How to Get Cardano Wallet Notifications for Incoming ADA and Filled Orders

Cardano wallet notifications are alerts your wallet sends when something happens on chain that concerns you: ADA or tokens arrive, a swap or limit order fills or is cancelled, or a new device is linked to your wallet. Since GeroWallet 2.7.2, the wallet can send these alerts even when the wallet window is closed, as long as your browser is running. This guide explains what the alerts cover today, who can use them, how to turn them on, and how to fix the usual reasons an alert does not arrive.

What Cardano wallet notifications cover

Most Cardano wallets are silent. You open them to find out what happened. GeroWallet 2.7.2 flips that around with Cardano wallet notifications for three kinds of events.

Received funds. Any incoming transfer of ADA or native tokens to one of your wallet's addresses. You can choose one alert per transaction, or a busy period summary that rolls many receipts in a short time into one line.

Filled or cancelled swaps and limit orders. A DEX order of yours was executed, cancelled or expired. This includes limit orders that fill days after you placed them, which is exactly when you are least likely to be watching.

Security events. Another device was paired with your wallet, or a device of yours is waiting for you to sign. These alerts are always on once notifications are enabled, and they cannot be switched off from another device.

Two more categories, staking rewards and DRep changes, already appear in the settings list but are marked as coming soon. Nothing is sent for them yet; your choice is kept for when they go live.

Who can use them in this release

The first version of notifications has clear limits, and it is better to know them before you start.

Browser. Chrome and other Chromium based browsers. In Brave, the setting "Use Google services for push messaging" under privacy settings must be on, because Brave switches the push service off by default.

Wallet type. Cardano wallets secured with a password or PassKey. Hardware wallets and wallets created with Google are not supported yet, and the settings page says "Notifications are available for Cardano software wallets only" if you open it from an unsupported wallet. Midnight and Bitcoin wallets are not covered yet either.

If you fit both, everything below applies. If you do not have the wallet yet, install GeroWallet and you start on 2.7.2.

How notifications work when the wallet is closed

GeroWallet is a browser extension, not a server you log into, so it is fair to ask how it can notify you when it is not open.

The answer is your browser's push service. When you enable notifications for a wallet, you sign a one time proof that links this browser to that wallet. The proof is stored locally and lets Gero send alerts only for wallets you control. Gero's service then watches the chain for the events you opted into and sends a push message to your browser, which shows it as a desktop notification. The extension only needs the browser to be running, not the wallet window.

Two details matter for privacy. The push message carries the alert, not your keys, and nothing about notifications changes the non-custodial model: your seed phrase and spending password never leave your device. And amounts are hidden by default, so a glance at your screen shows that something arrived without showing how much.

Turning notifications on

Nothing is sent until you confirm. Here is the whole process.

Step 1: Update to GeroWallet 2.7.2

Notifications arrived in 2.7.2. The extension updates through the Chrome Web Store on its own.

Step 2: Accept the prompt, or open Settings → Notifications

After the update, Gero offers to turn on wallet alerts. Click to set it up. If you dismissed the prompt, open Settings and select the Notifications tab; the same switch lives there.

Step 3: Confirm with your password or PassKey

Gero asks for one confirmation. This signs the one time proof that links this browser to your wallet and is stored locally. It is why nobody can turn on alerts for your wallet without your credentials.

Step 4: Choose which alerts you want

Each alert type has its own switch with a short description. Turn off what you do not need. Switching an alert off here switches it off on every device where you use this wallet. Security alerts stay on.

Step 5: Set a minimum amount

If you receive lots of small transfers, set a minimum amount. Received ADA below it will not notify you. Tokens are always notified regardless of amount. This is the single most useful setting for anyone who gets airdrops or dust sized payments.

Step 6: Decide whether to show amounts

Amounts are hidden by default. Turn on "Show amounts in notifications" only if nobody else sees your screen.

Step 7: Turn on your other wallets

Notifications are enabled per wallet. The settings tab lists your other wallets with "Open wallet to turn on"; open each one and repeat steps 2 and 3. Wallets you skip stay silent.

