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Push notifications

Alerts from your own app or website, for people who said yes.

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Push notifications are short alerts that your app, or a website the person allowed, shows on the phone or computer even when it is closed. Businesses use them for order and delivery updates, security alerts, reminders and timely offers. They are sent through the phone platforms' own notification services, and people must allow them, so every notification has to earn its place.

Start with the 101Push notifications 101: the whole pictureHistory, how it works, where it is used, what it costs, the rules, its limits, and when to choose it, with every claim sourced.Read the 101

Need help implementing this? Ask members who have done it.

What matters when choosing

  • One API for the major phone platforms and browsers, including Android phones without Google services, which need another service such as Huawei Push Kit, with device tokens managed for you.
  • Help asking for permission at the right moment, not on first launch.
  • Targeting, quiet hours and frequency limits so people are not overwhelmed.
  • Fallback to email or a message when a notification cannot be delivered or is not opened.

Questions to ask providers

  1. How do you clean up tokens for uninstalled apps, and how do you report that?
  2. Can a notification fall back to another channel automatically, and on what condition?
  3. What is counted for billing: devices, active users or notifications sent?

Common mistakes

  • Asking for permission the moment the app opens, before the person sees any value.
  • Sending so many promotions that people switch notifications off for good.
  • Relying on push for critical messages without a fallback.

What it is good at

  • Instant updates from your own app at very low cost.
  • Deep links straight to the right screen.
  • Alerts people asked for, such as delivery and security.

What to watch for

  • Permission can be refused or withdrawn at any time.
  • Only reaches people who installed your app or allowed your site; on iPhone, web push works only once the site is added to the Home Screen.
  • Delivery is best effort, with no guaranteed timing.

How it is priced

Firebase Cloud Messaging is free on every Firebase plan. Apple's push service comes with the Apple Developer Program, US$99 a year (local prices vary), which web push to a site added to the Home Screen does not require. Android devices without Google services need another push service, such as Huawei Push Kit. Providers charge per monthly active user, per device or by notification volume, often with a free tier.

Sources Firebase (Google) ↗Apple Developer ↗WebKit ↗

Typical channels: Push notifications In-app chat Email SMS

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