Why notifications need a plan
A notification is the only part of an app that reaches people when they are doing something else. Used well, it is the reason an app is kept: the parcel is arriving, the appointment is tomorrow, the payment went through. Used carelessly, it is the reason an app is silenced or deleted.
Permission is the constraint. On an iPhone the system asks the user once, and a refusal can only be reversed by the user going into the phone's settings. Recent versions of Android ask as well. A request shown at the wrong moment spends that single chance. So the planning question is not how to send notifications. It is which ones deserve to be sent, and how to earn the right.
Sort your messages by what they are for
| Kind | Examples | How people regard it | Consent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transactional | Order confirmed, driver nearby, payment received | Expected and valued | Notification permission |
| Reminders | Appointment tomorrow, basket left, renewal due | Useful when timely and rare | Notification permission, with a setting to switch off |
| Security | New sign-in, password changed | Welcome, and should not be optional by category | Notification permission, plus another channel as backup |
| Service information | Planned downtime, a change to terms | Tolerated if infrequent | Notification permission |
| Promotional | Offers, new products, campaigns | Welcome to some, resented by others | Explicit opt-in to marketing, with an easy opt-out |
Apple's review guidelines state that notifications should not be used for promotion or direct marketing unless customers have explicitly opted in, with a way to opt out. Privacy and marketing laws in many countries set their own consent rules as well, so have the promotional category reviewed by a legal adviser.
Ask at the moment the benefit is obvious
- 01
Do not ask at first launch
A person who opened the app seconds ago has no reason to say yes. Requests shown before any value has been seen are the ones most often refused.
- 02
Find the natural moment
After a first order, offer delivery updates. After a booking, offer a reminder. The request then answers a need the person already has.
- 03
Explain before the system prompt
Show a short screen of your own that says what will be sent and why. Only if the person agrees do you trigger the system's question, which keeps the one chance for those likely to accept.
- 04
Accept no gracefully
The app must work fully without notifications. Offer an alternative such as email or SMS for essential updates, and a quiet way to turn notifications on later.
- 05
Ask again only with cause
If someone who declined later sets up something that depends on alerts, mention it once and show where the setting is. Do not nag.
Give people control by category
When the only choice is everything or nothing, people choose nothing the first time a message annoys them. A preferences screen inside the app, organized by the kinds of message above, lets them keep delivery updates while turning off offers.
- Categories. One switch per kind of message, described in plain words. Android groups notifications into channels that users can control in system settings, so the app's categories should match them.
- Channels. Where you also send email, SMS or WhatsApp, let people choose per category, so that an important message is not sent three ways.
- Timing. Respect the user's local time zone and offer quiet hours. A promotional message in the night is the fastest route to an uninstall.
- Frequency. Set limits on your own side for reminders and promotions, and make sure separate teams cannot each send their own campaign on one day.
- Record keeping. Store each preference and marketing consent with its date, so that you can show what a person agreed to.
Apply the same thinking to every permission
Location, camera, photos, contacts, microphone, Bluetooth and tracking across apps are all granted by the user through a system prompt, and all follow the same pattern. Ask when the feature is used, explain the benefit in your own words first, request the narrowest access that works, and keep the app usable when the answer is no.
| Permission | Ask when | If refused |
|---|---|---|
| Location | The user taps find my nearest branch or starts tracking a delivery | Let them type an address or postcode |
| Camera | The user chooses to scan a code or photograph a document | Allow upload from files, or manual entry |
| Photos | The user chooses to attach an image | Offer the system picker, which shares only selected items |
| Contacts | The user asks to invite or pay someone | Let them type the details |
| Tracking across apps | Only if you really use it, with a clear explanation | The app must work the same without it |
Both stores ask you to declare what data the app collects and why, and they review permission requests that seem unrelated to the app's function. Requesting only what you need makes approval simpler as well as earning trust.
A worked example
Notifications for a grocery delivery app
This example is invented to show a plan from start to finish. A grocery chain is preparing the first release of its delivery app.
- MessagesThe team lists 14 possible notifications and keeps 6: order confirmed, substitution needs approval, driver on the way, order delivered, payment failed and a weekly offers message.
- AskingNothing is requested at first launch. After the first order is placed, a screen says: get updates when your shopping is on its way and when a substitution needs your answer. Those who tap yes see the system prompt.
- MarketingThe weekly offers message is a separate switch, off by default, offered once after the second completed order. Consent and date are recorded.
- PreferencesA settings screen has three switches: order updates, reminders and offers. Substitution alerts fall back to SMS for customers without notifications.
- LocationRequested only when the customer taps use my current location on the address screen. Typing the address is always available.
Most customers who place an order accept order updates, because the request arrives when they want to know where their shopping is. The offers switch is used by fewer people, and those who use it rarely turn it off.
Write messages carefully and measure the right things
A notification is read on a lock screen, often by someone other than the owner of the phone. Keep sensitive details out of the text: say that a result is ready, not what it is. Lead with the fact the person needs, write in their language, and make a tap open the exact screen the message refers to, even if the app was closed.
Measures worth watching
- Share of active users who granted permission, by the moment they were asked
- Opt-outs and uninstalls in the day after each campaign
- Whether a message led to the action it was about
- Delivery failures and expired device tokens
- Complaints and store reviews that mention notifications
Measures that mislead
- Number of notifications sent
- Open rate taken alone
- Results for all message kinds combined
- A campaign judged without a group that did not receive it
Notification and permission checklist
Notifications and permissions checklist
0 of 11 checkedWhat to do next
List every notification you intend to send and write beside each one the question it answers for the customer. Remove those without an answer. What remains is your plan, and it belongs in the requirements, which our mobile app scope planner can help you assemble.
Our mobile app development page explains how we design and build apps. Share your list with us and we will suggest when to ask for each permission.
Common questions
When should an app ask for notification permission?
At the first moment the benefit is concrete to that person, which is usually just after they have done something worth being updated about: placed an order, made a booking, followed a topic. Asking on first launch, before the app has shown any value, is the most common reason for refusal, and on some phones that refusal is difficult to reverse.
Can we send promotional notifications to all app users?
Not without their agreement. Apple's guidelines require explicit opt-in for promotional notifications, and marketing consent laws in many countries apply to messages sent to phones. Treat promotion as a separate, clearly labelled choice that is off until the person turns it on, keep a record of consent and take legal advice for your markets.
What happens if a user refuses permission?
The app should carry on working, with essential information available inside the app and through another channel such as email or SMS. On an iPhone, the system prompt cannot simply be shown again, so the route back is a setting in the app that explains how to enable notifications in the phone's settings. Offer it quietly, where it is relevant.
How many notifications are too many?
There is no universal number. One unwanted message is too many, and several expected ones in an hour, such as delivery progress, are welcome. Watch opt-outs and uninstalls after each kind of message. If either rises after a campaign, the audience has told you. Set limits per person for reminders and promotions, and enforce them centrally.
Do web apps support push notifications?
Web apps can send notifications in modern browsers, including on phones, with conditions that differ between platforms. Support is narrower and less consistent than in native apps, and users must usually add the web app to their home screen on some devices. If notifications are central to your product, test on the devices your customers use before relying on a web app.
