Notifications

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Learn about the technical aspects of notification delivery on device, including notification types, priorities, and notification center management.

Notifications Documentation

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Status of Notification Service Extension filtering entitlement
Hi Apple engineering team, I contacted Developer Support regarding the status of our entitlements request, and they recommended that I post here for visibility. It’s been just over two weeks since we submitted the request, and we haven’t received any updates yet. We understand these requests can take time, but it’s unclear what the typical timeline looks like or if there’s any way to check on the progress. Is there a way to get an update or better understand where we are in the process? We’re trying to plan our release and would really appreciate any guidance on what to expect. Thanks in advance for your help.
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May ’25
Sending 'notification' risks causing data races
I'm attempting to leverage notifications in an app that is in Swift 6 language mode. I have the following code: func startLocationUpdates() { //if self.manager.authorizationStatus == .notDetermined { // self.manager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization() //} self.logger.info("Starting location updates") Task { do { let updates = CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() for try await update in updates { if !self.updatesStarted { break } // End location updates by breaking out of the loop. self.lastUpdate = update if let loc = update.location { self.lastLocation = loc self.isStationary = update.stationary self.count += 1 self.logger.info("Location \(self.count): \(self.lastLocation)") } if lastUpdate!.insufficientlyInUse { let notification = UNNotificationRequest(identifier: "com.example.mynotification", content: notificationContent, trigger: nil) try await UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(notification) } } } catch { self.logger.error("Could not start location updates") } return } } As an aside, the above is directly taken from the following sample: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/CoreLocation/adopting-live-updates-in-core-location. With Swift 6 language mode enable, this generates a compiler error for the statement: try await UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(notification) Sending main actor-isolated 'notification' to nonisolated instance method 'add' risks causing data races between nonisolated and main actor-isolated uses How can I fix this?
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571
Feb ’25
Clarification on Timing for Critical Alerts Approval in iOS
We are currently planning the development of an iOS healthcare application that will require the use of Critical Alerts. I understand that these notifications bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent mode, and therefore require special entitlement from Apple. We understand that Critical Alerts require a special entitlement from Apple. Could you please clarify: Do we need to request and obtain Apple’s approval for Critical Alerts before we begin development of the app? Or can we apply for this entitlement after we have a working build or prototype ready? We want to ensure compliance and streamline our development process, so any guidance on the appropriate timing for the entitlement request would be greatly appreciated.
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89
Jul ’25
pushkit and callkit
I am currently implementing VoIP push notifications in my iOS app using PushKit. On iOS 18, I am able to receive VoIP notifications successfully when the app is in the foreground. However, when the app is in the background or in a terminated (kill) state, the notifications do not arrive. In earlier iOS versions, my existing implementation worked as expected across all app states. This issue seems to have started after testing on iOS 18, which appears to have introduced stricter permission or background execution requirements. Questions: Has iOS 18 introduced new permission requirements or entitlements for VoIP push notifications? Do I need to explicitly request a new type of user permission for VoIP notifications? Are there additional background modes, Info.plist keys, or PushKit changes required for VoIP to work in background and terminated states on iOS 18? Additional Information: . Foreground: Works fine, pushRegistry(_:didReceiveIncomingPushWith:for:completion:) is triggered. . Background/Terminated: No call to the above delegate method. . Using correct voip push type in the payload. . PushKit is configured in AppDelegate. . Background modes for "Voice over IP" and "Background Processing" are enabled. . Using a real device with iOS 18 for testing (not simulator). Any guidance or updated documentation references for handling VoIP pushes in iOS 18 would be greatly appreciated.
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271
Aug ’25
Timestamp with 410 error code
Docs mention the following about the timestamp field returned by APNs: "The time, represented in milliseconds since Epoch, at which APNs confirmed the token was no longer valid for the topic. This key is included only when the error in the :status field is 410." We would like to clarify whether this timestamp is subject to the fuzzy schedule or whether it represent the accurate time of when APNs knew that the token became invalid? We understand that using 410 for tracking purposes is off label. However we still would like to have the most accurate information in regards to when token became invalid. This will help us debug user issues better in cases when they re-install, uninstall, change permission settings, etc.
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182
Aug ’25
Push notifications on macOS "discarded due to expiry"
I'm having a reproducible problem receiving push notifications on macOS 26.2. The pattern is that the push is received and then discarded almost immediately (there is a 60s expiration date) when on battery power and then when I plug in pushes start working and even if I unplug again it works for hours until breaking again. These are alert notifications with priority 10. Other team members have had similar problems but less reliably broken and even get a "stored for device power considerations" message followed by discarded (see apns-unique-id c29250a3-abbf-008a-96f9-a5384e32d1df). An example from my machine with the apns-unique-id 6b2dfe3d-af99-182a-0e1e-6b811d3ec486 which fails immediately. iOS is working fine however so this seems to be confined to macOS only.
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APNs Feedback Service Domain Unavailable
The APNs Feedback Service domain “feedback.push.apple.com” was deprecated on March 31, 2021, and became unavailable after August 2025 due to domain name resolution failures. Will this feedback service become available again in the future? Also, is it possible to use the APNs Feedback Service with a domain different from “feedback.push.apple.com”?
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Sep ’25
Persistent iOS Signing & UIBackgroundModes Entitlement Issue
Problem Statement We are experiencing a critical and persistent issue preventing the successful signing and building of our iOS application. The core problem is that provisioning profiles, whether automatically generated by Xcode or manually created in the Apple Developer Portal, consistently fail to include the UIBackgroundModes entitlement, leading to a build failure. Specific Question Why are provisioning profiles generated via the Apple Developer Portal and/or Xcode's automatic signing process consistently omitting the UIBackgroundModes entitlement for our App ID, even when this capability is explicitly configured in Xcode? We seek guidance or backend intervention to ensure our provisioning profiles include the necessary entitlement. Expected Outcome We expect to be able to successfully build and sign our iOS application, with provisioning profiles that correctly include the UIBackgroundModes entitlement, allowing for proper implementation of remote notifications. Observed Symptoms Primary Build Error: Consistent build failure with the exact error message: "Automatic signing failed: Provisioning profile 'iOS Team Provisioning Profile: com.scott.ultimatefix' doesn't include the UIBackgroundModes entitlement." Missing Entitlement in Profile (Confirmed by Inspection): Direct inspection of downloaded .mobileprovision files (including those manually generated in the Developer Portal for com.scott.ultimatefix) consistently shows the absence of the UIBackgroundModes entry within the section of the Entitlements dictionary. The aps-environment key for Push Notifications is present, indicating Push Notifications are enabled, but Background Modes are not. Certificates Correctly Recognized in Xcode: Our "Apple Development: Stephen Criscell Scott" and "Apple Distribution: Stephen Criscell Scott" certificates are correctly displayed and recognized in both Keychain Access and Xcode's Preferences > Accounts > Manage Certificates window (without "Not in Keychain" status). Furthermore, the Signing & Capabilities tab for the target in Xcode now correctly shows Signing Certificate: Apple Development: Stephen Criscell Scott. Persistent Issue Across Resets: The problem persists despite extensive local cache invalidation, Xcode reinstallation, and even testing in a fresh macOS user account (which confirmed the issue was not user-specific).
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133
Jun ’25
PushKit (VoIP) delivery issue — user’s device fails to receive VoIP pushes; logging in on that device suppresses VoIP pushes for all devices of that user
We are facing an issue where VoIP notifications are not delivered to a user's device. If we login with the user credentials on another device the VoIP notifications are being received, if he logs in on his device VoIP notifications are not being received anymore on all devices. So When the user logs in on the affected device, all devices on that account stop receiving VoIP pushes (including the affected one). Logging out on the affected device restores delivery to other devices. What could cause this issue? It's only happening for this user so the configuration and mobile app PushKit code is working as intended.
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157
Oct ’25
Which apns errors should cause us to remove the tokens from our server's db?
Having some discussion about when we should clear out a token from our servers. Docs say: Don’t retry notification responses with the error code BadDeviceToken, DeviceTokenNotForTopic, Forbidden, ExpiredToken, Unregistered, or PayloadTooLarge. You can retry with a delay, if you get the error code TooManyRequests. The way I see it is that with the exception of PayloadTooLarge, all other errors means you should remove the token from your server. Either because: The token is no longer good The token is good, but this is just not the right: environment (sandbox vs production) topic (the token is from a different bundle id or developer team) target (app vs live activity appex) Do I have it right? Extra context: when using the "JSON Web Token Validator" tool, a colleague reported that a 410 -Expired token (from couple days back) was still valid today. This raises questions about when tokens should actually be deleted and how these error codes should be interpreted. Also is it possible for the docs to get updated for us to explicitly know if a token should get removed and not leave it for interpretation?
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Nov ’25
Implement UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate in iOS app using Swift6
I've got a problem with compatibility with Swift6 in iOS app that I have no idea how to sort it out. That is an extract from my main app file @MainActor @main struct LangpadApp: App { ... @State private var notificationDataProvider = NotificationDataProvider() @UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor(NotificationServiceDelegate.self) var notificationServiceDelegate var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { TabView(selection: $tabSelection) { ... } .onChange(of: notificationDataProvider.dateId) { oldValue, newValue in if !notificationDataProvider.dateId.isEmpty { tabSelection = 4 } } } } init() { notificationServiceDelegate.notificationDataProvider = notificationDataProvider } } and the following code shows other classes @MainActor final class NotificationServiceDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate { var notificationDataProvider: NotificationDataProvider? func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey : Any]? = nil) -> Bool { UNUserNotificationCenter.current().delegate = self return true } func setDateId(dateId: String) { if let notificationDataProvider = notificationDataProvider { notificationDataProvider.dateId = dateId } } nonisolated func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter, didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse) async { // After user pressed notification let content = response.notification.request.content if let dateId = content.userInfo["dateId"] as? String { await MainActor.run { setDateId(dateId: dateId) } } } nonisolated func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter, willPresent notification: UNNotification) async -> UNNotificationPresentationOptions { // Before notification is to be shown return [.sound, .badge, .banner, .list] } } @Observable final public class NotificationDataProvider : Sendable { public var dateId = "" } I have set Strict Concurrency Checking to 'Complete.' The issue I'm facing is related to the delegate class method, which is invoked after the user presses the notification. Current state causes crash after pressing notification. If I remove "nonisolated" keyword it works fine but I get the following warning Non-sendable type 'UNNotificationResponse' in parameter of the protocol requirement satisfied by main actor-isolated instance method 'userNotificationCenter(_:didReceive:)' cannot cross actor boundary; this is an error in the Swift 6 language mode I have no idea how to make it Swift6 compatible. Does anyone have any clues?
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1.6k
Feb ’25
Push Notifications Error
Hi, I'm experiencing an issue with my app. I use Firebase as my server, and it is great. Still, there is one issue: when I send push notifications from my app to users, the users will get the notification if the app is open, but not when it is closed. I have tried many solutions to fix it, even asking AI, but the issue is still there. I would be happy to give you access to Firebase and the Xcode workspace, as I have no clue how to fix it.
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3w
long wait time for usernotifications.filtering entitlement
Hi, happy new year, I'm a Product Manager for a communications app that's currently in testflight. We requested the com.apple.developer.usernotifications.filtering entitlement on December 3rd, and have yet to receive a response from Apple. I understand that the holiday break may have gotten in the way, however it feels like we were lost in the queue as it's been 6 weeks with no response. Our app owner has checked-in inside appstoreconnect but has not received anything back. Is this common? Is there any process for getting a status update? Are we doing something wrong? Without this entitlement we cannot make the device ring in the background. The app is a voice and video messaging platform.
