I have my app configured as a Driving Task app with the entitlement and provisioning profile correctly set up. I am also requesting the ".carPlay" notification authorization option and setting up the carplay notification category with the ".allowInCarPlay" category, both without error.
When testing with the iPhone and carplay simulators the user notifications I send are appearing on the phone but not in carplay.
When I check the notification settings with UNUserNotificationCenter.current().getNotificationSettings() I see that carplay is shown to be not supported ("carPlaySetting: NotSupported").
The CarPlay Developer Guide 2025-06-09 (which is the version currently referenced in the Apple docs) states that "Starting in iOS 18.4, notifications are also supported in CarPlay driving task apps".
Has this discrepancy been addressed anywhere, or is this an open issue?
My software versions:
MacOS: Sequoia 15.6
XCode: 16.4
iPhone Simulator: iPhone 16 with iOS 18.6
Notifications
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What timezone is used in the CloudKit Push Notification reporting? Meaning, when I see 1,000 Sent Push Notifications on 2/18, is that 2025-02-18 00:00 through 2025-02-18 23:59 PST? EST? UTC?
The metrics shown in [the CloudKit Push Notification reporting] are not lining up with stats from my marketing system, and I'm trying to diagnose.
Also, is there a way to see DELIVERIES or just SENT? I'm looking to learn more about why a Notification would be Sent but not received by the user.
Thank you!
Hi,
We recently updated our app icon, but the push notification icon has not been updated on some devices. It still shows the old icon on:
• iPhone 16 Pro — iOS 26
• iPhone 14 — iOS 26
• iPad Pro 11” (M4) — iOS 18.6.2
• iPhone 16 Plus — iOS 18.5
After restarting these devices, the push notification icon is refreshed and displays the new version correctly.
Could you advise how we can ensure the push notification icon updates properly on all affected devices without requiring users to restart?
Thank you.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Tags:
APNS
Developer Tools
iOS
User Notifications
We are observing an issue where the iOS Notification Service Extension (NSE) is terminated by the system during startup, before either didReceive(_:withContentHandler:) or serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire(_:) is invoked. When this occurs, the notification is delivered without modification (for example, an encrypted payload is shown to the user). System logs frequently contain the message “Extension will be killed because it used its runtime in starting up”.
During testing, we observed that CPU-intensive operations or heavy initialization performed early in the extension lifecycle — especially inside init() or directly on the main thread in didReceive often cause the system to kill the NSE almost immediately. These terminations happen significantly earlier than the commonly observed ~30-second execution window where the OS normally invokes serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire(_:) before ending the extension. When these early terminations occur, there is no call to the expiry handler, and the process appears to be forcefully shut down.
Moving the same operations to a background thread changes the behavior: the extension eventually expires around the usual 30-second window, after which the OS calls serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire(_:).
We also observed that memory usage plays a role in early termination. During tests involving large memory allocations, the system consistently killed the extension
once memory consumption exceeded a certain threshold (in our measurements, this occurred around 150–180 MB). Again, unlike normal time-based expiration, the system did not call the expiry handler and no crash report was produced.
Since Apple’s documentation does not specify concrete CPU, memory, or startup-cost constraints for Notification Service Extensions or any other extensions beyond the general execution limit, we are seeking clarification and best-practice guidance on expected behaviors, particularly around initialization cost and the differences between startup termination.
NSE Setup:
class NotificationService: UNNotificationServiceExtension {
static var notificationContentHandler: ((UNNotificationContent) -> Void)?
static var notificationContent: UNMutableNotificationContent?
static var shoudLoop = true
override func didReceive(_ request: UNNotificationRequest,
withContentHandler contentHandler: @escaping (UNNotificationContent) -> Void) {
NotificationService.notificationContentHandler = contentHandler
NotificationService.notificationContent =
request.content.mutableCopy() as? UNMutableNotificationContent
NotificationService.notificationContent!.title = "Weekly meeting"
NotificationService.notificationContent!.body = "Updated inside didReceive"
// Failing scenarios
}
override func serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire() {
NotificationService.shoudLoop = false
guard let handler = NotificationService.notificationContentHandler,
let content = NotificationService.notificationContent else { return }
content.body = "Updated inside serviceExtensionTimeWillExpire()"
handler(content)
}
}
We are developing a messaging app which sends End-to-End encrypted data. The application supports multiple types of E2EE data, including text messages and voice over IP calls. Apple's article titled “Sending End-to-End Encrypted VoIP calls” (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/callkit/sending-end-to-end-encrypted-voip-calls) states that the following steps are required to support E2EE VoIP calls:
Request permission to receive remote notifications through the User Notifications framework
Register for VoIP calls using PuskKit
Add a Notification Service Extension target to your app.
Add the com.apple.developer.usernotifications.filtering entitlement to the NSE target’s entitlements file.
We have completed steps one through three. We are still missing the filtering entitlement. As of right now the system does not allow us to use reportNewIncomingVoIPPushPayload(_:completion:) method because of the missing entitlement.
Below is a short description of how our messaging app works:
User sends a message to another user.
The message is encrypted on device and sent to our server.
