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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Periodic, seemingly global APNS disruptions
Hello, I'm from Microsoft team maintaining push notification api behind Teams platform. We are experiencing strange and short error spikes towards APNS that seem to mostly correlate worldwide. We checked the networking and push request code but could not find what could be causing this. These error spikes are all timeouts or connection resets (by remote host, ie. APNS servers) and seem to come and go randomly: Would it be possible to check this for outages or some other metrics on your side or investigate why would it happen? Since it's worldwide it seems unlikely it's something broken on our side. We are using the standard APNS http2 endpoint with modern support for all RFC features (so everything should work normally). Mind you, our api might be in a unique position because of the volume of notifications (in the billions per day).
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166
Mar ’25
Push Notification Gets Removed From Notification Screen When Setting "badge" to 0
Push message on the lock-screen disappears in one specific instance. In general the situation is as follows: the application, upon starting up, sets the badge counter (i.e. notificationCenter.setBadgeCount(3)) the application is being sent to background the screen is locked (it doesn't matter if it's turned on or not) send a push message to the application and set the badge (in aps) to "0" What happens: the screen lights up (unless it's lit up already), the push is being displayed for a very short time and gets hidden. Happens on iOS 18.1, 18.1.1, 18.2. If not setting badge in the aps keys it works correctly. I've created a feedback report https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/16095572. I am able to reproduce the issue on a sample app 100% of the time :/
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616
Oct ’25
Case-ID: 14080335 Push notification requests to iOS devices using APNs (HTTP/2) time out
We are currently developing a WebAPI service that uses APNs (HTTP/2) to send push notifications to iOS devices. (Using PushSharp's HTTP/2 support) The WebAPI service is running on IIS using .net framework 4.8 and c#. The connection to APNs is always maintained, and the connection is checked every 30 minutes using a dummy token Ping. KeepAlivePeriod = 30 minutes and KeepAliveRetryPeriod = 10 seconds have also been set. However, the following issues are occurring. Although the Ping sent immediately before was successful, a TimeoutException occurs in the notification request sent a few minutes later. There is no explicit disconnection notification from APNs, and the connection appears to be silently disconnected. Once a TimeoutException occurs, it occurs frequently afterwards. Below is an excerpt from the log. Apple Notification Failed for some unknown reason 1-1: One or more errors occurred. Apple Notification Failed for some unknown reason 1-2:System.TimeoutException: The operation timed out. In light of this issue, I would like to be advised on the following two points. Are there any official specifications regarding the lifecycle and expiration date of APNs HTTP/2 connections? Even if pings are sent periodically, is there a timeout or other setting that disables the connection on the APNs side? What are the conditions that would cause APNs to silently terminate a connection? For example, could this be due to inactivity, TLS restrictions, network maintenance, etc.? If you have any official documentation or technical guidelines to improve the reliability of this system, we would appreciate it if you could share them with us. Thank you in advance.
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248
May ’25
APNS push will not be received,in new country
Hello. Recently, the users of our APP have reported using our products, and they can normally receive push in Hong Kong. However, when traveling to Japan or some countries and regions in Europe, push will not be received. we checked that -the cert is valid -the server get 'sent successfully' response -used pushtry to test the cert and token and it can receive push in app
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306
Feb ’25
Questions regarding "Action Required: Apple Push Notification Service Server Certificate Update"
Hello, I have a couple of questions regarding the change of the Certification Authority (CA) for Apple Push Notification service (APNs) and I will be grateful for any answers. Does it require only making sure the server machine has the SHA-2 Root: USERTrust RSA Certification Authority certificate included in Trust Store (/etc/ssl/certs/USERTrust_RSA_Certification_Authority.pem with SHA256: 8a3dbcb92ab1c6277647fe2ab8536b5c982abbfdb1f1df5728e01b906aba953a) ? Should the Certificate Signing Request be updated (that one that is uploaded to https://identity.apple.com/pushcert/) ? Does it have any connection with the certificates that are created on https://identity.apple.com/pushcert/ ? Is the push type "mdm" affected too? Which certificate should be added and where specifically? Is it for Certificate Signing Request to https://identity.apple.com/pushcert/ or the certificate that is generated on https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/certificates/list or like mentioned in the first question? Can a certificate for sandbox environment be created on https://identity.apple.com/pushcert/ ? Thank you for any help.
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486
Feb ’25
Do I need to update the certificate of the APNs?
Currently, our provider server uses token-based authentication with APNs. In addition, to establish a connection with APNs, we have installed the "AAACertificateServices 5/12/2020" certificate from the "Sectigo KnowledgeBase website" on the provider server. Question 1 Do I need to update the server certificate of the Apple Push Notification Service at the following URL for the above provider server? URL https://developer.apple.com/jp/news/?id=09za8wzy Question 2 If registration is required, how long will it be valid for? Root certificate https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/setting-up-a-remote-notification-server Token-based authentication https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/establishing-a-token-based-connection-to-apns
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1.6k
Dec ’24
How can I keep my app up to date with the server without throttling
I am trying to build a chat app. I am using FCM to deliver messages to my app accompanied by some custom data like the new message_data, deleted message_id and so on; each message will need to run the app in the background to do some background processing and local database syncing. This continuous background processing is clearly not acceptable as APNs imposes a per-device limit on background push notifications . I am asking how can I push messages and actions payload without being throttled ?
