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    Auto Publish vs. Notification Publishing & How to Switch

    Olivya
    • Updated

    In this Article:

    Wondering what the difference is between Auto Publish and notification publishing, or how to switch between them? We’re here to explain!

    What’s the Difference?

    Auto Publish

    auto-publish-post-builder.png

    Auto Publish posts will automatically be published at their scheduled time. Once you’ve scheduled an Auto Publish post, there’s no further action needed from you!

    Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, Threads, and Snapchat posts will always be auto published.

    Important: You must enable Auto Publish first for it to work.

    Notification Publishing

    notification-publishing-post-builder.png

    If you select the 'Send Notification' option while scheduling, we’ll send a push notification to your mobile device at your post’s scheduled date & time. You must open this notification and complete the publishing process manually—but we’ll make it easy for you by saving or opening up your media for you (depending on the post type) and automatically copying your caption.

    • Notification publishing is only available for Instagram and TikTok
    • Notification publishing isn't available for Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, Threads, and Snapchat posts—these posts will always be auto published
    • Later’s mobile app is required for notification publishing
    Important: When publishing a post through a push notification, make sure you’re logged into the right social profile on your device.

    If you miss your post's notification, you can still access and publish your pending posts through Later’s mobile apps. For details, see Missed Post Notifications.

    Switch Your Publishing Method

    Once Auto Publish is enabled, you can switch an eligible Instagram or TikTok post between auto publishing and notification publishing at any time before it is published. Here’s how:

    1. Open a post that is not yet published from your Calendar, or create a new post
    2. At the top of the Post Builder, select the current publishing method
    3. Select your preferred publishing method from the dropdown
    4. Select Save

    switch-publishing-method.gif

    Tip: You can tell at-a-glance which publishing method your scheduled posts are set to use by looking at the post icon on your calendar. Auto Publish posts are denoted by a lightning bolt, and notification posts with a bell.

    Set a Default Publishing Method

    Once you set up Auto Publish, any new eligible Instagram and TikTok posts will be set to Auto Publish by default. If you prefer the default to be notification posts, you can change this setting per profile from app.later.com on desktop:

    1. Navigate to Settings > Social Sets & Access Groups, or click here
    2. Select Edit next to the Access Group that contains the profile(s) for which you’d like to change the default
    3. Select Edit next to the Instagram or TikTok profile to open up the settings for that profile
    4. Select Auto Publish
    5. Toggle Auto Publish Posts by Default on or off
      • You can also toggle whether you’d like to receive a notification to let you know once a post has been auto published
    6. Select Save
    7. Repeat for any other profiles, if desired
      • Each individual TikTok or Instagram profile can have its own default

    auto-publish-posts-by-default-toggle.png

    Note: You can still manually select a different publishing method from the Post Builder for each individual Instagram and TikTok post.

    Why is Auto Publish not available for my post?

    Due to API limitations, Auto Publish is not available for types of posts and/or social profiles. If you're not seeing the Auto Publish option in the Post Builder, it’s likely that one of the following is true: 

    1. You haven't enabled Auto Publish, or you need to refresh your profile
    2. You’re creating/editing a post that isn’t for Instagram or TikTok
      • Notification publishing is only available for Instagram and TikTok
      • Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, Threads, and Snapchat posts will always be auto published
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