Where alerts live: the bell inbox

Desktop notifications disappear. The inbox does not.

The bell icon in the dashboard, and in Mini Gero in the side panel, is now a notification inbox. It shows an unread count and keeps every alert, with anything that needs action, such as a device waiting for your signature, listed first.

Clicking an alert opens the related transaction or page. If the alert belongs to a different wallet than the one you have open, Gero asks "Switch to it now?" before changing wallets, so you never end up in the wrong wallet by accident.

Muting and syncing across devices

Your alert choices sync across the devices where you use the same wallet, so you set them once. If one computer should stay quiet, a work machine for example, use "Mute this wallet on this browser". That mutes alerts, including signing alerts, on that browser alone without changing what your other devices receive.

If Cardano wallet notifications do not arrive

Most missing alerts come down to one of five things, and the Notifications tab now tells you about the first one directly.

Chrome is blocking notifications. Your browser has its own permission for desktop notifications, separate from the wallet. Settings → Notifications shows when Chrome is blocking Gero's notifications, with a button to open Chrome's notification settings, and it can send a test notification so you can see what an alert looks like on this computer. If the test does not show, check that your operating system lets Chrome show notifications at all.

Brave has push switched off. Turn on "Use Google services for push messaging" in Brave's privacy settings, then try again.

The wallet was never confirmed. Each wallet needs its own password or PassKey confirmation. A wallet you skipped stays silent by design. Open it and check the Notifications tab.

The amount is under your minimum. A minimum amount filters received ADA below it. If a payment you expected did not notify you, compare it to that threshold before assuming the alert failed.

The wallet is muted on this browser. Muting is per browser, so a wallet muted on your laptop still notifies your desktop. Unmute it in the same settings tab.

One more case: if the wallet asks you to "Re-confirm to keep notifications", this browser's proof for the wallet is missing. Confirm once more and alerts resume.

A practical setup for most people

If you are unsure what to enable, this is a sensible default.

Keep received funds on, with the busy period summary if you receive many small payments, and a minimum amount high enough to skip dust. Keep swap and limit order alerts on if you trade; a limit order that fills three days later is the classic case where an alert saves you a manual check, and our guide on placing a Cardano limit order shows how those orders work. Security alerts are on regardless.

Leave amounts hidden unless you are always alone at your screen, and mute on any machine where you do not want interruptions. When staking reward alerts go live, switch them on too; our guide on earning ADA rewards with GeroWallet explains what those rewards are.

Frequently asked questions

Do notifications work when my computer is off?

No. Alerts are delivered through your browser's push service, so the browser needs to be running. When you come back online, the bell inbox in the wallet still lists everything that happened.

Are Cardano wallet notifications safe?

The alert carries information about the event, not your keys. GeroWallet stays non-custodial: your seed phrase and spending password never leave your device, and enabling notifications requires that password or a PassKey to sign a proof that is stored locally. Amounts are hidden by default. The wallet's security model is on the security page.

Can I get notifications on a Ledger, Trezor or Keystone wallet?

Not yet. In this release, notifications are available for Cardano wallets secured with a password or PassKey. Hardware wallets and wallets created with Google are not supported yet.

Will I get an alert for every tiny transfer?

Only if you want to. Set a minimum amount in Settings → Notifications and received ADA below it is ignored. Tokens are always notified.

Do I get an alert when a limit order fills days later?

Yes. Filled and cancelled swaps and limit orders are one of the alert types, whether they fill in a minute or in a week, provided the alert type is switched on for that wallet.

Stop checking, start knowing

Cardano wallet notifications exist for one reason: a wallet you have to open to find out what happened is a wallet you check too often or too rarely. GeroWallet 2.7.2 sends the alert to you instead: received ADA and tokens, filled orders and security events, with amounts hidden by default and nothing at all until you confirm.

Ready to hear about your ADA the moment it arrives? Install GeroWallet, the free, Cardano-native browser extension for Chrome, Brave and Edge, accept the notifications prompt, and choose exactly what your wallet is allowed to tell you.