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427
Dec ’24
Silent Push notifications XCode 16.3 stop working on production
Hello, we have recently started signing and building our applications using Xcode 16.3. Since we made this change, we’ve noticed that the applications have stopped receiving silent push notifications (content-available: 1) when they are distributed via TestFlight or the App Store, even though we haven’t changed anything in the way these notifications are sent. As I mentioned, this started happening after migrating our project from Xcode 15 to Xcode 16.3. Regular push notifications are still working as expected, but silent ones are not being received by the apps. We are desperate because we rely on these silent notifications to inform the apps of updates, and we haven’t been able to identify the root cause of the issue.
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73
May ’25
Critical Alerts and Notification Permissions
Back story: I'm developing an app that communicates with a personal medical device. We use critical alerts when we have hardware issues that could result in harm to the patient. The audio file is a 30 second file to make sure the patient is aware. If the app is open when they occur, we pop up a modal message in the app. When the user dismisses the notice, we call UNNotificationCenter::removeDeliveredNotifications(withIdentifiers:) to remove the critical alert and also to stop the audio file that is playing. This normally works fine. However we discovered that if the patient leaves critical alert enabled but disables notifications for our app, that we can still post the critical alert and it goes off. However when the user dismisses the message, the removeDeliveredNotifications call does not work. I did some debugging and if call getDeliveredNotifications with this permission combination, it return 0 (normally it would return 1). Does anyone know of another way to remove the critical alert in this situation? (or should I be submitting this as a bug?)
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532
May ’25
Action Required: Apple Push Notification Service Server Certificate Update
Hi, We received the following message. Hello, We’re reaching out with a final reminder that the Certification Authority (CA) for Apple Push Notification service (APNs) is changing. APNs updated the server certificates in sandbox on January 21, 2025. APNs production server certificates will be updated on February 24, 2025. To continue using APNs without interruption, you’ll need to update your application’s Trust Store to include the new server certificate: SHA-2 Root: USERTrust RSA Certification Authority certificate. Note, that we are using Firebase to deliver push notifications and the connection is done via APN keys, not certificates. Is there anything that we need to update in the application to mitigate the risk of not delivered push notes ?
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1.2k
Feb ’25
APNS Connection Timed out
This error has been continuously occurring for about 9 hours. We have not replaced the certificate, modified the server code, or changed the firewall policy. Some requests succeed, but many are timing out, with several timeouts occurring every minute. We are unable to find the cause. Please help. APNS Exception io netty channel ConnecttimeException: Connection timed out
APNSOutboundHandler api.push.apple.com/17.188.169.28:443 api.push.apple.com/(other ip):443 api.push.apple.com/(other ip):443 api.push.apple.com/(other ip):443 api.push.apple.com/(other ip):443 ...
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656
Apr ’25
Push notification of server certificate updates for the service
Background: ① We initiate push notification requests by generating tokens using the p8 certificate. ② The lowest version of the server we use is Ubuntu 16.04, and the image is Alpine Linux 3.15. ③ Currently, the root certificate USERTrust_RSA_Certification_Authority.pem is default in the system and has the same MD5 value as the provided download file. The time for both is 2019. My questions: ① Which certificate should we download and add to the server's trust store, Root Certificates? ② Does the system we are using default include this certificate? ③ What operations are needed for this server certificate replacement?
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603
Jan ’25
Clarification Needed on Apple Push Notification Service Server Certificate Update Requirements for Token-Based vs. Certificate-Based Authentication
Hello Apple Developer Team, Based on the mandate to update the APNs certificate by February 24, 2025 for certificate-based authentication, a question from the team has been brought up that maybe Apple or the community can help answer. Since our implementation uses token-based authentication, I’m seeking clarification on a couple of points: 1. Does the certificate update affect token-based connections at all? 2. What is the rationale behind updating certificates for certificate-based authentication, and are there any implications or benefits for developers using token-based authentication? Understanding these details will help us ensure our system remains compliant and optimally configured. Any guidance or further clarification you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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520
Feb ’25
Timezone for Device Notification statistics?
What timezone is used in the CloudKit Push Notification reporting? Meaning, when I see 1,000 Sent Push Notifications on 2/18, is that 2025-02-18 00:00 through 2025-02-18 23:59 PST? EST? UTC? The metrics shown in [the CloudKit Push Notification reporting] are not lining up with stats from my marketing system, and I'm trying to diagnose. Also, is there a way to see DELIVERIES or just SENT? I'm looking to learn more about why a Notification would be Sent but not received by the user. Thank you!
