Push Notifications
Last updated: March 2026
Push notifications in MobileCoach are not delivered directly to the user's device. Instead, they are handed off to Apple (APNs) or Google (FCM) servers, which handle final delivery. From the MobileCoach side, the only requirement is that a device token (ID) is collected from the user's device and used to address the notification. The priority/relevance of all notifications is set to the maximum value by default.
⚠️ Whether a notification is ultimately delivered is determined solely by Apple or Google — not by MobileCoach.
1. Configuring Push Notifications in Micro Dialogs
Push notification behaviour is configured per message bubble in the coaching designer:
Micro Dialogs → New Message → Show Additional Settings
Three options are available:
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Neither box selected (default) | The system automatically sends push notifications when considered appropriate. |
| This message is ONLY a push notification and does NOT appear in the chat | The message bubble acts purely as a push notification and is never shown inside the chat. |
| This message is ALWAYS announced by a push notification | The message bubble appears in the chat AND is simultaneously sent as a push notification at highest priority. |
2. Default Micro Dialog Behaviour
When a Micro Dialog is triggered while the user is not in the app, the following push sequence is sent:
- First message bubble: push notification with the message text and an incrementing badge number (iOS) or dot (Android).
- Second message bubble: push notification showing "..." with an incremented badge number, indicating further messages are waiting.
- Each subsequent bubble: badge number continues to increment, with "..." as the notification text.
If a message bubble is configured with ALWAYS announced by a push notification, its actual text is sent as the push notification text at that position in the sequence, instead of "...".
3. Reasons Why Push Notifications May Not Be Delivered
Even when MobileCoach is correctly configured, notifications may not reach the user. Known causes are listed below.
3.1 TestFlight / Test Environment (iOS only)
Apps installed via TestFlight run in Apple's test environment, which does not use Apple's production push servers. Apple explicitly states that notification delivery in TestFlight cannot be guaranteed. This does not affect regular participants who install the app from the App Store or Google Play — only internal test users.
3.2 Permission Not Granted
The user must reach a specific point in the coaching dialog (end of screening) where push notification permissions are requested. If the user declines, no push notifications can be sent to that device — this is enforced by Apple and Google.
Note: On some Android distributions, this permission request happens silently in the background without any visible prompt to the user.
3.3 Notifications Disabled by the User
Users can partially or fully disable push notifications in their device system settings at any time, after which delivery is no longer possible.
3.4 Manufacturer-Specific Restrictions (Android)
Certain Android device manufacturers ship custom battery optimisation or privacy tools that can block push notifications independently of system-level settings. Behaviour varies significantly across manufacturers and Android versions.
3.5 Android Platform Fragmentation
Push notifications on Android are less standardised than on iOS. For example, notification badges (the coloured dot on the app icon) are not an Android standard and are not supported by all manufacturers or Android variants.
3.6 Low Battery / Power Management
When a device has low battery, the system's power management may choose to stop receiving or processing push notifications. In this case, the notification is silently dropped.