Overview
Subscribers are the people who follow an Assignment. They get its notifications, such as new comments, reassignment and resolution, without having to be assigned to it. Use subscriptions to keep a supervisor, a safety lead or the person who reported a fault in the loop while someone else does the work.
This article explains who becomes a subscriber, what subscribers are notified about, how to subscribe or unsubscribe, and how to comment on an Assignment and mention people. To create and assign Assignments, see How to create and delegate an assignment.
At a glance |
|
Who can do this | Anyone who can see the Assignment can subscribe, unsubscribe and comment. Trigger Subscribers are set by whoever can edit the Checklist or Note Type |
Where | Assignments › open an Assignment (Backend); an Assignment › activity tab (Mobile app) |
Works on | Backend (web) and Mobile app. Not RideOps or the Public API |
Availability | All organizations |
💡 Why this matters: The people who need to know about a fault aren't always the people fixing it. Subscribing the right people means the reporter hears it's fixed and the supervisor sees the overdue warning, without adding them as assignees.
Who follows an Assignment
Mobaro adds subscribers automatically in most cases:
How they become a subscriber | Details |
Creating the Assignment | The creator is subscribed. |
Being assigned | Every assignee, User or User Group, is subscribed when assigned. Someone removed as an assignee later stays subscribed, and can still see and edit the Assignment. |
Commenting | Writing a comment subscribes you. |
Being mentioned | Users and User Groups mentioned in a comment are subscribed. |
A trigger | The Subscribers on an Assignment trigger in a Checklist, or on a Note Type's trigger, are subscribed to each Assignment it raises. See Assignment triggers in Checklists and Setting up Note Types. |
Subscribing yourself | Anyone who can see the Assignment can subscribe. See below. |
When a User Group is a subscriber, each of its members is. There is no field for adding subscribers by hand to an existing Assignment: use a mention, or ask the person to subscribe.
Being a subscriber also lets you see the Assignment. Users without Assignments › View see Assignments they created, are assigned to or subscribe to, at Locations they're a member of. See Why do I see different assignments on the Backend vs. the mobile app?.
⚠️ Heads-up: Subscribers are only notified, and only see the Assignment, while they're members of the Assignment's Location, directly or through a User Group or Location Group. Mentioning or subscribing someone who isn't doesn't reach them. Super Users see every Assignment, but are also only notified at Locations they're a member of.
What subscribers are notified about
Subscribers can be notified when the Assignment is:
Assigned or reassigned (email and push)
Started, when its start time arrives (push only)
Overdue, when its deadline passes unfinished (email and push)
Commented on (email and push)
Resolved (email and push)
Whether each one reaches a subscriber depends on their notification settings. The "…for subscribed assignments" settings, for example Comment on assignment for subscribed assignments, cover every subscriber; the "assigned to me", "assigned to my groups" and "created by me" settings cover assignees and the creator. Those settings come from the Organization default unless the User has personalized them. See Organizational and personal notification settings. No one is notified about their own action, and there's no notification when an Assignment is edited, reopened or deleted.
Subscribe or unsubscribe
In the Backend: open the Assignment. Above Activities you see Subscription Active or Subscription Inactive. Click Unsubscribe or Subscribe next to it.
In the Mobile app: open the Assignment and tap the activity tab (the activity icon). Under Notifications, switch the toggle to Enabled or Disabled.
Unsubscribing turns off every notification for that Assignment for you, even if you're its assignee or subscribed through a User Group, until you subscribe again. Commenting, or being mentioned, subscribes you again. It only affects you, not the rest of your group. Unsubscribing doesn't remove you from the subscribers, so you can still see the Assignment.
Comment and mention people
Comments are the Assignment's conversation: progress updates, questions and handovers. They appear in the activity feed for everyone who can see the Assignment.
1. Open the activity
In the Backend, open the Assignment and scroll to Activities. In the Mobile app, open the Assignment and tap the activity tab, then scroll to Activity.
2. Write the comment
Type in Write a comment here... (Backend) or Add comment (Mobile app).
3. Mention people
Click the person icon (Mentions) and choose Users or User Groups. The list only shows Users, and User Groups with members, at the Assignment's Location. Everyone you mention becomes a subscriber and gets the comment notification, depending on their notification settings.
4. Send
Click Send (the paper-plane icon). In the Mobile app without a connection, the comment is sent as soon as the connection is back.
Comments can't be edited or deleted once sent. You can still comment on a Finished or deleted Assignment. Comments aren't included in the Excel export of Assignments; see Reporting on and exporting Assignments.
Best practices
Add the supervisor or safety lead as Subscribers on the Assignment triggers for critical faults, so they hear about every one without being assigned.
Mention a User Group rather than one person when you need an answer from a team.
Make sure the people you mention are members of the Location, or they won't be notified.
Turn on the "…for subscribed assignments" notifications in the Organization default for the events that matter, such as overdue and resolved.
Frequently asked questions
What are assignment subscribers, and how are they different from assignees?
Subscribers follow an Assignment and get its notifications; assignees do the work. Assignees and the creator are subscribed automatically, and anyone can subscribe themselves. Subscribers can't change the Assignment unless they have another right to.
How do I make a user group subscribe to an assignment?
Add the group under Subscribers on the Assignment trigger or Note Type that raises the Assignment, or mention the group in a comment. The Subscribe button only subscribes you.
Which permission does a user need to be a subscriber?
None. Anyone who can see the Assignment can subscribe, and a subscriber can see it without Assignments › View. They must be a member of the Assignment's Location to see it and be notified.
Someone who isn't assigned was mentioned and can now see the assignment. Is that normal?
Yes. Mentioning someone makes them a subscriber, and subscribers can see the Assignment at Locations they're a member of. A subscriber can't be removed: Unsubscribe stops their notifications, but they can still see it.
Can I add a comment to an assignment through the API?
No. The Mobaro API has no endpoint for comments or subscribers. Comment in the Backend or the Mobile app. See Getting started with the Mobaro API.