How to set up a welcome flow
How to set up and activate a welcome flow with push notifications in starti.app Manager
How to set up a welcome flow with push notifications
Go to the feature in starti.app ManagerWhat is a welcome flow?
When a user installs the app and accepts push notifications, they automatically receive a series of welcome notifications — we call this the Welcome flow. The flow helps engage users during the first critical days after installation, and gives you the opportunity to give them a great introduction to the app.
Before you begin
Make sure you have access to starti.app Manager, and that the Welcome flow is available in your starti.app solution.
Contact us if you don't have access to your brand in starti.app Manager, or if you'd like to upgrade your solution to include the Welcome flow.
If this is your first time using starti.app Manager, you need to complete this guide before you can activate the Welcome flow:
Welcome flow settings
Before you start adding notifications, there are two settings you need to consider:
Step-by-step guide to adding a notification
Log in
Open starti.app Manager and log in with Microsoft, Google, or Apple.
Open Welcome flow
Go to Push notifications → Welcome flow in the left-hand menu bar.
Add a notification
Click + Add notification, and then click the arrow to expand the notification.
Choose the sending time
Choose when the notification should be sent. You have two options:
- Same day as installation: Select Minimum wait time and drag the slider to the number of minutes or hours that should pass before the user receives the notification.
- The day after or later: Enter the number of midnights that should pass before the notification is sent. If you enter "1", the notification will be sent the day after installation. Remember to also specify what time of day it should be sent.
Fill in your notification
Fill in the fields:
- Title (max 30 characters)
- Text (max 90 characters)
- URL — where should the notification take the user? If left empty, the notification links to the app's home page
Add the next notifications
Repeat the process for the remaining notifications in your flow. Note that the timing for each notification is calculated from the previous notification in the sequence — not from the installation time.
Example: If you set notification 2 to send after 2 days, it will be sent 2 days after notification 1 — not necessarily 2 days after the user installed the app.
We recommend starting with 5 notifications spread over the first 5 days. You can always add more notifications to the flow afterwards.
Test your welcome flow
Before activating the welcome flow, it's a good idea to test it thoroughly. We recommend testing on multiple test devices — preferably both iOS and Android — to ensure users get the best experience regardless of their phone and operating system.
If you haven't added test devices yet, follow this guide first: Add test devices
You can test in two ways, and we recommend going through both:
Activate your welcome flow
When you have created and tested your welcome flow, you are ready to activate it. Click Activate welcome flow — the flow is activated immediately, and new users who accept push notifications are automatically queued to receive it.
Only activate the welcome flow when you have completely finished creating and testing it.
Checklist before activating your welcome flow
- Have you created all the notifications you want in the flow?
- Is there a catchy title on each notification?
- Is the text on each notification short, precise, and action-oriented?
- Do the URLs work? Do they lead to the right place in the app?
- Is the order and timing logical from the user's perspective?
- Have you tested the individual notifications on a test device?
- Have you tested the entire flow together — preferably on both iOS and Android?
- Have you decided whether existing users should be included?
- Have you set a sending time that ensures notifications are not sent at night?