---
title: Notifications and the updates feed
description: The bell in the top bar and the Updates page hold two different things — personal notifications and platform-wide announcements. Here is what generates each.
product: Lexpoint — Individuals
audience: People managing their own Canadian immigration
doc_type: reference
canonical_url: https://docs.lexpoint.io/individuals/dashboard/notifications-and-updates/
app_routes: https://my.lexpoint.io/app/updates, https://my.lexpoint.io/app/dashboard
last_verified: 2026-09-03
keywords: Lexpoint notifications, notification bell, updates feed, announcements, mark all as read
license: Documentation © Lexpoint. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL.
---
# Notifications and the updates feed

The bell in the top bar and the [**Updates**](https://my.lexpoint.io/app/updates) page show the same
feed. It holds two kinds of item, and the difference explains almost every question about it.

| | Notification | Announcement |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | You alone | Everyone on the platform |
| What it is about | Something that happened on your file | Draws, policy, new features, promotions |
| Marked read | On the server, for your account | In the browser you opened it in |
| Stops being unread | When you open it or mark all as read | When you open it, or seven calendar days after it was published |
| Opens at | `/app/updates/notifications/<slug>` | `/app/updates/<type>/<slug>` |

The badge on the bell is the two counts added together.

## The bell

The bell sits in the top bar on every `/app` screen, between search and your avatar. A small dot
appears on it when anything is unread — the dot carries no number; the number is on the **Unread**
tab inside.

Opening the bell slides in a panel titled **Notifications & Updates** with:

- **Unread** and **All** tabs. **Unread** carries the total unread count.
- A type filter: **All Types**, **Notifications**, **Announcements**, **Draw Updates**,
  **Policy Updates**, **Features**.
- The ten most recent notifications and the ten most recent announcements, newest first.
- **View all notifications →** at the bottom, which opens the full feed.

An unread announcement is tagged **new**.

```media
id: dashboard-notification-bell
type: screenshot
caption: The Notifications & Updates panel open, with the Unread tab selected.
shot: /app/dashboard → click the bell in the top bar → panel open on the Unread tab with at least two notifications and one announcement visible. Demo account, light mode, 1440×900. Redact any name, email, or file number appearing in an item title or body.
src: /media/individuals/dashboard-notification-bell.webp
```

The feed is live. Lexpoint subscribes to your notifications and to platform announcements while the
page is open, so a new item raises the count without a reload.

Clicking an item opens its own page. A notification is marked read the moment you click it.

## The Updates page

[**Updates**](https://my.lexpoint.io/app/updates) is the full feed — headed
*Updates & Announcements* — and it loads far more than the bell does: up to 100 notifications and
100 announcements. `/app/notifications` shows the same feed.

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Unread** / **All** tabs | Switches between everything and only what you have not opened. |
| **Search notifications…** | Filters on the title and body text of both notifications and announcements. |
| Type filter | **All Types**, **Notifications**, **Announcements**, **Draw Updates**, **Policy Updates**, **Features**, **ImmiReport Ready**, **Case Comments**, **Document Rejected**, **Payment Failed**. |
| Entity filter | **All Entities**, **Cases**, **Applications**, **ImmiReports**, **Documents** — narrows to notifications tied to that kind of record. |
| **Mark all as read** | Appears on the **Unread** tab only. Reads **All read** and is disabled when nothing is unread. |

```media
id: dashboard-updates-page
type: screenshot
caption: The Updates page with the Unread tab, filters, and the Mark all as read button.
shot: /app/updates — full page, Unread tab, at least three items in the list. Demo account, light mode, 1440×900. Redact any name, email, UCI, or file number visible in item titles.
src: /media/individuals/dashboard-updates-page.webp
```

:::caution[Mark all as read is not the same on both halves]
**Mark all as read** clears your notifications on the server, so they stay read on every device.
Announcements are only marked as read in the browser you clicked in — open Lexpoint on your phone
and a recent announcement can be bold again there.
:::

## What generates an entry

Notifications are created by the product, never by you. Every one carries a type, and the type is
what the filters above match on.

| Type | Raised when |
|---|---|
| `immireport_ready` | Your ImmiReport has finished calculating. |
| `case_comment` | A comment is added on a case you are part of. |
| `application_comment` | A comment is added on one of your applications. |
| `document_comment` | A comment is added on one of your documents. |
| `document_approved` | A document you uploaded passes review. |
| `document_rejected` | A document you uploaded is rejected in review. |
| `case_assigned` | A case is assigned. |
| `application_submitted` | An application on your file is submitted. |
| `billing_payment_failed` | A payment attempt fails. |
| `billing_subscription_cancelled` | A subscription is cancelled. |
| `workflow_action_required` | A workflow step needs something from you. |
| `system` | A platform-level message addressed to your account. |
| `custom` | Everything else Lexpoint raises directly — a new message in a thread, or a sign-in alert. |

Two sources are worth naming, because they surprise people:

- **New Sign-In Detected** — raised as a warning when Lexpoint sees a sign-in from a device it does
  not recognize, with the device and IP address in the body. If it was not you, act on it.
- **Message notifications** — a new message in a case or conversation thread raises an in-app entry
  immediately. In-app notifications are never batched, even when the matching email is.

Announcements come from Lexpoint's own publishing, not from your file. Their type decides the URL
they open at:

| Announcement type | Opens under |
|---|---|
| Draw update | `/app/updates/draws/…` |
| Policy update | `/app/updates/policy/…` |
| Feature launch | `/app/updates/features/…` |
| Promotion | `/app/updates/promotions/…` |
| General | `/app/updates/general/…` |

:::note[Draw announcements are news, not advice]
A draw announcement reports that a draw happened and what its numbers were. It does not say
anything about your own standing, and Lexpoint never reads it as eligibility. Research and program
education live at [immigratic.com](https://www.immigratic.com).
:::

## On the dashboard itself

The dashboard's right sidebar can carry an **Updates** block showing your three most recent
notifications with the unread count beside the heading. It is one of the blocks you can add or
remove — see [Choosing and ordering widgets](/individuals/dashboard/choosing-widgets/).

## Related

- [Notification preferences](/individuals/account/notifications/) — which of these also reach you by email, and which you can switch off
- [Dashboard tour](/individuals/dashboard/tour/) — where the bell and the Updates block sit on screen
- [Widget reference](/individuals/dashboard/widget-reference/) — every dashboard widget and what feeds it

## Frequently asked questions

### Why does an announcement come back as unread on another device?

Announcements are marked as read in the browser you opened them in, not on your account. A notification, which is personal to you, is marked read on the server and stays read everywhere.

### Why did an announcement stop counting as unread on its own?

An announcement only counts as unread for seven calendar days after it was published. After that it stays in the feed but no longer adds to the badge.

### Does the bell show the same thing as my email?

No. The bell is the in-app feed and is always immediate. Email is a separate channel with its own preferences, and some email can be batched into a digest.