Push Notification Services for iOS and Android

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Push Notifications

• Key Benefits of Push Notifications

• Push Notification Services for iOS and Android

• Types of push notifications

• Best Practices for Push Notification Campaigns

• Statistics and Research on Push Notifications

• Integrating APNs with iOS Applications

• Integrating FCM with Android Applications

• Conclusion

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Introduction to Push Notifications

Push notifications are messages that can be sent to a user’s mobile device even when the app is not actively being used. They can appear on the lock screen, home screen, or as banners and serve as an effective way to re-engage users, alert them about new updates, promotions, or remind them to take action within the app. With more than 90% of users churning within the first 30 days of downloading an app, push notifications are a critical tool for retaining users and keeping them engaged .

Key Benefits of Push Notifications

Push notifications have several notable benefits for both businesses and users:

• Increased Engagement: According to research, apps that send push notifications experience up to 190% higher retention rates .

• Real-Time Communication: Push notifications allow businesses to send messages in real-time, ensuring that users receive timely and relevant information.

• Higher Retention Rates: Apps that use push notifications retain users at a significantly higher rate compared to those that do not .

• Personalization: Push notifications can be personalized based on user behavior, which can lead to higher open rates and conversions .

• Better Conversions: Push notifications have been shown to increase conversion rates, with targeted messages leading to higher engagement .

Push Notification Services for iOS and Android

When it comes to sending push notifications, there are several third-party services that can help streamline the process for both iOS and Android apps. Below are some of the most popular services:

1. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is a highly popular service for sending push notifications to both iOS and Android apps. It provides a free, scalable solution with features such as analytics integration, segmentation, and automated messaging. FCM also supports advanced functionalities like sending notifications based on user behavior and device state.

• Platform Support: iOS, Android, Web

• Key Features: Analytics, rich media notifications, device targeting

• Cost: Free (with paid options for additional features)

• Learn more about Firebase here

2. OneSignal

OneSignal is another robust push notification service that offers both free and paid plans. It’s known for its easy-to-use interface, support for multiple platforms, and advanced targeting capabilities. OneSignal also provides analytics and A/B testing features to optimize campaign performance.

• Platform Support: iOS, Android, Web

• Key Features: Automation, segmentation, A/B testing

• Cost: Free with paid upgrades

• Explore OneSignal here

  
  

3. Airship

Airship (formerly Urban Airship) offers sophisticated features that go beyond basic push notifications. It supports rich push notifications, advanced segmentation, and deep analytics. Airship is an ideal choice for larger enterprises that require more complex push notification strategies, such as personalized content or multi-channel engagement.

• Platform Support: iOS, Android, Web

• Key Features: Rich media notifications, AI-powered automation, in-app messaging

• Cost: Paid plans with custom pricing

• Visit Airship’s site for more

4. Pusher Beams

Pusher Beams is known for its ease of integration and reliability. It offers high-quality notifications for mobile and web applications, allowing developers to focus on sending notifications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

• Platform Support: iOS, Android, Web

• Key Features: Simple integration, reliable delivery, SDKs for all major platforms

• Cost: Paid with a free tier

• Check out Pusher Beams here

Types of Push Notifications

There are several types of push notifications that can be used for different purposes, depending on your business goals and user engagement strategies. These notifications can be broadly categorized based on their content, delivery method, and purpose. Here are the main types of push notifications:

1. Transactional Push Notifications

Transactional notifications are typically triggered by user actions, such as a purchase, registration, or password reset. These notifications are essential for keeping users informed about their actions within the app.

• Order confirmation or shipping updates.

• Account creation or password reset notifications.

• Payment confirmation receipts.

2. Promotional Push Notifications

Promotional notifications are sent to encourage users to take a specific action, like making a purchase or signing up for a new feature. These messages can include discounts, offers, or time-sensitive deals.

• Special offers or discount alerts.

• Flash sale notifications.

• New product launches or announcements.

3. Reminder Push Notifications

Reminder notifications help keep users engaged with the app by reminding them of actions they’ve previously shown interest in but haven’t completed. These notifications are useful for reducing cart abandonment, encouraging app usage, or reminding users of important tasks.

• Reminding users to complete a purchase or check out their abandoned cart.

• Task or event reminders.

• Reminders to finish an in-app activity or tutorial.

4. Location-Based Push Notifications

Location-based notifications leverage the user’s geographical location to send highly personalized messages. These messages can encourage users to visit a physical store, attend an event, or take action based on their surroundings.

• In-store discounts when a user is near a retail location.

• Event promotions for nearby activities or concerts.

• Notifications about nearby deals or services.

5. Engagement Push Notifications

Engagement notifications are designed to boost interaction with the app. They aim to encourage users to open the app, explore new features, or interact with content.

• Inviting users to participate in in-app events or challenges.

• Encouraging users to explore new app features or updates.

• Gamification notifications that prompt users to continue a game or earn rewards.

These notifications can help maintain user interest over time by keeping the app dynamic and engaging .

6. Rich Push Notifications

Rich push notifications allow developers to include images, videos, or interactive elements such as buttons in their notifications. These types of notifications provide a more engaging experience compared to traditional text-only messages.

• Notifications with an image of a sale item or featured product.

• Video previews of new features or content.

• Interactive notifications with buttons for quick actions (e.g., “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now”).

Rich push notifications can significantly increase engagement rates by making the messages more visually appealing and interactive .

7. Silent Push Notifications

Silent push notifications, unlike regular push notifications, do not display any visible message or sound on the user’s device. These notifications are typically used to update the app in the background or trigger specific actions without disturbing the user.

