Push Notification
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Push notifications are those little messages that pop up on your phone even when the app is closed. They're how apps tap you on the shoulder and say 'hey, look at me!' They can be useful or incredibly annoying — there's no middle ground.
Real Talk
Messages sent from a server to a user's device through platform notification services (APNs for iOS, FCM for Android). Push notifications work even when the app is not running, using persistent connections maintained by the OS. They can contain text, images, actions, and silent data payloads for background updates.
When You'll Hear This
"Don't abuse push notifications — users will uninstall your app faster than you can say 'engagement.'" / "Silent push notifications are great for triggering background data syncs."
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.
FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging)
FCM is Google's delivery service for push notifications to Android (and iOS too).
Service Worker
A Service Worker is a JavaScript script that runs in the background, separate from your web page.