Step-by-Step: How to Test Your M91 Alert Link Without Waking Anyone

Want to test your M91 alert link? Here is the safe way to do it, step by step.

M91 alerts are loud. A real alert rings every phone on your team. It rings at full volume, even on silent.

So how do you test it without waking everyone up?

It's easy. Open the link with nothing added to the end. M91 checks the link, and no phone rings.

Quick answer: To test an M91 alert link safely, open the link with nothing added after it. M91 shows your channel's name. No phone rings. Add a title only when you want a real alert.

In this guide, you will learn how to:

• Check your alert link without ringing any phone
• Fix a link that doesn't work
• Send one small test alert
• Make sure your team really got it

What Is M91?

M91 is a free app made by MSG91. It rings a real person's phone when software needs help.

Here is how it works. You make a group of people in M91. This group is called a channel. Every channel gets its own special link. It's called the send link.

When your software opens that link with a message, every phone in the channel rings. It keeps ringing until someone answers.

What Is Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)?

Human-in-the-loop (HITL) means the software does the work, but a person steps in when it really matters. For example:

• Human approval: a person says "yes" or "no" before a big refund.
• Human review: a person checks something before it goes out.
• Human takeover: a person takes over when an AI agent gets stuck.

M91 is how your app, your approval workflow, or your AI agent reaches that person. You don't need an SDK or an API key. You only need the send link.

How to Find Your M91 Send Link

1. Open your channel in the M91 app.
2. Look for the send link on the channel screen.
3. Tap the copy icon.

Keep this link secret, like a password. Anyone who has it can ring your whole team.

Why Should You Test Your Alert Link?

Think about mailing a birthday card. You check the address first. If the address is wrong, the card never arrives.

Your alert link is the same. Testing is the last part of your alert link setup. A quick test shows you if:

• The link was copied the right way
• The link goes to the right channel
• Your team can really get the alert

It only takes a minute. And it can save you from a missed alert in the middle of the night.

How to Test Your M91 Alert Link in 6 Easy Steps

Step 1: Check the Link (No Phone Rings)

Open your send link in your web browser, exactly as you copied it. Add nothing to the end.

M91 shows your channel's name. No phone rings. This is called a connection test.

Why doesn't it ring? Many apps open links on their own to make little previews. If a plain link rang phones, just pasting it in a chat could wake your team. So M91 only rings when a message title is added.

Check this: Do you see the right channel name? Great! Go to Step 2.

Watch out: Does your link end with ?title=? Delete everything from the ? onward first. A link with a title is a real alert. It will ring everyone.

Step 2: Fix the Link If Something Looks Wrong

Did something look odd in Step 1? Here's what it means and how to fix it.

• You see a different channel's name. You copied the link from the wrong channel. Copy it again from the right one.
• You see "401" or "UNAUTHORIZED". The link is wrong or cut short. Copy it again and paste all of it. Don't add a / at the end.
• Your link starts with https://m91.msg91.com/s/. That's an old address. Change the start to https://m91-api.msg91.com/s/. Keep the rest the same.
• Nothing shows up at all. Your computer can't reach M91. Check your internet. The link itself is fine.

Step 3: Make Sure Everyone Has Joined

This is the number one reason an alert reaches nobody.

Getting an invite is not the same as joining. Each person must do 3 things:

1. Install M91 and sign in with the phone number you invited.
2. Allow notifications, so the alert can reach them.
3. Accept the invite.

Now check. Open the channel and tap the people icon. You'll see the Members list. Everyone should say ACCEPTED, not INVITED.

Did someone reinstall the app? They should open it once. That connects their phone again.

Step 4: Send One Small Test Alert

Now let's hear it ring. This time, it's a real test alert.

First, tell your team. Say: "Test alert at 3 PM. Please tap the button." It will ring loudly, even on silent.

The easiest way: In the M91 app, tap Send a test alert on the channel screen. Everyone in the channel gets it.

The no-code way: Add this to the end of your send link. Then open it in your web browser.

?title=Test%20alert%20from%20setup&severity=LOW&respond=Got%20it&customId=setup-test

What do these words mean?

• title is the message people see on their phone. It needs at least 5 characters.
• severity=LOW makes it gentle. A LOW alert rings once. It never phones anyone.
• respond=Got it adds a "Got it" button.
• customId=setup-test gives the alert a name, so you can find it later.

