FCM
Firebase Cloud Messaging
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
FCM is Google's delivery service for push notifications to Android (and iOS too). It's free, handles millions of messages, and is basically mandatory if you're building for Android. Google's gift to the notification world.
Real Talk
Google's cross-platform messaging solution for sending push notifications and data messages to Android, iOS, and web clients. FCM supports topic-based messaging, device groups, and conditional targeting. It's the successor to GCM (Google Cloud Messaging) and integrates with Firebase's broader platform.
When You'll Hear This
"FCM handles our push notifications for both Android and iOS from a single API." / "Use FCM topics to send notifications to groups of users without managing individual tokens."
Related Terms
APNs (Apple Push Notification service)
APNs is Apple's postal service for push notifications. Your server sends a notification to Apple, Apple delivers it to the iPhone.
Firebase
Firebase is Google's all-in-one backend-as-a-service. Database, auth, hosting, functions — all pre-built and hosted.
Push Notification
Push notifications are those little messages that pop up on your phone even when the app is closed.