Push Notifications

Introduction to Push Notifications

Push notifications are a vital mechanism for engaging users by delivering timely and relevant updates directly to their devices. This service allows your applications to send alerts, messages, and updates even when the app is not actively running in the foreground.

Microsoft's App Services provides a robust and scalable platform for implementing push notification capabilities across various platforms, including Windows, iOS, and Android.

Key Features

• Cross-Platform Support: Send notifications to users regardless of their device operating system.
• Scalability: Handles millions of notifications concurrently.
• Reliability: Ensures notifications are delivered promptly.
• Templating: Customize notification content for different scenarios.
• Analytics: Track delivery status and engagement metrics.

Getting Started with Push Notifications

To begin sending push notifications, you need to integrate the Push Notification SDK into your application and configure the service in your Azure portal.

Step 1: Register Your Application

Navigate to the Push Notification Hub in the Azure portal and create a new hub. You will need to register your app with the native notification services (e.g., APNS for iOS, FCM for Android) and link them to your hub.

Step 2: Install the SDK

Choose the appropriate SDK for your development platform:

• .NET:

  Install-Package Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs

• Node.js:

  npm install @azure/arm-notificationhubs

• Java: Download the Maven dependency.
• Python:

  pip install azure-mgmt-notificationhubs

Step 3: Register Devices

In your application, obtain the device's registration token from the native notification service and register it with your Notification Hub. This process associates the device with your hub and allows you to send targeted notifications.

Sending Notifications

Once devices are registered, you can send notifications from your backend service.

Sending to All Devices (Broadcast)

To send a notification to all registered devices:

using Microsoft.Azure.NotificationHubs;

// ...

var hubClient = NotificationHubClient.CreateClientFromConnectionString(
    "Endpoint=sb://your-namespace.servicebus.windows.net/;SharedAccessKeyName=DefaultFullSharedAccessSignature;SharedAccessKey=...",
    "your-notification-hub-name");

var notification = new AppleNotificationPayload
{
    aps = new aps
    {
        alert = "Welcome to our app!",
        sound = "default"
    }
};

await hubClient.SendAppleNativeNotificationAsync(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(notification));
            

Sending to Specific Devices (Targeted)

You can send notifications to devices registered with specific tags or templates:

// Using Node.js SDK
const NotificationHubsManagementClient = require("@azure/arm-notificationhubs").NotificationHubsManagementClient;
const credential = new DefaultAzureCredential();
const client = new NotificationHubsManagementClient(credential, subscriptionId);

// ... logic to send targeted notification using client.notifications.createOrUpdateNotification
            

Notification Formats

The service supports various notification formats to cater to different platforms:

• Native Formats: APNS (Apple Push Notification Service), FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging), WNS (Windows Push Notification Service).
• Platform Agnostic: JSON payload that can be interpreted by your app.

Example JSON Payload

{
  "message": "Special offer available now!",
  "data": {
    "promotionId": "PROMO123",
    "linkUrl": "https://example.com/offers/promo123"
  }
}
            

Best Practices

• User Consent: Always obtain user permission before sending notifications.
• Relevance: Ensure notifications are valuable and timely.
• Frequency: Avoid overwhelming users with too many notifications.
• Clear Calls to Action: Make it obvious what the user should do next.
• Deep Linking: Use deep links to direct users to specific content within your app.

API Reference

For detailed information on available APIs, methods, and parameters, please refer to the official API documentation: