Push notifications are delivered using subscriber-based Platform Notification Systems (PNSes). PNSes, as the name indicates, are unique to mobile platforms. Platforms include Firebase for Android devices, Apple Push Notification services for iOS platform devices, and Windows Notification services for Windows-based devices. Vendors that develop multi-platform applications must integrate with each PNS for which they wish to offer push notifications.
The following diagram depicts a basic overview of a PNS:
In order to receive a push notification, the following actions take place:
- The user configures an application to receive a push notification. When this happens, the application contacts the push notification system for a handle, or a unique token that identifies the app and device being subscribed. These identifiers are a unique pairing, meaning that the token for one app cannot be used for another app, even if both apps are installed on the same device...