How APNs works
Every iOS push goes through APNs. Your app registers, receives a device token, and your server sends payloads to Apple, which delivers them to the device. Users must grant permission first, and they can revoke it any time.
Beyond a simple banner, notifications can carry rich content, actions, and grouping, and silent pushes can wake your app to fetch new data quietly in the background.
- User permission is required and can be withdrawn in Settings
- Device token registration, with tokens that can change and must be refreshed
- APNs authentication via a signing key (p8) or certificate on your server
- Rich notifications with images, actions, and thread-based grouping
- Silent (content-available) pushes to update data in the background
- Provisional authorization to deliver quietly before a full opt-in
Sending notifications people keep on
The technical delivery is the easy half. The half that decides success is relevance: asking permission at the right moment, sending things worth interrupting for, and letting users tune what they get.
We handle the plumbing (tokens, payloads, delivery) and help you design the timing and content so opt-in rates stay high and users don't reach for the mute switch.
- Ask for permission in context, after showing why it's worth it
- Segment and personalize so notifications are relevant, not noise
- Provide notification preferences and categories users can control
- Respect quiet hours, time zones, and delivery timing
- Integrate a provider like Firebase Cloud Messaging or a direct APNs server, your choice
- Track delivery and opt-out signals to improve, without logging sensitive content
More on ios apps
Frequently asked questions
Why aren't our push notifications arriving?
Common causes are expired or wrong APNs keys, mixing sandbox and production environments, stale device tokens, or the user having disabled notifications. We audit each link in the chain to find where delivery breaks.
Do we need our own server to send push?
You need something that talks to APNs. That can be your own backend or a service like Firebase Cloud Messaging that sits in front of APNs for you. We'll set up whichever fits your stack.
Can we send notifications without asking permission?
Not visible alerts. Users must opt in, though provisional authorization lets you deliver quietly to the Notification Center first to earn a fuller opt-in. Silent background pushes don't alert the user but still follow Apple's rules.