Push notifications: when they help and when they annoy

A notification helps when the person would have wanted to know right now anyway: the order shipped, the appointment is tomorrow at 10, someone replied. It annoys when it's an ad they didn't ask for, or when it comes too often. The difference matters more than it seems, because a single "Don't allow" shuts the channel, often for good.

You get to ask once, so timing matters

On iPhone, an app has to ask before it can send notifications. Apple's documentation is clear that the system prompts the person only once and records the answer; later requests don't show anything. If they said no, the only way back is through Settings, and few people go looking.

On Android, the rule is new. Starting with Android 13, notifications are a permission the user grants explicitly, like the camera or location. For an app installed on an Android 13 phone, notifications are off until the person says yes. And if the app still targets an older Android version, the system asks on its own, usually on first launch, which is exactly when the person has no idea what the notifications are for.

Both platforms recommend the same thing: ask in context. Apple's example is a task app that asks for permission after the person schedules their first task. Google's examples include "after they submit a food order" or "after they tap a bell icon." The person sees right away why the notification would help, and saying yes is easier.

What's worth sending

A simple test: if the person would be upset that they didn't get the notification, it's worth sending.

• Confirmations and status changes: the order was accepted, the courier is on the way, the payment went through.
• Reminders the person asked for: tomorrow's appointment, a subscription about to expire.
• Messages from other people: replies, comments, requests.

And what isn't: "We miss you," discounts blasted to everyone, the same promo three times a week. On Android, people can see how many notifications each app sends per day and can revoke the permission at any time.

Marketing pushes have written rules

Apple has a precise rule in its App Store Review Guidelines (section 4.5.4): notifications can't be required for the app to work, shouldn't carry sensitive information, and can't be used for promotions unless the person explicitly opted in through consent language shown in the app's UI, with a way inside the app to opt out.

In practice, we split two things from day one: notifications about the person's own orders and bookings on one side, marketing on the other, with a separate toggle in the app's settings.

Channels: let people choose what they get

On Android, since version 8.0, every notification has to belong to a channel, and people can turn off or silence each channel separately. That's good news for the app: someone tired of offers turns off the offers channel, not every notification.

iPhone has something similar: provisional authorization. The app can send "trial" notifications without asking, but they arrive quietly, only in Notification Center, with no sound and no banner. The person sees what they look like and chooses to keep them or turn them off. It works well for apps whose notifications only make sense once you've seen one.

A short checklist before your first push

1. Don't ask on first launch; ask after an action that makes the notification useful.
2. Say in one line, before the system dialog, what the person will receive.
3. Keep service notifications separate from marketing.
4. Set up channels (Android) and a settings screen inside the app.
5. Check every month how many people turn notifications off after a campaign. If that number climbs, you sent too much.

If you're still deciding what kind of app to build, read our piece on web apps versus store apps. What we build is on our App services page.