The server receives the message and sends a notification request to APNs if needed. The server cannot decrypt the message. As an additional security feature we do not pass the encrypted message in the notification payload. The notification payload only contains a localizable generic placeholder message string and default sound in the ‘aps’ dictionary part.
Upon receiving a notification from our server, the NSE makes a request to our server and fetches the latest messages (encryption keys have already been exchanged between the participants of the conversation) and determines what to do next (display a banner, or pass a call to CallKit).
E2EE VoIP calls are a core feature of our app, so it is imperative that we receive the filtering entitlement.
Our capability request has been rejected twice now. The latest request was rejected because:
Support for VoIP calls should be provided by PushKit. For more information, please consult the documentation page "Responding to Notifications from PushKit".
We cannot support VoIP calls by solely relying on PushKit. Our server cannot make a distinction when to use ‘voip’ (call) and ‘alert’ (text message) apns-push-types. Therefore, the application must be able to use reportNewIncomingVoIPPushPayload(_:completion:) function, where com.apple.developer.usernotifications.filtering entitlement is needed.
We have sent the above text to support two weeks ago and made yet another request.
Has anyone been able to get the capability as of late? What are the magic words that need to be included in the capability request? Can someone here help us? We made the first request on 3rd of September so this process has taken two months. Our planned release date is coming up and the absence of the capability is holding us back. We already have a released desktop and Android versions so changing the server implementation is really not an option.
Hello, I'm using 'App Store Server Notifications V2'.
I have a question about 'CONSUMPTION_REQUEST' notification in 'notificationType'.
I was wondering if there would be any impact on refunds if I received this notification and didn't respond. (Always refund etc..)
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Tags:
App Store
In-App Purchase
App Store Server Notifications
I have an app that pairs with a wearable Bluetooth device that collects users' health data. My web backend sends two push notifications every hour to all app users—one at XX:05 and another at XX:15. The first notification instructs the app to download data from the paired wearable device, while the second prompts the app to upload the downloaded data to the backend server's database.
However, I’ve noticed that many push notifications are not processed by iOS apps, especially at night. Based on Apple's documentation, iOS prioritizes push notifications and may ignore lower-priority ones to conserve battery life.
Is there a way to increase the priority to ensure that more (or all) push notifications are processed?
Would integrating the HealthKit framework help? Currently, I use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send push notifications. Additionally, my app falls under the Health & Fitness category. Would changing it to Medical increase priority? P.S. I understand that Apple requires certain certifications for an app to be classified as Medical.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
I am developing a CarPlay driving tasks app and is able to display push notifications on CarPlay. I am looking at a way to get a tap action handler for push notifications on CarPlay such that when a user taps the notification and by default the app opens, but I want to present a CPInformationTemplate with data corresponding to the tapped notification.
Hello, previously i have tested the purchase via test flight and the server notification was sent to my sandbox url.
Now when I made the purchase from live app, my server did not receive any notification even though the production url was the same as the sandbox url.
The purchase was for a consumable product.
Please help, thanks.
iOS push notification is not working for in App since 03-Apr-2025. We are pushing the message to APNS from our application, but message is not delivered to iOS device.
We have performed tests on both PROD and QA environment and following are the observations:
PROD
successfully pushing the notification to APNS but not receiving the notification on iOS device (100% failure).
QA
received notification on iOS device always (100% success).
Analyzed PROD notification server log at our end and we do not observe any error and it is showing successful also when message is pushed to APNS all the time. Need to check from APNS why push messages are not delivered to iOS devices.
Validated the PROD APNS certificate at our end which we are using during call to APNS - it is valid till Oct 2025.
Please suggest me any possible solution because I don't have any clue where it is failing and what to do
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
The APP was not awakened by system after start a liveactivity and the liveactivity has showed on lock screen.so the updatetoken wont send to our inner server and the liveactivity can not update,often like this,but sometimes it can work.
it makes me confuse,and i don't know how should i can do,because the liveactivity like a black box,i can not analyse the data link.for example ,inner server send a start liveactivity,but it can not accept a updatetoken unless the user lanuch APP.
i hope the liveactivity can start and update on background. And i have developed it as described in the document.
Hope to get your help,thank you very much.
Hello,
I am working on a project that involves using external device to connect over BLE with users iPhone. I would like to be able to notify users on our device about eg. incoming calls, messages etc. I have been succesfull in using ANCS to achieve that but I am a little worried around consistency of this solution, especially taking into account following line from documentation:
Due to the nature of iOS, the ANCS is not guaranteed to always be present. As a result, the NC should look for and subscribe to the Service Changed characteristic of the GATT service in order to monitor for the potential publishing and unpublishing of the ANCS at any time.
I have not been able (yet?) to find or identify circumstances when ANCS would not be avilable or would be "removed in runtime", hence would it be possible to request some guidance and clarification on the conditions when ANCS can be unavailable or removed?
Thank you!
My Mac app has a launch agent (within the app bundle) that works great without the app running. There are some occasions where I need to display an alert and ask the user to launch the app to handle the issue. I thought about using UNUserNotificationCenter but I'm not able to make it work from the agent.
