Notifications

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Learn about the technical aspects of notification delivery on device, including notification types, priorities, and notification center management.

Notifications Documentation

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Firebase Push Notification Background Handling Fails on TestFlight iOS App
Hi, We are using Firebase to configure APNs (Apple Push Notification Service) for sending push notifications. During local testing, the push notifications are received properly when the app is in the foreground or background. After TestFlight testing and passing review, we found that when the app is installed using the developer's Apple ID, push notifications are received correctly whether the app is in the foreground or background. However, when the app is provided to other testers (using non-developer Apple IDs), notifications are only received when the app is in the foreground, and they are not triggered when the app is in the background or inactive state. Request for Assistance: Why, after TestFlight testing and passing review, does the app receive push notifications properly in the background when installed using the developer's Apple ID, but on other testers' devices, notifications are not received when the app is in the background? Are there any differences in Apple ID types or device configurations (developer ID vs. regular tester ID) that could affect the behavior of push notifications in the background mode? Do we need to apply any additional settings or permissions, particularly for handling background push notifications? Are there any iOS version or device-specific limitations that could impact the proper delivery of background push notifications? Additional Information: The app is properly configured for APNs, and push notifications are being sent via Firebase. In the developer's Apple ID test environment, the app receives push notifications properly whether it is in the foreground or background. On other testers' devices, push notifications are only received when the app is in the foreground, and they are not received when the app is in the background. All test devices have been verified to have notification permissions enabled, and Firebase configuration is correct.
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Apr ’25
PushKit Voip notifications not triggering CallKit UI in the background
I am trying to add voip call functionality to my app. It works as expected while the app is in the foreground. But in the background it does not. I have registered the app as requiring background voip permissions. My implementation doesn't fit into one of these posts, so here is a gist: https://gist.github.com/BrentMifsud/4be43c022c1279f04ecb56250a86b3f1
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393
Jan ’25
Alternate App Icon Change Does Not Reflect in Notification Center on iOS 18.1+
Version: iOS 18.1 and later (works as expected on iOS 18.0 and earlier) Area: SpringBoard / Notification Center / App Icon Rendering Description: When changing the app's alternate icon using UIApplication.setAlternateIconName(_:completionHandler:), the icon is updated correctly on the Home Screen and App Switcher. However, in Notification Center, the old app icon is still shown for notifications, even after the change has completed. This issue only occurs on iOS 18.1 and later. In iOS 18.0 and earlier, Notification Center correctly reflects the updated icon. - Steps to reproduce: Create an iOS app with alternate app icons configured in the Info.plist. Use UIApplication.shared.setAlternateIconName("IconName") to change the icon at runtime. Send a notification. Pull down Notification Center and observe the icon shown beside the notification. - Expected Behavior: Notification Center should reflect the updated (alternate) app icon immediately after the change. - Actual Behavior: Notification Center continues to display the old (primary) app icon. The new icon appears correctly on the Home Screen and App Switcher. Restarting the device does cause Notification Center to update and reflect the correct icon, which suggests a cache or refresh issue in SpringBoard or Notification Center. - Notes: Issue introduced in iOS 18.1; not present in 18.0. Reproduces on both physical devices and simulators. Occurs with both scheduled local notifications and remote notifications. Restarting the device updates the Notification Center icon, but this is not a viable user-facing workaround.
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Apr ’25
iPhone push notifications stop: DeviceTokenNotForTopic
We are facing an issue: push notifications are not being received. We are using the Marketing Cloud SDK for push notifications. On install, the app correctly registers for push notifications. We pass the required information to Marketing Cloud — for example, contact key, token, etc. Marketing Cloud also confirms that the configuration is set up, and we have tried sending push notifications with proper delivery settings. The issue is that after some time, the device gets automatically opted out in the Marketing Cloud portal. When we consulted their team, they said this is caused by the “DeviceTokenNotForTopic” error received from APNs. I have verified the certificates and bundle ID from my end — everything looks correct. Device: iPhone 15, iPhone 17 iOS: 18.7.2, 26.1
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2w
api.push.apple.com always return 400 bad devicetoken
everytime i get my devicetoken from mdm certification,send to apns (api.push.apple.com 443),always return 400,please help me confirm if the devicetoken is expired or somethine wrong else here is the request and response device_token:79c3aec2b2c2b672c3b756c3910977c3a936c3aae280985ac380e280a6091cc2bfc3a132192b14c392c2be7a2ee280a229c3aa push_magic:AAFDAB81-0E63-4B72-A60A-1F8085325870 status_code: 400 headers: {'apns-id': '14BDD477-7D76-A2FB-582C-140BBD95A420'} resp: {'reason': 'BadDeviceToken'}
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Jun ’25
LiveCommunicationKit
