Why are users in my Customer Journey failing to receive pushes with a 'device not found' error?

A "device not found" error for a user within a Customer Journey typically means that at the moment the journey attempted to send a notification, the targeted UserID was no longer associated with a valid, registered device in Pushwoosh.

This can occur even if the user was reachable when they first entered the journey. The problem arises from changes to the user's profile or device status that happen while they are progressing through the journey flow.

Here are the most common causes to investigate:

• The UserID has changed: The user might have entered the journey with one UserID, but your application's logic later changed or reset it (e.g., after a logout/login event). The journey will continue to target the original UserID, which no longer has a device linked to it, resulting in the error.

  • Recommendation: Ensure your application maintains a consistent UserID for each user throughout their lifecycle. Review your app's logic for handling user authentication and profile updates to prevent unintended UserID changes.

• The device was unregistered or deleted: Your application might be configured to explicitly unregister or delete a device from Pushwoosh when a user disables push notifications in their device's system settings. If a user takes this action while in a journey, their device record is removed. When the journey later attempts to send a push, it cannot find the target device.

  • Recommendation: Review your app's integration with the Pushwoosh SDK. It is often better to allow the push token to simply become invalid (which Pushwoosh handles automatically) rather than calling a method like unregisterDevice. This preserves the user profile and associated data for when they decide to re-enable notifications.

• Data synchronization issues: If you are sending user data or triggering events from a backend system, ensure that the UserID and device information is accurate and current. Sending outdated information can lead to inconsistencies in the user's profile, causing their device to become disassociated from their UserID.