---
title: "Push notification"
description: "A push notification is a message sent from a server to a user's device through the operating system's push service, such as Firebase Cloud Messaging or the Apple Push Notification service. It appears even when the app or website is not open."
canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/push-notification/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-10"
publisher: "BroadNet Technologies"
brand: "OmniChannels.ai"
---

# Push notification

Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/push-notification/
Language: en
Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies

**Definition:** A push notification is a message sent from a server to a user's device through the operating system's push service, such as Firebase Cloud Messaging or the Apple Push Notification service. It appears even when the app or website is not open.

Mobile apps register with the platform's push service and receive a device token. The business's server sends a payload for that token to Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM, for Android and cross-platform) or the Apple Push Notification service (APNs, for Apple devices), which delivers it to the device. Browsers support web push through a similar mechanism.

Push costs nothing per message to send, unlike SMS or WhatsApp. It is the cheapest channel for app users, but it only reaches people who installed the app and allowed notifications, and delivery is best-effort.

Push is commonly the first step in a fallback chain: push first, then WhatsApp, RCS or SMS if the push is not opened or the token is invalid. That keeps critical alerts reliable while controlling cost.

Common mistakes include asking for permission at first launch before showing value, sending too many generic pushes (users disable them), and failing to remove stale tokens.

## Sources

- [Firebase Cloud Messaging — Firebase documentation](https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging)
- [User Notifications — Apple Developer Documentation](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications)