The biggest one that i've run into is how exact timing of notifications is difficult. Sometimes notifications can be delayed for hours and there's not really much you can do to fix it, other times they will arrive minutes later.
I previously worked on a PWA which had to be converted into a thinly wrapped webview for Android because we needed notifications to pop within seconds of their scheduled time, and we just couldn't achieve that with web notifications at the time.
How many apps do you use on a daily basis that you paid money for, find notifications useful, and would have been suitable as a web app?
4.2 Minimum Functionality
Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. If your app is not particularly useful, unique, or “app-like,” it doesn’t belong on the App Store.
The important part is that they go through the app store, so that apple has complete control of what goes through.
App PNs also don't "hold" across devices. You don't need to have the browser "open", whatever that means.
BTW there are tons of apps that do push notifications wrong. There are many apps which keep sending you PNs after you log out or switch accounts. This can be really sensitive content (e.g. chat apps).
Notifications have fine tuned controls on both iOS and Android with schedule Do Not Disturb features and varying levels of priority (iOS has 3 tiers). Plus per-app controls to disable them from annoying apps, which in newer versions of iOS prompt you before they turn on, making them opt-in.
It's essential for communication apps (texting, email) and useful for breaking news or a simple highlight of big news on WSJ/NYT on your activity feed, so you don't need to open either app to stay on top of big events if you're a news junkie like me.
I'd personally go as far as saying push-notifications + the activity feed is very underrated feature of smart phones and has become a core part of people's day-to-day lives (which plenty of technologies can't say).
I've seen poor push notification quality increase uninstall and churn rates. I think the lesson is that many people are quickly annoyed with push notifications.
Let's not assume that all push notifications are cynical attempts to get people engaged with the app or to push DLC. For things like mail, messaging, and plenty of other online services, push notifications are not just an important interface to the app; they can be the interface.
Killer feature for email: add an email header that turns an email to notification. Then email apps would push the notification to the user, bypassing apple’s block. Websites already have the user’s email, so no need for more subscriptions. If gmail implemented this, it might push for adoption
Tangentially related, iOS mail app has a VIP setting.
Anytime I'm using a peice of small business software I'd probably like it to be able to give me notifications
(I have turned all but phone call and sms notifications off on my phone. I will check my email/whatsapp when I want and see notifications there as needed. If someone has something urgent, they know how to call.)
Today I received:
* 3 reminders to eat
* 1 security alert (delivery)
* about two dozen instant messages between myself and clients
* a couple of dozen CI alerts
* 3 emails
Its easy to have different levels of notifications, and filter message channels. I have less distraction now than I had in an office by several orders of magnitude.
Everything is either immediately relevant or very important. The notifications I have make me more effective.
For me neglecting food intake means:
If I don't eat enough I get grumpy. This lowers the quality of life of myself and my loved ones. Alternatively if I get hungry it can cause me to over-snack (justified by anti-grumps thoughts); then I get fat and lower my quality of life slightly slower.
So these notifications are perhaps the most important ones.
Most people I talk to work at the same time as me, so to get a social message during the day would be unusual.
Everyone knows to call if it matters.
Note: also be aware that the digital wellbeing count counts updates to an existing notification as a notification. As such my morning alarm counts a few dozen notifications (alarm in 8hrs, alarm in 7hrs, 30mins, 2 mins, etc.)
1) only certain notifications that are important have unique sound, vibrate, etc.
2) other semi important notifications flash. Light is not that bright to notice.
3) other notifications have numbers on app so there are some despite not seeing any notifications.
Result: I stopped checking every hour. It's actually been an improvement for me to stay away from phone.
I noticed that some apps abuse you for disabling notifications and Viber is biggest example. I don't care about holiday wishes or viber news but I need app to stay in touch with some people. Sadly, I only check at most once a fortnight because of this disabled notification nagging.
I never looked into whether this is possible to do on android or iOS. I thought it might not be given the power available to hijack all the notifications available.
Yes, apps over-use notifications for marketing and engagement metrics just like email has been overused. They’re still remarkably useful for a large swath of other use cases, and downright necessary for many others. If you don’t like them, don’t enable them for a given app. Easy.