We are implementing a camera intercom calling feature using VoIP Push notifications (PushKit) and LiveCommunicationKit (iOS 17.4+). The app works correctly when running in foreground or background, but fails when the app is completely terminated (killed by user or system). After accepting the call from the system call UI, the app launches but gets stuck on the launch screen and cannot navigate to our custom intercom interface. Environment iOS Version: iOS 17.4+ (testing on latest iOS versions) Xcode Version: Latest version Device: iPhone (tested on multiple devices) Programming Languages: Objective-C + Swift (mixed project) Frameworks Used: PushKit, LiveCommunicationKit (iOS 17.4+) App State When Issue Occurs: Completely terminated/killed Problem Description Expected vs Actual Behavior App State Behavior Foreground ✅ VoIP push → System call UI → User accepts → Navigate to intercom → Works Background ✅ VoIP push → System call UI → User accepts → Navigate to intercom → Works Terminated ❌ VoIP push → System call UI → User accepts → App launches but stuck on splash screen → Cannot navigate Root Issues When app is terminated and user accepts the call: Data Loss: pendingNotificationData stored in memory is lost when app is killed and relaunched Timing Issue: conversationManager(_:perform:) delegate method is called before homeViewController is initialized Lifecycle Confusion: App initialization sequence when launched from terminated state via VoIP push is unclear Code Flow VoIP Push Received (app terminated): func pushRegistry(_ registry: PKPushRegistry, didReceiveIncomingPushWith payload: PKPushPayload, for type: PKPushType, completion: @escaping () -> Void) { let notificationDict = NotificationDataDecode.dataDecode(payloadDict) as? [AnyHashable: Any] let isAppActive = UIApplication.shared.applicationState == .active // Store in memory (PROBLEM: lost when app is killed) pendingNotificationData = isAppActive ? nil : notificationDict if !isAppActive { // Report to LCK try await conversationManager.reportNewIncomingConversation(uuid: uuid, update: update) } completion() } User Accepts Call: func conversationManager(_ manager: ConversationManager, perform action: ConversationAction) { if let joinAction = action as? JoinConversationAction { // PROBLEM: pendingNotificationData is nil (lost) // PROBLEM: homeViewController might not be initialized yet if let pendingData = pendingNotificationData { ModelManager.share().homeViewController.gotoCallNotificationView(pendingData) } joinAction.fulfill(dateConnected: Date()) } } Note: When user taps "Accept" on system UI, LiveCommunicationKit calls conversationManager(_:perform:) delegate method, NOT a manual acceptCall method. Questions for Apple Support App Lifecycle: When VoIP push is received and app is terminated, what is the exact lifecycle? Does app launch in background first, then transition to foreground when user accepts? What is the timing of application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: vs pushRegistry:didReceiveIncomingPushWith: vs conversationManager(_:perform:)? State Persistence: What is the recommended way to persist VoIP push data when app is terminated? Should we use UserDefaults, NSKeyedArchiver, or another mechanism? Is there a recommended pattern for this scenario? Initialization Timing: When conversationManager(_:perform:) is called with JoinConversationAction after app launch from terminated state, what is the timing relative to app initialization? Is homeViewController guaranteed to be ready, or should we implement a waiting/retry mechanism? Navigation Pattern: What is the recommended way to navigate to a specific view controller when app is launched from terminated state? Should we: Handle it in application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: with launch options? Handle it in conversationManager(_:perform:) delegate method? Use a notification/observer pattern to wait for initialization? Completion Handler: In pushRegistry:didReceiveIncomingPushWith, we call completion() immediately after starting async reportNewIncomingConversation task. Is this correct, or should we wait for the task to complete when app is terminated? Best Practices: Is there a recommended pattern or sample code for integrating LiveCommunicationKit with VoIP push when app is terminated? What are the best practices for handling app state persistence and navigation in this scenario? Attempted Solutions Storing pendingNotificationData in memory → Failed: Data lost when app is killed Checking UIApplication.shared.applicationState → Failed: Doesn't reflect true state during launch Calling gotoCallNotificationView in conversationManager(_:perform:) → Failed: homeViewController not ready Additional Information Singleton pattern: LCKCallManagerSwift, ModelManager homeViewController accessed via ModelManager.share().homeViewController Mixed Objective-C and Swift architecture conversationManager(_:perform:) is called synchronously and must call joinAction.fulfill() or joinAction.fail() Requested Help We need guidance on: Correct app lifecycle handling when VoIP push is received in terminated state How to persist VoIP push data across app launches How to ensure app initialization is complete before navigating Best practices for integrating LiveCommunicationKit with VoIP push when app is terminated Thank you for your assistance!
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3w
APN push notifications failling
After my membership was renewed (auto-payment was rejected, and my account was manually paid), my app stopped receiving notifications I thought was an invalidation by membership but after some days, my app kept not receiving notifications. I just recreated a new key for my app, (I hope it solves the problem) My question is, do I need to make another change to my account to reenable services?
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Jan ’25
Clarification on Timing for Critical Alerts Approval in iOS
We are currently planning the development of an iOS healthcare application that will require the use of Critical Alerts. I understand that these notifications bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent mode, and therefore require special entitlement from Apple. We understand that Critical Alerts require a special entitlement from Apple. Could you please clarify: Do we need to request and obtain Apple’s approval for Critical Alerts before we begin development of the app? Or can we apply for this entitlement after we have a working build or prototype ready? We want to ensure compliance and streamline our development process, so any guidance on the appropriate timing for the entitlement request would be greatly appreciated.
