Email4 steps
Email to push for devices that only send email
NAS, UPS, backup software: every source gets its own address. The email becomes an alert that runs through your rules.
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How do I turn a notification email into a push on my iPhone?
On the Business and Team plans, each source can get its own address under in.pagerdeck.com. Enter the address as the recipient on the device. The subject becomes the title, the first text part becomes the alert text, and attachments are dropped. The email then runs through the same rule chain as an API call.
- Address
- Own address under in.pagerdeck.com, alias of 26 random characters
- Plan
- Business and Team, not Pro
- Subject
- Becomes the title, cut to 250 bytes
- Text
- First text part, cut to 8 KiB
- Sender
- Optional allow list with DMARC or DKIM check
Prerequisites
- A PagerDeck account with at least one paired device, so alerts have somewhere to land.
- A source in the dashboard with its credentials, see the first step below.
- The Business or Team plan.
How to set it up
Generate the address
Create a source and generate the email address on it. The alias is random and visible exactly once, because it works like a password: anyone who knows the address can submit alerts.
Enter it on the device
Enter the address as the recipient in the device's notification settings, in Synology DSM for example under Control Panel, Notification. The device sends the email through its own SMTP server or a provider like Gmail.
text To: 7k2m9q4x8r3t6v5w2y9z4b8c3d@in.pagerdeck.comPass the urgency (optional)
If the device can set custom headers, they control the message. X-Pagerdeck-Url adds a link. Without headers, the source's default applies.
text X-Pagerdeck-Severity: critical X-Pagerdeck-Tags: nas, raid X-Pagerdeck-Dedup-Key: nas01-raidRestrict senders
An empty sender list means every email to the address is accepted. If you add a domain or address, PagerDeck only accepts emails that pass DMARC, and for single addresses only with a matching DKIM signature. Rejection happens during the SMTP session, so there is no bounce.
Test it
Send a mail to your address, for example from your mail client. If it shows up in the app under your source, the route works. If nothing arrives, check the sender restriction on the source.
What the rules do with it
The sender proposes an urgency, your rule chain decides the alert level. This rule raises errors from the source mail to critical and repeats until you acknowledge. Use the slug of your own source.
{
"enabled": true,
"stop": false,
"when": {
"source": [
"mail"
],
"severity_at_least": "error"
},
"then": {
"level": "critical",
"repeat": {
"every": "5m",
"until": "ack",
"max": 6
}
}
}- Set the volume
- By source, title pattern, tags and time of day you can set a level from silent to critical.
- Repeat until acknowledged
- A rule repeats an alert at a fixed interval until you acknowledge it.
- Escalate
- If nobody reacts, PagerDeck notifies another address after a deadline.
What you should know
- The email inbox is not included in Pro.
- Email is slower than HTTP, and delivery depends on the sender's mail server. If the device supports HTTP, /v1/push is the faster route.
- A success email is also an alert and counts toward your allowance. Turn such emails off on the device or silence them with a rule.
Troubleshooting
Frequently asked questions
- Which devices work?
- Anything that sends notifications via SMTP and lets you enter any recipient: Synology and QNAP NAS, UPS units with a network card, backup software, routers and printers.
- What happens to attachments?
- They are dropped. Only the subject and text go into the alert.
- What do I do if the address has leaked?
- Generate a new one on the source. From that moment, the old one accepts nothing. You can also restrict the senders.
- Does an HTML email become readable text?
- Yes. If there is no plain text part, PagerDeck reduces the HTML part to its text.
Turn emails into alerts with rules
Create a source, generate the address, enter it on the device. 14 days, no payment method needed.
Last reviewed: October 2026. PagerDeck, a product of Gonzi Tech UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Product and company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. PagerDeck is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by them. Details in the imprint.