Introduction
Send push notifications to iPhone and Android with one API call. No app to build.
Push Notifications reach the Lock Screen, Notification Center, and banner with a title, subtitle, message, and image.
How it works
- Create a push group with
POST /api/push/start. The response has the join button. - Users join by tapping the button on a web page. On a computer, the button shows a QR code to scan with the phone.
- Send notifications with
POST /api/push/send. Every phone in the group gets it.
Names
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
pushGroupId | The group id chosen by the developer. Any text. Every call uses it. |
group | The group name people see in the app. |
groupId | The id the service gives the group (pg- and 12 characters). The join button uses it. |
group means something different in Live Activities. There it is an optional label for updating many activities with one call. Here it is the name people see.
What the user sees
- iPhone: the notification looks like a message from the group. The sender name is the title, or the group name when there is no title. The group logo is the sender's picture. The image is attached below.
- Android: the title, subtitle, message, group logo, and image.
- A tap opens the group in the WebActivity app. With an
actionURL, a tap opens that page instead: inside the app on iPhone, in the browser on Android. - A phone that is off gets missed notifications when it comes back, up to 3 days later. iPhone keeps only the newest one.
- Users leave a group in the app.
Push notifications and Live Activities are separate products. Live Activities stay on the Lock Screen and update in place; push notifications are one-time alerts. Use both together or either on its own.