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76
Jul ’25
No notification sound when CarPlay is connected
We're building a taxi driver app. Our goal is simple: Play a notification sound when a new ride request arrives — even if the iPhone is connected to CarPlay. We use Firebase push with "sound": "default" and "interruption-level": "time-sensitive". The app requests .carPlay and uses a category with .allowInCarPlay. Everything works when CarPlay is disconnected — we get sound and banner. But when connected to CarPlay: the push is delivered silently, no sound is played (even on the phone), Siri Announce is enabled, but nothing is spoken. Questions: Is notification sound blocked when CarPlay is active, unless the app has CarPlay entitlement? Is Siri Announce the only way to notify the driver audibly in this case? Would getting a CarPlay entitlement (e.g. CarPlay.communication) fix this without building a full CarPlay UI? Thanks — all we need is a reliable sound alert when a new ride comes in.
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Jun ’25
All Apple Push Notification Architecture
I've built an iOS & Watch OS app using Sign in with Apple & CloudKit exclusively. I'm now wanting to implement Push Notifications. I understand that I need a server to trigger the push notifications (I guess I could spool up a Node server somewhere or use Firebase), but I'd really like to not use any non-Apple backend services. Am I correct in understanding that I can do this with Push Notifications Console, or do I still need a separate backend?
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400
Feb ’25
Push notification volume for custom sound
Is there a way to configure the APNS notification sound volume to be louder? I am implementing some custom sounds(narrative sentences) for APNS, it does play the custom sound, but the volume of the custom sound is not loud enough even though I had set the device's volume and "RingTone and Alerts" volume to max. I tried to amplify the custom sound file, it does play louder but the result is minimum if I want to maintain the quality of the sound without it been distorted. I tried to use Notification Service Extension, AVAudioPlayer and AVAudioSession to play the sound, it does play louder in max volume compare with relying on default sound payload in APNS, but the problem is AVAudioPlayer and AVAudioSession do not seems to be usable when the application is in background or killed state, is there any other alternative I could use?
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Apr ’25
Wallet Pass Stops Updating After Silent Push — Device Never Fetches New .pkpass (Possible Throttling)
Hi everyone, I'm developing a custom Apple Wallet pass using a Django backend and exposing my local server through ngrok during development. For the first ~30 minutes, everything works exactly as expected: the pass registers correctly, silent push notifications trigger instant updates, Wallet immediately performs the GET request to fetch the new .pkpass, and the changeMessage displays almost instantly on the lock screen. At some point, however, the pass stops updating entirely. Apple APNs continues to return 200 OK for every silent push I send, but the device never performs the required GET /v1/passes// call to download the updated pass. As a result, even the internal content of the pass (ex: points/balance fields) no longer updates, which confirms that Wallet is not fetching the new .pkpass at all. No changeMessage appears either. This behavior has been described informally by other developers as Apple Wallet Pass Update Throttling, where the Wallet daemon begins ignoring silent pushes after repeated updates or certain internal conditions. I’m trying to confirm whether this is indeed throttling, what triggers it, and how to avoid it during development.
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Nov ’25
Notification Service Extension not getting invoked on macOS
I’m testing remote push notifications on macOS, and although notifications are received and displayed correctly, my Notification Service Extension (NSE) never gets invoked. The extension is properly added as a target in the same app, uses the UNNotificationServiceExtension class, and implements both didReceive(_:withContentHandler:) and serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire(). I’ve also set "mutable-content": 1 in the APNS payload, similar to how it works on iOS — where the same code correctly triggers the NSE. On macOS, however, there’s no sign that the extension process starts or the delegate methods are called. import UserNotifications class NotificationService: UNNotificationServiceExtension { override func didReceive(_ request: UNNotificationRequest, withContentHandler contentHandler: @escaping (UNNotificationContent) -> Void) { let modified = (request.content.mutableCopy() as? UNMutableNotificationContent) modified?.title = "[Modified] " + (modified?.title ?? "") contentHandler(modified ?? request.content) } override func serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire() { // Called if the extension times out before finishing } } And the payload used for testing: { "aps": { "alert": { "title": "Meeting Reminder", "body": "Join the weekly sync call" }, "mutable-content": 1 }, "MEETING_ORGANIZER": "Alex Johnson" } Despite all correct setup steps, the NSE never triggers on macOS (while working fine on iOS). Can anyone confirm whether UNNotificationServiceExtension is fully supported for remote notifications on macOS, or if additional configuration or entitlement is needed?
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Nov ’25
Reliability and latency for Appsore server side notifications v2
Hi Team, We are building oru subscrption app and want to rely on server side purchase / subscription related notifications. We went through https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreservernotifications/enabling-app-store-server-notifications We wanted to understand the reliability and latency for server side notifciations provided by Appstore.
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36
Nov ’25