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413
Feb ’25
Rewrite `UNNotificationServiceExtension` sub class into Swift 6 async await notation
I'm trying to rewrite a Swift code to Swift 6 language mode and am stuck with this problem. How do I safely pass the bestAttemptContent and contentHandler to the Task? This is from the UNNotificationServiceExtension subclass. final class NotificationService: UNNotificationServiceExtension { var contentHandler: ((UNNotificationContent) -> Void)? var bestAttemptContent: UNMutableNotificationContent? var customNotificationTask: Task<Void, Error>? override func didReceive(_ request: UNNotificationRequest, withContentHandler contentHandler: @escaping (UNNotificationContent) -> Void) { self.contentHandler = contentHandler bestAttemptContent = (request.content.mutableCopy() as? UNMutableNotificationContent) guard let bestAttemptContent = bestAttemptContent else { invokeContentHandler(with: request.content) return } do { let notificationModel = try PushNotificationUserInfo(data: request.content.userInfo) guard let templatedImageUrl = notificationModel.templatedImageUrlString, let imageUrl = imageUrl(from: templatedImageUrl) else { invokeContentHandler(with: bestAttemptContent) return } setupCustomNotificationTask( imageUrl: imageUrl, bestAttemptContent: bestAttemptContent, contentHandler: contentHandler ) } catch { invokeContentHandler(with: bestAttemptContent) } } // More code private func downloadImageTask( imageUrl: URL, bestAttemptContent: UNMutableNotificationContent, contentHandler: @escaping (UNNotificationContent) -> Void ) { self.customNotificationTask = Task { let (location, _) = try await URLSession.shared.download(from: imageUrl) let desiredLocation = URL(fileURLWithPath: "\(location.path)\(imageUrl.lastPathComponent)") try FileManager.default.moveItem(at: location, to: desiredLocation) let attachment = try UNNotificationAttachment(identifier: imageUrl.absoluteString, url: desiredLocation, options: nil) bestAttemptContent.attachments = [attachment] contentHandler(bestAttemptContent) } } } I tried using the MainActor.run {}, but it just moved the error to that run function. The UNNotificationRequest is not sendable, and I don't think I can make it so. Wrap the setupCustomNotification in a Task will move the errors to the didReceive method. It seems like the consuming keyword will help here, but it leads to a compilation error, even with the latest Xcode (16.2). Any pointers?
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457
Mar ’25
Is it possible to increase priority of background notifications?
I have an app that pairs with a wearable Bluetooth device that collects users' health data. My web backend sends two push notifications every hour to all app users—one at XX:05 and another at XX:15. The first notification instructs the app to download data from the paired wearable device, while the second prompts the app to upload the downloaded data to the backend server's database. However, I’ve noticed that many push notifications are not processed by iOS apps, especially at night. Based on Apple's documentation, iOS prioritizes push notifications and may ignore lower-priority ones to conserve battery life. Is there a way to increase the priority to ensure that more (or all) push notifications are processed? Would integrating the HealthKit framework help? Currently, I use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send push notifications. Additionally, my app falls under the Health & Fitness category. Would changing it to Medical increase priority? P.S. I understand that Apple requires certain certifications for an app to be classified as Medical.
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281
Feb ’25
Silent push notifications not working on some iOS devices
I send APNs notifications to my devices with the CloudKit dashboard. I test with two devices; Device with Silent Push Working Successfully: iOS version 16.5.1 (c), Model iPhone Xs Silent Push Failed Device: iOS version 15.3.1, Model iPhone Xr Normal alert notifications work successfully on both devices. But I can't see any log in my project even though silent push is sent successfully on one device. What I've Checked: content-available is set to 1. My app is not in kill state, it is in foreground or pending in the background. When I send simple notifications, I can see logs in my swift project and notifications on physical devices without any problem. No, my certificate has not expired and if there was a problem with it, I would not be able to see the normal notifications. My phone is not in power saving mode and the “Background App Refresh” option is turned on in the app's settings. Both devices in charging state. App capabilities: Background Modes is enabled with Remote Notifications, Background Fetch, Background Processing. CloudKit Dashboard After Sending Silent Push: My AppDelegate Class In Swift Project: import SwiftUI import UIKit import UserNotifications class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate { var window: UIWindow? func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool { UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]) { granted, error in if granted { DispatchQueue.main.async { UIApplication.shared.registerForRemoteNotifications() } } } return true } func application(_ application: UIApplication, didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken deviceToken: Data) { let tokenParts = deviceToken.map { data in String(format: "%02.2hhx", data) } let token = tokenParts.joined() print("Device Token: \(token)") } func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFailToRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithError error: Error) { print("Failed to register: \(error)") } func application(_ application: UIApplication, didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any], fetchCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping (UIBackgroundFetchResult) -> Void) { logInfo("Received Push Notification: \(userInfo)") if let aps = userInfo["aps"] as? [String: AnyObject], aps["content-available"] as? Int == 1 { logInfo("This is a silent push notification") //DO SOME WORK completionHandler(.newData) } completionHandler(.newData) } }
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Nov ’24