Your browser will show a simple page. That's normal.

Step 5: Check That Your Team Got It

The simplest check is to ask your team: "Did your phone ring?"

Here's what to do if something went wrong:

• Nobody's phone rang. People haven't finished joining. Go back to Step 3.
• One phone stayed quiet. That person should turn on notifications for M91. Then they open the app again.
• Your second test didn't ring. You sent the same test within 5 seconds, or your first test is still open. Change the title a little, or close the first test. Then try again.

Using code? M91's reply has a number called delivered. It tells you how many phones got the alert. If it's 0, go back to Step 3.

Step 6: Answer It, Then Close It

Tap the button on your phone. An answer coming back is the only real proof that someone saw the alert.

M91 keeps an alert open until someone closes it. This is true even after someone answers. So when you're done, open the alert in the app and tap Close alert.

That's it. Your test is complete!

Answer it, see it, close it.

Quick Checklist: Is Your M91 Alert Link Ready?

• ✅ I copied the link from my channel, with nothing added
• ✅ The connection test showed the right channel name, and no phone rang
• ✅ Everyone installed M91, allowed notifications, and says ACCEPTED
• ✅ I told my team before the real test
• ✅ I sent one test alert, and the phones rang
• ✅ Someone tapped the answer, and it came back
• ✅ I closed the test alert

All done? Your alert link setup is complete!

What's Next? Add Human Approval to Your App or AI Agent

Your link works. Now add a human-in-the-loop step where your software needs a person.

• Human approval: Add "Approve" and "Reject" buttons. Use them before a refund, a payment, or anything risky.
• Human takeover: Add a "Take over" button. Use it when a bot or AI agent gets stuck and a customer wants a real person.
• Urgent phone alerts: Use HIGH or CRITICAL for problems that can't wait. A HIGH alert escalates to a phone call only if nobody answers or even opens it. A CRITICAL alert keeps ringing and escalates to phone calls.

New to M91? Read What Happens When Your Software Needs a Human Approval?

Want to see how an answer gets back to your software? Read How the M91 Alert Flow Moves an Alert From Software to a Person.

👉 Get M91 free and test your first alert link

For Developers: The Same Test in Code

Prefer the terminal? Here are the same steps. Replace YOUR_SEND_LINK with your send link.

1. Connection test (no phone rings):

curl -sS "YOUR_SEND_LINK"

2. Send one LOW test alert:

curl -sS -X POST "YOUR_SEND_LINK" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Test alert from M91 setup. Please tap Got it.",
    "severity": "LOW",
    "customId": "setup-test",
    "responseOptions": [{"label": "Got it", "effect": "SHARED"}]
  }'

3. Read the answer (decision stays null until someone taps):

curl -sS "YOUR_SEND_LINK/alerts/setup-test"

4. Close the test alert (a 404 or 403 here just means it's already closed):

curl -sS -X POST "YOUR_SEND_LINK/close" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"customId": "setup-test"}'

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test an M91 alert link without waking anyone?

Open your M91 send link with nothing added to the end. M91 shows your channel's name. No phone rings. This is called a connection test.

What is the M91 connection test?

It's a safe way to check your send link. A plain link, with no title, does not send an alert. It only tells you the link works and which channel it belongs to.

Does opening the M91 alert link in a browser send an alert?

Only if the link has a title. A plain link is just a connection test. A link with ?title= sends a real alert and rings every phone in the channel.

Can I test M91 without writing code?

Yes. Tap Send a test alert in the M91 app. Or add ?title= and &severity=LOW to your link and open it in your browser.

Why did my test alert reach nobody?

Usually, people were invited but didn't finish joining. Each person must install M91, sign in, allow notifications, and accept the invite.

Why didn't my second test alert ring?

Either you sent the same test within 5 seconds, or the first test is still open. Change the title a little, or close the first test. Then try again.

What severity should I use for a test alert?

Use LOW. It rings once and never phones anyone.

Is the M91 send link secret?

Yes. Keep it safe, like a password. Anyone who has it can ring your whole team.

Is M91 free?

Yes. M91 is free forever. Every feature, every alert, and every person on your team is included.

Should I test M91 before adding it to an AI agent or approval workflow?

Yes. Run the connection test, send one test alert, and get an answer back. Then your human-in-the-loop (HITL) step for human approval or human takeover will work when it really matters.