Push Notification

A push notification is a short message sent directly to a user's device, appearing on the lock screen, notification tray, or browser, regardless of whether the app or website is currently open. Push notifications are delivered through a mobile app, a website, or a wearable device, and require the user to have opted in to receive them.

What sets push notifications apart from other messaging channels is where they land. Instead of competing for attention in an inbox or a social feed, a push notification appears directly at the operating system level, on the device screen itself. Whether the user engages with it depends entirely on whether the message is relevant and timely enough to justify the interruption.

How Push Notifications Work

Push notifications rely on a technical infrastructure connecting an app or website to the device's operating system notification service. iOS devices use Apple's Push Notification Service (APNs). Android devices use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). Web browsers each have their own push protocol.

When a user installs an app or visits a website and grants notification permission, the device generates a unique token identifying that device and user combination within the notification service. This token is stored by the app or website's backend and becomes the address every future notification is sent to.

When a notification is triggered, whether by a scheduled send, a behavioral event, or a real-time decisioning engine, the sending platform packages the content and sends it to the appropriate notification service, which delivers it to the registered device, typically within seconds. That speed is what gives push notifications their real-time character.

Types of Push Notifications

Mobile push notifications are delivered through installed apps to iOS or Android devices, appearing on the lock screen, in the notification center, or as banners while the device is active. They're the most widely used form of push notification.

Web push notifications are delivered through web browsers to desktop or mobile devices, even when the user isn't actively on the site. They require a separate browser-level opt-in and typically appear as a notification in the corner of the screen.

Rich push notifications extend the basic text format with images, videos, action buttons, or interactive elements that let a user act directly from the notification without opening the app.

Transactional push notifications are triggered by specific account or activity events, a payment confirmation, a delivery update, a security alert, a balance change. They're not promotional and typically have very high open rates because they deliver information the customer is genuinely expecting.

Push Notification vs SMS

Push notifications and SMS are both high-immediacy channels that reach a customer directly on their device, which is why they're frequently compared.

Push notifications require app installation and an explicit in-app opt-in. They're free to send regardless of volume and support rich media, deep links, and interactive elements, but only reach users who have the app installed with notifications enabled.

SMS reaches a user through their device's native messaging system, independent of any app installation, requiring only a phone number and regulatory consent. Open rates are consistently high, often cited above 90 percent, but SMS carries a per-message cost that scales with volume and is limited to plain text with a link.

Which channel fits a given message depends on the audience and the business context. evamX evaluates a customer's channel engagement history and current context in real time to select the right channel, push, SMS, or another option, for each individual moment rather than applying a single default across the base. For a deeper look at how push notifications fit into a broader engagement strategy, see our piece on push notification marketing.