Talk into your phone. KeptMind listens, sorts your thoughts into clear next steps, and nudges you only when it matters.

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Escalating nudges: push, SMS, then call

KeptMind escalates push → SMS → phone call only when you flag must-do work. Most reminders never escalate beyond push. The point is not to spam — it is the opposite. Because escalation exists, push stays meaningful for the items where you allowed it.

Why escalation exists

Notification blindness is neurological, not moral failure. The average smartphone user receives 60 to 120 notifications a day. The brain has trained itself to treat most as background noise. For ADHD users, this effect is amplified — by Wednesday afternoon a person may have dismissed dozens of pushes that morning, and the relevant one has become indistinguishable from the noise.

Louder channels on rare critical tasks beat a hundred ignored gentle pings. SMS reaches the lock screen with a different visual treatment, often a different sound, and crosses the filter built up against app pushes. Calls cross every filter.

You choose per task — escalation never applies globally. Grocery reminders stay quiet. Tax deadlines can break through. The system trusts the user to decide which moments deserve loudness.

The escalation ladder

Step 1: push. Most reminders end here. Sent at the scheduled time, dismissable in one swipe. If you dismiss, that is the entire interaction.

Step 2: SMS. Triggers if push was not interacted with after a configured silence interval (default 25 minutes, adjustable). Goes to the phone number you registered. Not every push escalates — only items you flagged for SMS escalation.

Step 3: call. The smallest, rarest tier. Triggers only on critical-flagged tasks where SMS was also ignored. Plays a calm pre-recorded message naming the task; press 1 to dismiss. No live agent.

Plus and AI+ plan paths

Free tier uses push nudges only. Plus unlocks SMS escalation for items you flag. AI+ adds the call escalation tier — the smallest, most invasive, most reserved layer.

Configure which steps fire and when in Settings → Nudges. The defaults are conservative — most users do not change them after initial setup. The point of the configurability is the rare case, not the daily one.

Pair with nag mode for gentle repeats on non-critical routines. Different problems, different signals, separate mental load — the two systems do not share notification budget.

When NOT to use escalation

For grocery lists, idea capture, or hopeful tasks. Escalation is for must-do, time-sensitive items. If everything is critical, nothing is — and the brain re-trains itself to ignore the louder channels too.

For tasks where missing has no real cost. Escalation is a privilege you grant to the small set of obligations that matter. Granting it broadly destroys the signal value.

For tasks during travel days or events where calls would be disruptive. Use scheduled quiet windows; the system respects them by default.

For users early in their KeptMind setup. Escalation works best after you have tuned which tasks deserve criticality flags. In the first month, lean on push only — escalation in week one tends to over-fire because the user has not yet built their personal taxonomy of what matters.

For collaborative or assigned tasks where the deadline is owned by someone else. Escalation is a self-management tool, not a team tool. If the deadline depends on another person's response, escalation against your own clock is misdirected pressure.

Frequently asked questions

Will KeptMind call me unexpectedly?
Calls only fire for tasks you explicitly marked critical with call escalation enabled. Not for default reminders. Not for tasks you did not flag. The call tier requires opt-in at the per-task level — never a global toggle.
How long does the system wait between push and SMS?
Default 25 minutes, configurable between 5 and 90 minutes. Shorter intervals feel aggressive in testing; longer ones miss the relevant moment. Smart adjustment for time-of-day (longer at night) and for energy state (longer on bad-energy days).
Escalation vs nag mode?
Escalation intensifies must-do channels in sequence. Nag repeats gently at steady volume for routines. Different problems, different signals, separate mental load. You can run both on the same task, but most tasks use only one.
What does the call sound like?
A calm pre-recorded voice naming the task. Short. No live agent. Press 1 to dismiss. Otherwise the task stays open and may escalate again later according to your settings.
Can I disable escalation entirely?
Yes. SMS and call require explicit toggles in Settings → Nudges, and call additionally requires per-task critical flag. Push works on its own; everything above push is opt-in twice.
What about quiet hours and meetings?
Quiet hours and calendar-aware silencing both apply. We respect your "do not disturb" settings and your calendar busy state by default, with overrides only for items you have explicitly flagged as urgent enough to break through.
Does escalation work internationally?
SMS works in any country covered by Twilio, which is most of the world. Calls work in the same regions. Per-country pricing on the back end means escalation cost varies, but it is included in your subscription, not metered to you. The escalation logic does not change by country — same rules, same defaults.
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Escalating nudges: push, SMS, then call · KeptMind