Understanding community notifications

Last updated: October, 2026

Whether you are using a desktop or Circle mobile app, you can stay connected and engaged with your community through notifications! Let's take a look at how community notifications work.

Circle offers a range of customizable notification options, allowing everyone in your community to stay informed about the activities that matter most to them.

Community notifications are divided into the following categories:

• Email preferences: This category covers the preferences for emails sent via Email Hub.

• New activity: This category includes notifications for mentions, direct messages, Circle live, weekly digests, and activities on your posts and comments.

  • 💡 Tip: Community admins can also opt to receive in-app and mobile push notifications when a new member completes the onboarding journey and joins the community.

• New posts: This category covers notifications for new content posted in post and event spaces.

• Default notifications: This category includes default notifications that are automatically sent to members based on either the admin's configuration or specific action. For more information, see the Default notifications section in this article.

When supported, notifications are sent for these categories in the following ways:

• Emails

• In-app notifications

• Mobile notifications (push notifications)

When a new member joins the community, certain notification preferences are automatically enabled to keep them informed and engaged.

• Email preferences: By default, email offers, news, and updates are enabled for new members.

• New activity: All notification types are enabled for every option under the New activity category.

  • 💡 Tip: Admins can manage the default notification settings for the New activity category for all new members who join the community. To learn more, see our guide here.

• New posts: Notification settings for new posts vary based on the admin’s space notification configuration. Certain or all notification types may be enabled for specific spaces.

ℹ️ Note: Members can customize these automatically enabled notification settings once they join the community.

In addition to the range of notifications that members can manage, we also send default notifications to members based on the admin's configuration or when specific actions are triggered within the community. Members are not able to customize notifications that fall into this category.

• Moderation

  • The following automated In-app and email notifications are sent for moderation: 

    • To a member when they are assigned as a moderator.

    • To moderators and admins when a post is flagged for review.

• Events

  • The following notifications are sent to members for events: 

    • In-app and email notifications for event confirmation and reminders (when configured by the event author).

    • Automated email notification to event attendees when there is an update to a single event.

• Posts

  • In-app notifications are sent when someone comments on the posts that you are following. You will continue to get notifications until you unfollow the post.

• Paywalls

  • Notifications related to paywall purchases are also sent either based on the admin’s paywall configuration or automatically based on member action. For more information about paywall notifications, see Understanding paywall notifications.

• Access your notifications

• Manage your notification preferences

• Manage your in-app notifications

• Bulk reset notifications for post and event space members