Yale Discontinues Support for SMS Notifications - January 2026

In October 2025, Yale sent an email to customers announcing the discontinuation of SMS notifications. It reads:

What's Changing?

Starting January 8th, 2026, SMS notifications will no longer be supported in the Yale Alarm app. From this date, you'll receive alerts via push notifications and/or email only.

What Do You Need to Do?

To continue receiving timely updates about your alarm system, please make sure push notifications and/or email alerts are enabled in your app settings. It's quick and easy to update your preferences:

1. Open the Yale Alarm app
2. Tap the menu icon in the top left corner
3. Select Settings
4. Tap Users
5. Choose Notification Settings
6. Adjust your preferences as needed

Don't Worry - You've Got Time

SMS notifications will continue to work for the next 3 months, giving you plenty of time to make the switch.

Your Privacy Is Our Priority

Once SMS support ends, any phone numbers stored for SMS alerts will be securely deleted from your user profile.

Need Help?

Thank you for being a valued Yale customer. If you need help updating your notification settings, the friendly Yale Customer Support team is here to assist you.

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact your local customer support team at www.yalehome.com/support.

What Yale Isn't Telling You

Why Is Yale Really Removing SMS?

Yale's email doesn't explain why they're discontinuing SMS notifications. While they present it as a simple update, there are likely several factors at play:

• Cost Reduction: SMS delivery has ongoing costs per message. Push notifications and email are essentially free for Yale.
• App Engagement: By forcing users to rely on push notifications, Yale ensures the app stays installed and potentially collects more user data.
• Infrastructure Simplification: Maintaining SMS infrastructure and phone number databases requires ongoing maintenance and compliance.

The Problem with Push Notifications Only

Yale's email reassures you that push notifications and email are sufficient, but they don't mention the limitations:

• Internet Dependency: Push notifications require an active data connection. In areas with poor signal or during WiFi outages, you won't receive alerts.
• App Must Be Installed: If you upgrade your phone, reset it, or uninstall the app temporarily, you'll miss notifications.
• Battery/Power Saving Modes: Many phones disable background app activity in low-power mode, potentially blocking push notifications.
• Notification Overload: Push notifications are easily dismissed or ignored among dozens of other app alerts.
• No Shared Access: You can't easily notify a neighbor, family member, or caretaker who doesn't have the Yale app installed.

"You've Got Time" - But Not Much

Yale mentions a 3-month transition period, but notice they're announcing this in October for a January 8th deadline. That's over the Christmas and New Year period when many people are away from home and may not check their email. This timing could catch users off guard, especially those who rely on SMS for holiday home monitoring.

Privacy Promise or Data Deletion?

Yale states they'll "securely delete" phone numbers from user profiles. While framed as a privacy feature, this is actually a necessary step - they're removing a feature, so they're removing the associated data. However, this also means:

• You can't go back after January 8th, even if you change your mind
• No option to keep SMS as a backup notification method
• Yale won't offer to migrate your SMS preferences to an alternative service

What You Can Do

You have several options before the January 8th deadline:

1. Accept Yale's Solution: Enable push notifications and email in the Yale app (as their email instructs)
2. Use an Alternative Service: Services like ours provide SMS and call notifications that work independently of Yale's decision
3. Combine Both: Use Yale's official notifications AND an alternative SMS/call service for redundancy and peace of mind

Questions Yale's Email Doesn't Answer

• What happens if you're in an area with no internet but have cellular signal?
• How will this affect users who share alarm access with non-tech-savvy family members?
• Will there be any compensation for losing a paid feature? (SMS was part of the service many customers bought)
• Is this the first of many features that will be removed to cut costs?