• Updating the app’s data or syncing content.

• Triggering background tasks, like refreshing app content.

• Keeping the user logged in without sending a visible notification.

Best Practices for Push Notification Campaigns

To ensure that your push notifications have the maximum impact, it’s important to follow some best practices:

• Segment Your Audience: Tailor notifications based on user preferences, behavior, or location. This helps to ensure that messages are relevant and timely .

• Timing Matters: The timing of your push notifications can significantly affect their success. Studies show that sending notifications around 12-1 PM or 7-8 PM is ideal .

• Personalize Notifications: Use the data you have on users to send personalized messages. For example, address users by name or offer personalized promotions .

• Limit Frequency: Too many notifications can lead to user fatigue and increased uninstalls. Find a balance between staying relevant and not overwhelming users .

• A/B Test Notifications: Experiment with different headlines, copy, images, and timing to determine what works best for your audience .

Statistics and Research on Push Notifications

The impact of push notifications on app performance is well-documented. Here are a few key statistics:

• Increased Retention: Push notifications can increase app retention by up to 190% for apps that weren’t previously using them .

• Boosted Engagement: Apps that send push notifications see a 30% increase in open rates .

• Improved Conversion Rates: Targeted push notifications increase conversions, with personalized messages performing up to 10 times better than generic ones .

• Rich Media Impact: Rich push notifications (those with images, videos, etc.) have a 56% higher open rate compared to standard text-only notifications .

Integrating APNs with iOS Applications

1. Registering for Push Notifications: The first step is to request permission from the user to receive push notifications. You can do this by adding the following code in your AppDelegate.swift:

import UserNotifications

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .badge, .sound]) { granted, error in
        if granted {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
                UIApplication.shared.registerForRemoteNotifications()
            }
        }
    }
    return true
}

2. Handling Device Token: Once the user grants permission, the app will receive a unique device token, which is required to send notifications. You can capture this token as shown below:

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken deviceToken: Data) {
    let token = deviceToken.map { String(format: "%02x", $0) }.joined()
    print("Device Token: \(token)")
}

3. Sending Notifications via APNs:

After capturing the device token, you can use it to send push notifications from your server to APNs, which will relay the message to the device. Below is an example of how to send notifications using APNs with PHP (you’ll need to set up an APNs provider certificate on your Apple Developer account

// PHP
$deviceToken = "your_device_token_here";
$apnsCert = "path_to_your_apns_cert.pem";

$payload = json_encode([
    'aps' => [
        'alert' => 'New message received!',
        'badge' => 1,
        'sound' => 'default'
    ]
]);

$ctx = stream_context_create();
stream_context_set_option($ctx, 'ssl', 'local_cert', $apnsCert);
$fp = stream_socket_client(
    'ssl://gateway.push.apple.com:2195', $err, $errstr, 60, STREAM_CLIENT_CONNECT, $ctx
);

fwrite($fp, chr(0) . chr(0) . chr(32) . pack('H*', $deviceToken) . chr(0) . chr(strlen($payload)) . $payload);
fclose($fp);

Integrating FCM with Android Applications

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is a free service provided by Google for sending push notifications to Android devices (and iOS, via a multi-platform approach). FCM is a powerful, easy-to-use tool for delivering notifications to users. Features of FCM:

• Multi-platform support: FCM supports both Android and iOS.

• Targeted messaging: You can send notifications based on user segments, location, or behavior.

• Background delivery: FCM handles background delivery of notifications with minimal impact on battery life.

1. Adding Firebase to Your Android Project:

Start by adding Firebase to your project. Visit the Firebase Console, create a project, and add your Android app. Download the google-services.json file and add it to the app/ directory of your Android project.

2. Adding Firebase SDK:

Add the Firebase Cloud Messaging SDK to your build.gradle:

implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:23.1.1'

3. Receiving Notifications in Your App

public class MyFirebaseMessagingService extends FirebaseMessagingService {
    @Override
    public void onMessageReceived(RemoteMessage remoteMessage) {
        if (remoteMessage.getData().size() > 0) {
            // Handle custom data
        }
        if (remoteMessage.getNotification() != null) {
            // Handle notification payload
            String message = remoteMessage.getNotification().getBody();
        }
    }
}

4. Sending Notifications Using Firebase Console

You can send notifications directly from the Firebase Console by navigating to the “Cloud Messaging” section and entering your message details. However, for advanced use cases, you will need to interact with the FCM HTTP API to send notifications programmatically.

curl -X POST --header "Authorization: key=YOUR_SERVER_KEY" \
    --Header "Content-Type: application/json" \
    https://fcm.googleapis.com/fcm/send \
    -d '{
        "to": "/topics/news",
        "notification": {
            "title": "Breaking News",
            "body": "This is a push notification example."
        }
    }'

Conclusion

Push notifications are an essential tool for enhancing user engagement and retention in mobile apps. With the help of services like Firebase Cloud Messaging, OneSignal, Airship, and Pusher Beams, developers can create tailored campaigns that boost user interaction and drive business results. By following best practices and utilizing key insights from statistics, you can ensure that your push notification campaigns are both effective and well-received.

For further reading and documentation, visit:

• Firebase Cloud Messaging Documentation

• OneSignal Push Notifications

• Airship Push Notification Service

• Pusher Beams

By leveraging these services and applying best practices, your mobile app will have the tools it needs to stay engaged with users and drive meaningful results.