How it works
When a delay is active, Alva defers the license key until the delay elapses and then delivers it on its own. Nothing else waits on the key: unless the product also sets its own download delivery delay, the customer's file downloads and links arrive in the immediate download email exactly as they always do. Only the license key is held back. Because the key simply isn't assigned yet, it stays invisible everywhere it would otherwise show — the customer account, order status page, download page, and POS — until its delivery time arrives. The delay is measured from the purchase time, so a 7-day delay means the key lands 7 days after the order is paid, no matter how long a fraud check took. Short delays are delivered on time too: a 30-second delay usually delivers the key about 30 seconds after the order.
When to use it
A delivery delay is useful whenever a key should not be usable the instant someone buys. Three common cases:
- Launch or release-date coordination — keys go live on a specific date even if pre-orders or early purchases arrive sooner.
- Drip or cohort access — align when a key activates with a course or cohort start.
- Anti-resale cool-down — a built-in waiting period adds friction before a freshly bought key can be resold or abused.
Set a store-wide default
The store-wide default applies to every product unless that product overrides it.
1. Open the License keys settings
In the Alva admin, go to Settings and open the License keys card. It links to the License key delivery delay page.
2. Choose immediate or delayed
Pick Deliver immediately (the default) or Delay delivery. When you choose to delay, enter an amount and pick a unit — seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks. The shortest delay is 10 seconds.
Alva Settings → License key delivery delay page. Show the timing dropdown set to "Delay delivery", a "7" amount field, and the unit dropdown set to "days", with the Save button visible. No real customer data.
3. Save
Click Save. New purchases follow the default immediately — there's nothing to re-process for existing orders.
Override per product
Any product with license keys attached can set its own timing in the product page's License Keys section. The License key delivery timing control offers three modes:
- Use store default — inherit whatever the store-wide delay is set to. This is the default for every product.
- Deliver immediately — send the key right away, ignoring any store-wide delay.
- Delay delivery — set this product's own delay with an amount and a unit, overriding the store default.
Save the product and the new timing applies to its next purchase. A product with its own timing keeps it when you later change the store-wide default. To apply one setting to every product, set each overridden product back to Use store default.
What customers see
A delay never leaves a customer wondering where their order went. For a product that also has files or links, the normal download email still arrives immediately at purchase time with them, plus a note that the license key will be delivered on a given date. For a product that has only license keys, Alva Digital Downloads sends a short "your license key is on its way" email at purchase instead, when the delay is 1 minute or more. Once the delay elapses, Alva sends a separate "your license key is ready" email containing the key.
Turn off the "on its way" email
Your store's own order confirmation may already tell customers their key is coming. In that case, untick Email customers that their license key is on its way on the License key delivery delay page and save. Customers then get only the "your license key is ready" email when the delay ends. With a long delay, that means no email about their key until it arrives.
Limitations
This delay applies to license keys only. It never holds back file downloads or links — those follow their own timing, delivering immediately unless the product sets a separate download delivery delay. The key delay is always measured from the purchase time, not from fraud approval or any later event, so the delivery date is predictable from the order date.
FAQ
Does the delay affect file downloads or links?
This license key delay applies to keys only, so a delayed key never holds back the files or links in the same order. Downloads and links can carry their own separate download delivery delay, set per product.
When does the delay start counting?
The delay is measured from the purchase time. A 7-day delay means the key is delivered 7 days after the order is paid, regardless of how long a fraud check takes.
Can I delay keys for one product but not others?
Yes. Set a store-wide default, then override individual products to use the store default, deliver immediately, or set their own delay amount and unit.
What does the customer see during the wait?
Products with files or links send the normal download email immediately, with a note that the license key will be delivered on a given date. Products with only license keys send a short "your license key is on its way" email instead, unless you turn it off. A separate "your license key is ready" email is sent once the delay elapses.
Can I turn off the "your license key is on its way" email?
Yes. On the License key delivery delay page, untick Email customers that their license key is on its way. Customers then receive only the "your license key is ready" email when the delay ends. Delays under 1 minute never send the "on its way" email.
What is the shortest delay I can set?
10 seconds. Short delays are delivered on time, so a 30-second delay usually delivers the key about 30 seconds after the order. Delays under 1 minute skip the "on its way" email, because the key arrives straight after.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-30