WebPush – push notifications without a store or downloading the app

Did you know that push notifications work without publishing your app in the well-known stores? And even without installing it permanently or going through a lengthy download?

Yes, quite simply. First, one small limitation: this works on Android smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy, Huawei and Google devices. Apple devices can’t join in yet. Even so, this already lets you reach around 80 % of mobile users in the German-speaking countries directly on the device they carry every day.

Let’s get started. Simply open your app as a modern progressive web app at its existing address. Here we use the app of the municipality of Aldersbach in Bavaria as an example.

Soon after the app starts, you are asked whether you would like to switch on push.

A tap and a quick confirmation are all it takes. Even if users don’t install the app permanently, it can now receive push notifications around the clock.

If you missed the prompt or want to change your push settings later, you can do so at any time in the submenu with the three stars at the top right.

As soon as you publish new items in the News module, they are pushed automatically to these devices too, alongside your usual app users from Google’s and Apple’s app stores. You don’t need to do anything else.