What is a push notification?

Unleashing the Power of Push Notifications for Your App

What Exactly are Push Notifications?

Push notifications are short messages or alerts that are sent to a user's device (such as a smartphone, tablet, or web) by a server or application. They are called "push" notifications because they are pushed from the server or application to the user's device, rather than the user having to actively request the information.

These notifications can be sent by various types of apps, including social media platforms, messaging apps, news apps, productivity apps, and more. They typically appear in the form of a banner, pop-up, or alert on the user's screen, regardless of whether the app is currently open or not. Push notifications are used to deliver timely and relevant information to users, such as new messages, updates, reminders, promotions, or other important notifications.

How Do They Work?

Push notifications work through a combination of technologies involving the app on the user's device and a server maintained by the app developer or service provider. Here's a simplified overview of how push notifications typically work:

Registration: When a user installs an app on their device, the app typically registers with a push notification service provided by the device's operating system (such as Apple's APNs for iOS devices, Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android devices or Other Provides). This registration involves exchanging a unique device token or identifier between the app and the push notification service.
Server-Side Trigger: When something noteworthy happens that warrants a push notification (such as a new message, update, or event), the app's server sends a request to the push notification service, specifying the device tokens of the intended recipients and the content of the notification.
Delivery to Device: The push notification service receives the request from the app's server and delivers the notification to the appropriate devices. This process typically involves sending the notification to the respective platform-specific push notification service (e.g., APNs for iOS, FCM for Android), which then handles delivering the notification to the target devices using the device tokens.
Display on Device: When the device receives the push notification, the operating system's notification system handles displaying the notification to the user. This could involve showing a banner, pop-up, or alert on the device's screen, along with any accompanying sounds, vibrations, or badges as configured by the user or the app.
User Interaction: When the user interacts with the push notification (such as tapping on it), the app associated with the notification is typically launched, and the user is taken to the relevant part of the app or presented with additional information.

It's important to note that push notifications rely on internet connectivity to function, as they require communication between the app's server and the push notification service, as well as between the push notification service and the user's device. Additionally, users have control over their notification settings and can choose to enable or disable push notifications for specific apps or types of notifications.

Adding Push Notifications with Crowdbotics

With Crowdbotics, integrating push notifications into your app is simple and hassle-free. Our intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows you to add the push notification feature seamlessly. Whether your app is for iOS, Android, or both, Crowdbotics has got you covered.