Send a notification message

The Send a notification message action sends a notification to an Android TV or Fire TV with the Notifications for Android TV / Fire TV app installed.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To send a notification from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts do not need a trigger.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Notifications for Android TV / Fire TV: Send a notification message.
6. Under Target, select the notification device to send the message to (see Targets).
7. Add a message for the notification.
8. Optional: add a title, image, icon, or other settings.
9. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required. For how an automation or a script is built in YAML, refer to Automations in YAML and Scripts.

In YAML, refer to this action as nfandroidtv.send_message. A basic example looks like this:

action: nfandroidtv.send_message
target:
  entity_id: notify.my_tv
data:
  message: "There is a frog in the garden!"

Options in YAML

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching notify entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific notify entity, such as notify.living_room.
• Device: every notify entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every notify entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every notify entity on a floor.
• Label: every notify entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

To learn which entities Home Assistant includes for a device, area, floor, or label, and how it handles several entities, refer to Automation targets.

To leave out some of these entities, refer to Excluding targets. For example, you can leave out one notify entity in an area.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

Action: send a notification with a front door camera snapshot

Send a notification that includes a snapshot from the front door camera.

• Action: Notifications for Android TV / Fire TV: Send a notification message
  • Target: Living room TV (notify.living_room_tv)
  • Message: Someone is at the front door
  • Image: Snapshot from camera.front_door

action: nfandroidtv.send_message
target:
  entity_id: notify.living_room_tv
data:
  message: "Someone is at the door"
  image:
    media_content_id: media-source://camera/camera.front_door
    media_content_type: application/vnd.apple.mpegurl

Automation: send a one-time password to your TV when starting Final Fantasy XIV

When you launch Final Fantasy XIV on your PlayStation console, automatically send a one-time password from an OTP sensor to your TV, making it easy to log in without reaching for another device.

• Trigger: State changed, media title changes to FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
• Action: Notifications for Android TV / Fire TV: Send a notification message
  • Target: Living room TV (notify.living_room_tv)
  • Title: Your One-Time Password
  • Message: Template using the current state of sensor.otp_final_fantasy_xiv
  • Icon: ffxiv_meteor.png from the local media source
  • Fontsize: Medium
  • Position: Bottom right
  • Duration: 30 seconds
  • Transparency: 75%
  • Background color: Amber

triggers:
  trigger: state
  entity_id: media_player.playstation_5
  attribute: media_title
  to: FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
actions:
  action: nfandroidtv.send_message
  target:
    entity_id: notify.living_room_tv
  data:
    title: "Your One-Time Password"
    message: |
      {{ states('sensor.otp_final_fantasy_xiv') }}
    icon:
      media_content_id: media-source://media_source/local/ffxiv_meteor.png
      media_content_type: image/png
    fontsize: medium
    position: bottom-right
    duration:
      seconds: 30
    transparency: 75%
    background_color: amber

Still stuck?

To test the action on its own, run it in the automation editor with Run action, and check the message that it shows. To see what the action did when the automation ran, open the trace of that run. For details, refer to Testing automations. For common problems and their solutions, refer to Troubleshooting automations.

If that doesn’t help, the Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

Explore related actions:

• Send a notification message: Sends a notification message to one or more notify entities.