Onesignal - push notifications

Push notifications for new bookings (OneSignal)

Suggested Help Scout category: Settings

Suggested related articles: Mobile Web App, SMS notification, WhatsApp notifications and reminders

Also update: any FAQ entry about “how do I get notified immediately when a new booking arrives” — add a link to this article.

Salon Booking System can send a push notification to your phone or desktop every time a customer completes a new booking, using the free OneSignal service.

Unlike email, a push notification appears instantly on your device — even when the Mobile Web App is closed.

This feature is available in the PRO edition of Salon Booking System. A free OneSignal account is enough for most salons.

How it works

1. Your staff open the Mobile Web App and allow notifications. Their device is registered.
2. A customer completes a booking on your website.
3. Salon Booking sends the booking details to OneSignal.
4. OneSignal delivers the push notification to the registered devices.

Tapping the notification opens the booking in the Mobile Web App calendar.

When a push notification is sent

A notification is sent once per booking, as soon as the booking is finalised by the customer.

Notifications are sent for bookings with these statuses:

• Pending
• Paid
• Pay later
• Confirmed

Notifications are not sent for:

• Bookings still being filled in (while the customer is on the Summary page)
• Bookings with status Pending payment — the notification is sent later, when the payment is completed
• Canceled or Error bookings
• Edits to an existing booking — only the first, new booking triggers a push

Why this matters: while a customer reviews the Summary page, the plugin temporarily reserves the time slot. No notification is sent at that stage, so your staff are not alerted about bookings that were never completed.

Who receives the notification

Registered staff devices. Any user who opened the Mobile Web App while logged in and allowed notifications.

All subscribers of your OneSignal app. If no staff device has been registered yet, and you have entered a REST API Key, the notification is sent to everyone subscribed to your OneSignal app.

Important: if you also use OneSignal for a website subscription pop-up (for example a newsletter or blog alert) on the same OneSignal app, your website visitors could receive these booking notifications. To avoid this, use a separate OneSignal app for Salon Booking, and register your staff devices in the Mobile Web App.

Before you start

You need:

1. Salon Booking System PRO
2. A free OneSignal account
3. Your website running on HTTPS (required for web push)
4. Staff users with a Salon role (administrator, salon staff, or salon worker)

Setting up OneSignal

Go to Salon Booking → Settings → General → API services → Onesignal Notifications service.

You have two options.

Option A — Generate an app automatically (fastest)

1. Click Generate
2. The App ID and REST API Key fields fill in automatically
3. Click Update settings

This creates a ready-to-use push app for your website domain. You do not need a OneSignal account.

Note: an app created with Generate is not visible inside your own OneSignal dashboard, so you cannot open delivery reports or manage segments for it. If you want full control, use Option B.

Option B — Use your own OneSignal account

1 — Create a OneSignal app

1. Sign in to OneSignal
2. Create a new app and choose Web as the platform
3. Enter your website URL and complete the setup wizard

2 — Copy your keys

In your OneSignal dashboard, go to Settings → Keys & IDs and copy:

• App ID
• App API Key (on older accounts this is called REST API Key)

3 — Paste them into Salon Booking

1. Paste the App ID into App ID
2. Paste the key into REST API Key
3. Click Update settings

Tip: the value shown in the Key ID column of the OneSignal dashboard is not the key. You need the full key value, which OneSignal shows only once, right after you create or rotate it. If you did not save it, rotate the key to generate a new one.

Enable notifications for new bookings

On the same settings page:

1. Tick Send Onesignal notification on new bookings
2. Click Update settings

Register your staff devices

Each staff member who wants notifications must do this once, on each device:

1. Open https://yoursite.com/salon-booking-pwa and log in
2. When the browser asks for permission, choose Allow
3. For the best experience, install the Mobile Web App to the home screen

Their device is now registered and will receive new booking notifications.

Note:

Permission must be granted while logged in. If a visitor allows notifications on your public website instead, that device is not linked to a staff account.

If a staff member accidentally blocked notifications, they must re-enable them in the browser site settings, then reload the Mobile Web App.

Customize the notification message

In Onesignal Notifications service, use Customize the Onesignal notification message.

Available placeholders:

• [NAME]  — customer name
• [SALON NAME]  — salon name
• [DATE]  — booking date
• [TIME]  — booking time
• [PRICE]  — booking price
• [BOOKING ID]  — reservation ID

Example:

New booking: [NAME], [DATE] at [TIME] — [PRICE]

If you leave the field empty, a default message is used.

Note:

Type the placeholders exactly as listed above, in square brackets and uppercase. If your translation shows the tags in your own language, the English versions always work.

Test your setup

1. Make sure Send Onesignal notification on new bookings is enabled
2. Open the Mobile Web App on your phone, logged in, and allow notifications
3. Place a test booking on your website and complete it to the end
4. The notification should arrive within a few seconds

Important:

A test sent from the OneSignal dashboard only proves that your device is subscribed to OneSignal. It does not test the Salon Booking connection. Always test with a real booking.

Troubleshooting

Checking the logs

If notifications still do not arrive, you can see exactly what happened:

1. Go to Salon Booking → Settings → Documentation
2. Enable Enable debug logs and save
3. Place a test booking
4. Open the log file — wp-content/plugins/salon-booking-system/log.txt  (or wp-content/uploads/salon-booking-system/logs/log.txt )
5. Search for [OneSignal]

What you may find:

Please include these lines when you contact our support team.

Frequently asked questions

Is this available in the free edition?

No. Push notifications for new bookings require Salon Booking System PRO.

Does OneSignal cost anything?

OneSignal’s free plan is enough for typical salon volumes. Check their website for current limits.

Can customers receive push notifications too?

No. This feature notifies your staff about new bookings. Customers are notified by email, SMS, or WhatsApp.

Do I need to install the OneSignal WordPress plugin?

No. Salon Booking connects to OneSignal directly. If you already use the official OneSignal plugin for blog posts, it keeps its own separate settings — you still have to paste your keys into Salon Booking.

Can I get a notification for cancellations as well?

Not at the moment. Push notifications cover new bookings only.

Why did I get only one notification when a booking was later paid?

Each booking is announced once, to avoid duplicates.

Does it work on iPhone?

Yes, on recent iOS versions, after the Mobile Web App has been added to the home screen and notifications allowed.

Suggested screenshots for Help Scout

When publishing, add screenshots for:

1. Settings → General → API services with the OneSignal section open
2. The App ID and REST API Key fields filled in, with the Generate link visible
3. Send Onesignal notification on new bookings enabled
4. The Customize the Onesignal notification message field with an example
5. OneSignal dashboard Settings → Keys & IDs showing where to copy the App ID and key
6. The browser permission prompt in the Mobile Web App
7. An example push notification on a phone lock screen