Push notification
Also known as: push notifications, push alert, app notification, mobile notification
A push notification is a message an app or website sends to your device that appears on your lock screen, notification panel, or desktop, even when the app isn't open.
Notifications deliver chat messages, delivery updates, security codes, breaking news, and reminders. They're sent through services run by Apple and Google, which route messages to devices. While push notifications are useful, too many of them drain attention and battery, and fake or misleading notifications can be used for scams.
Push notification, explained at three levels
At home
A push notification is like a doorbell for your apps. Instead of you checking for news, the app rings to tell you something happened.
At work
Notifications keep staff informed of urgent messages, but too many can harm focus and productivity.
At home
In your phone's settings, you can turn notifications off per app, mute them during set hours, or show them silently. Focus modes filter who can reach you.
At work
Apps send notifications through Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging. MFA apps use push for sign-in approvals, which attackers exploit through MFA fatigue attacks.
At home
Websites often ask to send notifications, and some abuse this for scam alerts. In my opinion, say no unless you really want updates from that site.
At work
Use number matching for MFA push approvals, limit notification content on lock screens for sensitive apps, and design product notifications around user value to avoid people disabling them altogether.
Real-world examples
At home
Thomas was overwhelmed by alerts. He turned off notifications for all but messaging, banking, and calendar apps, and his phone felt calmer.
At work
Fatima's Halifax MSP enabled number matching for MFA push notifications at a client, stopping attackers from tricking staff into approving sign-ins.
How it compares
| feature | Push notification | SMS text |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered via | Apple or Google push services | Mobile carrier network |
| Requires app | Yes, or a browser | No |
| Rich content | Images, buttons, actions | Mostly plain text |
| Works without data | No | Yes |
Push notifications need an app. SMS works on any phone.
For analysts
When designing app notifications, I'd define which events are truly worth interrupting someone for. Fewer, better notifications keep users engaged.
History & origin
Research In Motion, the Waterloo, Ontario company behind the BlackBerry, popularized 'push' email in the early 2000s, delivering messages instantly instead of waiting for users to check. Apple launched its Apple Push Notification service in 2009, letting any iPhone app send alerts, and Google followed with its cloud messaging service in 2010, later becoming Firebase Cloud Messaging. Web browsers added web push notifications in the mid-2010s, and iPhones gained web push for home screen web apps in 2023. In December 2023, a US senator revealed that governments had requested push notification records from Apple and Google, raising privacy questions. In my view, push notifications are a brilliant Canadian-pioneered idea that's been overused.