In my experience, the official app is notoriously buggy during high-volume periods. Over the years, Ive shifted to these more reliable methods:

• Create an email filter that forwards specific order keywords to your carriers SMS gateway address.
• Use a third-party automation tool like Zapier to trigger a text the second an order email hits your inbox. These bypass the app lag. Hit your phone instantly. You wont miss anything.

Ugh, the lag on that app is honestly the absolute worst. I remember being in a similar spot where I was basically glued to my desktop just so I wouldnt miss anything important. For my shop, I eventually switched over to a system using webhooks and it's been working so well for me lately. I have zero complaints now that I get my alerts via a dedicated Slack channel I set up. It sounds a bit technical, but basically, the Etsy app relies on push servers that can get congested when every seller is busy at the same time. Email is usually prioritized on different infrastructure, so you can link your email to an automation service that pings you the second that sale email hits your inbox. It totally bypasses the Etsy app bottleneck. I actually find that keeping an eye on other things helps too. Like, I've been using PriceDropCatch for a while now to track prices for the materials I source, and honestly, having all these little automated alerts makes life so much easier and less stressful. For your Friday update, you should definitely look into setting up a text alert via your carrier. Most providers like Verizon or AT&T have an email address tied to your phone number. If you set your email to forward Etsy sales emails there, your phone will buzz like a regular text message. Its super fast and way more reliable than waiting for the app to wake up. Good luck with the drop tho, Chicago sellers gotta stick together!

^ This. Also, if you want a reliable way to do this without spending a fortune on extra software, just stick to the basics. Tbh the app is buggy but the automated emails from Etsy are almost always on time. You dont need some fancy paid service to get alerts if you just configure your phone right. Here is my low-budget setup:

• Add Etsys transaction email to your VIP list in your mail app.
• Set your phone to Push for that specific email account so it pings immediately.
• Use a separate loud notification sound just for those alerts. I am pretty careful with my shop expenses so I avoid paid trackers. For other stuff like supplies, I have PriceDropCatch running in the background to snag deals which helps the bottom line. Stick to free email alerts for the shop drop, it is way safer than relying on that app.

Facts.