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How can I get push notifications to work?
How can I get push notifications to work?
Updated over a week ago

Push notifications are a beta feature. Please see the Limitations shown below.

How can I get push notifications to work?

Glide apps are Progressive Web Apps (PWA), and push notifications are not reliable when the app is not running on the device. This is a limitation of the various device browsers, and Glide cannot change this. You can follow the below instructions, but please keep in mind that, as stated above, the notification will reach the device if the app is not active in the background. Also, I'd like to point out that some operating systems will disable JavaScript in apps that have been idle for some time. Since Glide apps rely on Javascript to be running to push the notification to the device, it will not work in these cases.

Enabling Push Notifications in a PWA

For push notifications to work at all in a PWA, the app must be installed on the home screen of your mobile device rather than running from a browser URL. Here’s how you can do this:

  1. Open the PWA in your browser.

  2. Look for the option to 'Add to Home Screen' (this option might vary slightly depending on the browser).

  3. Follow the prompts to add the PWA as an app icon on your home screen.

Setting Permissions for Push Notifications

Once your PWA is installed on the home screen, the next step is to enable notifications for the specific app. Note that the permissions process differs between Android and Apple devices and can vary from one device to another. So it is best to use a search engine to find the instructions giving the app the proper permissions to send push notifications to the app.

Limitations of Push Notifications in PWA

Unlike native applications, PWAs have some limitations with push notifications, especially when the app is not actively open or running in the background. This is due to the following reasons:

  • Browser Constraints: PWAs run through a browser environment rather than as a standalone platform, which can restrict the ability to send and receive push notifications effectively.

  • Operating System Constraints: Different operating systems handle PWAs differently. For example, iOS has changed its support for PWA push notifications. First, they did not support them, then there was a period of time they did, and now it is unknown whether they do or not.

  • Background Activity: PWAs may not have the same level of background access to system resources as native apps, resulting in unreliable notifications when the app is inactive.

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