Emily Clarke

How Do Push Notification Services Work?

When push notifications first hit the scene in 2009, it was a game-changer. It revolutionized the way users got information and stayed up to date on things they cared about most. But more importantly, it paved the way for more engaging business-to-consumer messaging.

Today, it's a technology most people use regularly. But what is an Apple push notification service, and how does it work?

Push Notifications 101

From a user standpoint, push notifications seem pretty simple. You get a text-based message or badge alerting you to new information. But behind the scenes? Push notifications are more complex than most realize.

So, what is an Apple push notification service? Apple push notification service, or APNs, is a cloud-based service that allows third-party apps to send notifications from a remote server to a user's device. It uses a secured connection and simplifies the process, ensuring that apps don't have their server network.

Apple's cloud service was the first of its kind, but it's just one of many operating system push notification services. Android, Fire OS, Blackberry, and Windows have their own service.

How It All Works

Without getting too deep into the technical details, push notifications start with an app.

Publishers register their app with the push notification service. The service then provides an application programming interface, or API. The API makes it possible for the app to communicate with the service.

Once a user downloads, installs, and opens the app, the push notification service registers unique identifiers for the app and device. The identifiers allow publishers to define their audience and send relevant notifications.

From there, publishers can craft and send messages through the API. The cloud service acts on behalf of the app and only connects to devices when new notifications go through.

Quick and Seamless Messaging

A push notification service handles the brunt of the work. It prevents constant polling, which saves you resources. Push notifications let you send relevant information quickly and efficiently.

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about customer messaging and engagement solutions including SMS services and mobile notifications tools. You can find her thoughts at web notifications blog.