile device.
3. After confirming the app name and icon, you should see the Sonic Stadium app proudly installed - keep it alongside your other social media platforms to make sure you're always staying in touch with the Sonic the Hedgehog community.
4. Load up the Sonic Stadium app. You'll need to log in to your account again here, because the app treats this as a different instance to your mobile browser. There is currently a small bug on iOS at least, where you may need to log in twice in order to actually get in. That's being worked on, but if you encounter any page refreshes just keep trying to log in and you'll get there in the end. Once you're in, hit the mobile menu and select Account > Account Settings.
5. Scroll down on this page to reach the 'Other Settings' box, which is where you'll find the 'Notification Settings' option that you need to select (you can also find this option if you open your Notifications menu, click 'View all notifications' at the bottom of the popup window, and then 'Notification Settings' at the top of that page).
6. From the Notification Settings page, you can go through each type of content and opt in to the kind of alert you'd like to receive. Until now the options have been limited to Notification List and Email, but now you can choose to get Push notifications to your phone via the app.
7. IMPORTANT: Once you have chosen what kind of content you want to get Push Notifications for, scroll down to the bottom of the page. In order for any Push Notifications to work, you must make sure that Push is enabled on this page as well. This setting has to be enabled within the Sonic Stadium standalone app; if you enable Push on any other browser or device, you will only set Push for that particular device and not your mobile.
8. Relax and watch as the mobile notifications kick in. Maybe you follow a bunch of fellow Sonic fans and want to make sure you're updated on their latest content. Or perhaps you just want to know when you win that latest Community Achievement. Whatever the reason, once something you're following or tracking happens, you'll get a little message about it on your home screen.
9. When you get a push notification, click it to be taken to the content. Who knows, it might be good news. Yes, I'd love a cup of tea, thank you.
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