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2w
Push Notification Sound and Notification Service Extension When App is Killed
Dear Apple Developer Support, I am currently developing an iOS application that uses push notifications with custom .caf audio and a Notification Service Extension. I have implemented the extension to download and play a dynamic sound file from a remote sound_url. It works well when the app is in the foreground or background. However, when the app is force-closed (swiped up from multitasking), the Notification Service Extension does not seem to run. As a result, the custom sound is not downloaded or played. I would like to confirm: Is it possible to trigger the Notification Service Extension when the app is killed? If not, what is the correct way to play a custom .caf sound when the app is terminated? Should I preload and save the .caf file in App Group storage and reference it by name in the sound field? Are there any best practices or limitations regarding push notification customization when the app is killed? I appreciate your help in clarifying this issue. Thank you very much! Best regards, Phan Van Tung
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139
Apr ’25
Unable to Receive APNs Device Token in Unity iOS App Despite Proper Configuration
I’m currently developing an iOS app built in Unity, exported to Xcode for signing and deployment. The app needs to register for Apple Push Notifications (APNs) to retrieve the device token and register it with a backend service (PlayFab). Despite enabling the required capabilities and entitlements, the app never receives a device token — the authorization request succeeds, but the token remains empty (req.DeviceToken is null in Unity). I’ve confirmed that the issue occurs before PlayFab or Firebase are involved, meaning the app never receives the token from Apple Push Notification service (APNs) itself. The Unity script I am using is: #if UNITY_IOS using UnityEngine; using Unity.Notifications.iOS; using PlayFab; using PlayFab.ClientModels; using System.Collections; using System; public class iOSPushInit : MonoBehaviour { private const int MaxRetries = 5; private const float RetryDelay = 2f; // seconds void Start() { Debug.Log("🛠 iOSPushInitDebug starting..."); StartCoroutine(RequestAuthorizationAndRegister()); } private IEnumerator RequestAuthorizationAndRegister() { // Request Alert + Badge + Sound permissions and register for remote notifications var authOptions = AuthorizationOption.Alert | AuthorizationOption.Badge | AuthorizationOption.Sound; using (var req = new AuthorizationRequest(authOptions, true)) { Debug.Log("⏳ Waiting for user authorization..."); while (!req.IsFinished) { yield return null; } Debug.Log($"🔔 Authorization finished at {DateTime.Now}: granted={req.Granted}, error={req.Error}"); if (!req.Granted) { Debug.LogError("❌ User denied notification permissions! Cannot get APNs token."); yield break; } // Authorization granted → check for device token int attempt = 0; string token = req.DeviceToken; Debug.Log($"req.DeviceToken: {req.DeviceToken}"); while (string.IsNullOrEmpty(token) && attempt < MaxRetries) { attempt++; Debug.Log($"ℹ️ APNs token not available yet. Attempt {attempt}/{MaxRetries}. Waiting {RetryDelay} seconds..."); yield return new WaitForSeconds(RetryDelay); token = req.DeviceToken; } if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(token)) { Debug.LogWarning("⚠️ APNs token still null after multiple attempts. Try again on next app launch."); yield break; } Debug.Log($"📱 APNs Token acquired at {DateTime.Now}: {token}"); // Register with PlayFab var request = new RegisterForIOSPushNotificationRequest { DeviceToken = token, SendPushNotificationConfirmation = false }; PlayFabClientAPI.RegisterForIOSPushNotification(request, result => Debug.Log("✅ APNs token successfully registered with PlayFab."), error => Debug.LogError("❌ Failed to register APNs token with PlayFab: " + error.GenerateErrorReport())); } } } #endif When running on a real device (not simulator), the following is logged in Xcode: 🔔 Authorization finished: granted=True, error= ℹ️ APNs token not yet available. Try again on next app launch. In the Xcode console, I do not see the expected APNs registration message: [Device] Registered for remote notifications with token: <...> Environment Details: Engine: Unity 6000.2.6f2 Notifications package: com.unity.mobile.notifications 2.4.2 Xcode: 16.4 (16F6) iOS Device: iPhone 12, iOS 26.0.1 Testing Method: Building directly from Unity → Xcode → real device Signing mode: Automatic (with correct Team selected) Certificates in account: Apple Development certificate (active) Apple Distribution certificate (active) Provisioning Profile: Type: App Store (also tested Development profile) Enabled Capabilities: Push Notifications, In-App Purchase App ID Capabilities: Push Notifications: Enabled Development SSL certificate: Present Production SSL certificate: Not generated (yet) Background Modes -> remote notifications What I Have Verified: ✅ Push Notifications capability is enabled in the Xcode target (not UnityFramework). ✅ Team and Bundle Identifier match my Apple Developer App ID. ✅ App ID has Push Notifications enabled in the Developer Portal. ✅ Tested on a real iOS device with working internet. ✅ Rebuilt and reinstalled app after enabling Push Notifications. ✅ Authorization dialog appears and permission is granted by user. How can I resolve this issue?
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