Meetup sends notifications by email, push (on your phone), and Inbox messages inside the app or website.
Notifications depend on what’s happening in your groups — from new events to comments, RSVPs, and organizer messages. This guide explains each type of notification, when it’s sent, and who receives it.
🌇Event-related notifications
These notifications keep you informed about upcoming events, changes, and activity.
New event announcements
What you get: A message about a newly created event in one of your groups.
Who gets it: All eligible group members who haven’t RSVP’d yet.
When it’s sent: Shortly after the event is announced.
Key notes: Organizers and Member+ subscribers get it first, while regular members receive it after a short delay. Sent by both email and push, depending on your settings.
Changes to event time or location
What you get: A notification that an event’s details (such as time or venue) have been updated.
Who gets it: Members who RSVP’d Yes, Maybe, or are on the waitlist, plus event hosts, organizers, and event commenters.
When it’s sent: Soon after the event change.
Key notes: Push notifications are sent immediately, while email and inbox versions may take up to 15 minutes.
Event canceled
What you get: A notification that an event has been canceled.
Who gets it: Event hosts, members who RSVP’d (Yes, Maybe, or Waitlist), event commenters, and group organizers.
When it’s sent: Immediately after the event is canceled.
Key notes: Delivered by email, push, and inbox messages. Excludes the member who canceled the event and inactive members. Sent instantly — not batched or delayed.
Likes to the event comment
What you get: A notification that someone liked your event comment.
Who gets it: Only the original comment author.
When it’s sent: Push immediately; Inbox may roll up later.
Key notes: Self-likes don’t notify you. Inbox can batch for longer to reduce noise.
Replies to the event comment
What you get: A notification that someone replied to your event comment.
Who gets it: Only the parent comment author.
When it’s sent: Push immediately; Email within ~15 minutes; Inbox may roll up.
Key notes: Self-replies don’t notify you. Email may be skipped if you already got a push (to avoid duplicates) unless you also opt to receive email.
New event comments
What you get: A notification about new comments on an event.
Who gets it: Event hosts, members who RSVP’d (Yes, Maybe, or Waitlist for upcoming events; Yes/Attended for past events), and existing commenters.
When it’s sent: Push immediately; Email within ~15 minutes; Inbox may roll up.
Key notes: The comment author isn’t notified about their own comment. Inactive members are excluded.
Event reminder
What you get: Time-based reminders for an event you RSVP’d to.
Who gets it: Members who RSVP’d Yes or Maybe.
When it’s sent: It's scheduled (typically 7 days, 1 day, and a few hours before the event).
Key notes: Separate reminders are tracked to avoid duplicates; delivered by email and push if allowed.
New event photo
What you get: A notification that new photos were added to an event album.
Who gets it: Event hosts, RSVP’d members, and event commenters.
When it’s sent: Push within a few minutes; Email/Inbox may roll up (digest style).
Key notes: The uploader isn’t notified about their own upload.
👥 Group-related Notifications
New group discussions
What you get: A notification that a new group discussion was created.
Who gets it: Group leaders only (organizer/co-organizer/assistant organizer), not the author.
When it’s sent: Immediately.
Key notes: Targets leaders to keep moderation and engagement flowing.
Group discussion likes
What you get: A notification that someone liked your discussion post or its comment.
Who gets it: The author of the liked content.
When it’s sent: Push may batch briefly; Inbox may roll up later.
Key notes: No email for likes. Self-likes and inactive users are excluded.
Group discussion replies
What you get: A notification that someone replied in a group discussion you follow.
Who gets it: Discussion subscribers (members who opted to follow/subscribe).
When it’s sent: Push and Email typically within ~15 minutes; Inbox may roll up (~4 hours window possible).
Key notes: Requires that you’re subscribed and active in the group.
Group new members
What you get: A notification that someone joined your group.
Who gets it: Organizer, co-organizer, and assistant organizer.
When it’s sent: Email batches (can be up to a few hours); Inbox can roll up (up to 24 hours).
Key notes: Push isn’t used for this one.
Someone requests to join the Meetup group
What you get: A notification that someone requested to join (approval required).
Who gets it: Organizer, co-organizer, and assistant organizer.
When it’s sent: Immediately by email, push, and inbox (no batching).
Key notes: Designed for quick review and approval.
RSVPs to events you’re hosting
What you get: A notification that someone RSVP’d to your event or updated their attendance status.
Who gets it: Event hosts (not just group organizers).
When it’s sent: Push immediately; Email may batch (about an hour); Inbox can roll up.
Key notes: Helps hosts track attendance in near real-time.
New Meetup groups
What you get: An announcement about new groups that match your interests/location.
Who gets it: Targeted members selected for the campaign.
When it’s sent: In batched waves.
Key notes: Delivered via campaign tools; push can be part of the campaign. Only sent to active, eligible members.
Group membership approved
What you get: A welcome message after an organizer approves your join request (the organizer may receive a copy).
Who gets it: Newly approved members (and optionally the approving organizer).
When it’s sent: Immediately.
Key notes: Can include a custom welcome note from the organizer.
💬 Communication & Messaging Notifications
New messages
What you get: A notification for new direct messages (1:1 or group conversations).
Who gets it: All conversation members except the sender; respects mute settings.
When it’s sent: Push immediately; Email within ~15 minutes if applicable.
Key notes: Email may be skipped if you already got a push (unless you prefer both).
Announcements from organizers about the group
What you get: Organizer broadcast to default recipient sets (e.g., all members, all RSVPs).
Who gets it: Active, eligible members in the chosen audience.
When it’s sent: Immediately via email (campaign send).
Key notes: Sent only to active group members with Active or Leader status. Pending or unreachable members don’t receive these announcements. Meetup may also limit delivery to members who have been active within a selected time period. Organizers always receive a copy of the message, and some filtering ensures emails aren’t sent to unreachable members.
Custom list updates from organizers about the group
What you get: Organizer broadcast sent to a manually selected subset of members.
Who gets it: Active members included on the organizer’s custom list.
When it’s sent: Immediately via email.
Key notes: Sent only to active group members with Active or Leader status. Pending or unreachable members don’t receive these announcements. Meetup may also limit delivery to members who have been active within a selected time period. Organizers always receive a copy of the message, and some filtering ensures emails aren’t sent to unreachable members.
Event mailing list
What you get: Organizer broadcast to members who RSVP’d to a specific event (selected statuses).
Who gets it: Members whose RSVP matches the organizer’s selection.
When it’s sent: Immediately via email.
Key notes: Sent only to members who RSVP’d to the selected event with the specific status the organizer chose (Yes, No, Maybe, or Not Responded). Recipients must be active members of the group, either regular members or leaders. The message is delivered only to members who allow organizer emails for events in their settings. Meetup also checks the organizer’s own preferences before sending the message.
Pro network communications
What you get: Mass email from Pro network admins (including event-specific attendee sends).
Who gets it: Pro network members per filter, or attendees of a network event.
When it’s sent: Immediately.
Key notes: Requires that recipients are eligible to receive updates from Meetup Pro networks.
✅ RSVP, Attendance & Event Discovery Notifications
RSVP confirmations
What you get: Confirmation when your RSVP status changes (including host designation, spots opening, etc.).
Who gets it: The member whose status changed.
When it’s sent: Typically within ~15 minutes (brief batching); urgent cases also send push.
Key notes: Some scenarios use Email + Push + Inbox (for example, when new spots are open or when you're marked as an event host), others use Email + Inbox only to reduce noise. Calendar attachments can be included if you enable them.
Post attendance notifications
What you get: A nudge to check out or RSVP to the group’s next event after you have attended one.
Who gets it: Members marked Attended or who RSVP’d Yes for the past event.
When it’s sent: Shortly after attendance is recorded (short rollup).
Key notes: Push + Inbox only (no email).
Saved event updates
What you get: Notifications about events you’ve saved.
Who gets it: Members who saved the event.
When it’s sent: In campaign batches (near-immediate once processed).
Key notes: Email and/or push can be sent together via campaign tools.
Suggested events
What you get: Weekly personalized event recommendations.
Who gets it: Members who qualify for recommendations (based on activity/location).
When it’s sent: Weekly; only sent if there are at least two quality recommendations (up to five).
Key notes: Email only; includes an unsubscribe specific to this series.