I'm asking for authorization as follows:
[center requestAuthorizationWithOptions:(UNAuthorizationOptionAlert | UNAuthorizationOptionSound | UNAuthorizationOptionBadge)
completionHandler:^(BOOL granted, NSError * _Nullable error) {
NSLog(@"authorization request completion. Granted: %@, error: %@ (%@)",granted?@"YES":@"NO",error, [error localizedDescription]);
}];
And I'm trying to post the notification as follows:
content.title = @"Your App Name";
content.body = @"Click the button to open the app";
content.sound = [UNNotificationSound defaultSound];
UNNotificationRequest *request = [UNNotificationRequest requestWithIdentifier:[[NSUUID UUID] UUIDString]
content:content
trigger:nil];
[center addNotificationRequest:request withCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) {
if (error) {
NSLog(@"Error showing notification: %@ %@", error, [error localizedDescription]);
}
}];
When running I'm getting asked to authorize, I authorize and all seems OK in system settings but I'm not able send any notifications. addNotificationRequest results in UNErrorCodeNotificationsNotAllowed error.
I tried this with the authorization request inside the main app, or inside the agent, with the same results.
When trying to post the notification from within the app, it does work, but that's not what I need.
Is posting notifications from within the launch agent not possible at all, or is there anything here that I'm missing.
TIA
We’re sending PTT notifications from our server and are receiving HTTP 403 from APNs for certain phones with the reason field BadEnvironmentKeyInToken. I can’t find this reason documented in Apple’s public error list. I’d like to confirm what this error specifically means and how to resolve it. Any guidance or clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Here is the document I was referring to. https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/CommunicatingwithAPNs.html
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
I am experiencing an issue with push notifications on my iOS application. The issue is as follows:
On Android devices, push notifications are received immediately without any problems.
On iOS devices, the behavior is inconsistent:
When the app is in the foreground, notifications are received immediately.
When the app is in the background or in recent apps with a significant delay of 5–10 hours, push notifications are not received at all.
This behavior creates a major challenge for us, as timely notifications are critical for our app’s functionality. We have already verified the following points on our side:
Push notification certificates and APNs setup are correct.
Payload and server configurations are valid, as notifications are working fine on Android.
No restrictions from the server-side, since Android users receive notifications instantly.
It seems the issue is specifically related to iOS devices or APNs delivery. Could you please help us identify the cause and provide guidance on how to resolve this?
We operate a social network application, SportsYou with over 3 million monthly active users and are experiencing significant issues with push notification delivery through APNs.
We have a large number of users reporting they are not receiving push notifications. Our infrastructure uses AWS SNS integrated with APNs to deliver notifications. However, AWS CloudWatch consistently reports successful delivery (Success response), even though users confirm they never received the notifications.
Because we receive success responses from AWS SNS, our system does not attempt to recreate or refresh the device endpoints. This leaves us unable to detect or recover from these delivery failures automatically.
This issue is widespread and inconsistent. It affects users across multiple variables including different iOS versions, different device models, and different versions of our application. We cannot identify a clear pattern that would help us isolate the root cause.
With millions of active users, even a small percentage of delivery failures represents thousands of users experiencing a degraded service. This is significantly impacting user engagement and satisfaction.
We need guidance on how to properly diagnose this issue and ensure reliable notification delivery to our users. Specifically, we'd like to understand why we're receiving success responses when notifications aren't being delivered, and what steps we can take to detect and prevent these failures.
In the new AlarmKit API, how do you localize NSAlarmKitUsageDescription?
In the case of other usage descriptions, such as NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription, you can use an InfoPlist.xcstrings file, but this does not appear to work for NSAlarmKitUsageDescription.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Issue:
I am making an application that stores data locally from notifications fired from the server. Everything works fine in the foreground but the background is having problems with not being triggered when notifications are fired.
So we tried firing 2 notifications at the same time, including default and silent types. But the problem continues to arise on ios 18, when firing multiple times like that, the trigger is not handling all notifications, leading to data loss. I tried on ios 15 and it worked fine.
Environment:
Device or Simulator: Iphone 11 pro max (iOS 18.3.2
Steps to Reproduce:
Open app, allow received notification.
Move app to background mode or terminate app.
Sent 2 notifications:
a. Default notification payload:
{
"aps": {
"content-available": 1
},
”notification”: {…},
“alert”: {..},
“data": "some_value"
}
b. Silent notification payload:
{
"aps": {
"content-available": 1
},
”data": "some_value"
}
What I've Tried:
Trigger notification in function:
application(_:didReceiveRemoteNotification:fetchCompletionHandler:)
Handle write data to local storage in above function, put it in background thread also.
Thanks in advance!
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Tags:
APNS
Cloud and Local Storage
Background Tasks
AlarmKit custom sounds are universally broken in iOS 26.0 stable - instead of playing your custom sound, it plays a system error/timeout beep.
I've spent days investigating why custom sounds result in what sounds like an error beep (like when you cancel an operation or hit a timeout) instead of the actual audio file. I can now prove this is an Apple bug, not implementation error.
Evidence:
Test 1: My Implementation
Followed Apple's documentation exactly
Tried both bundle and Library/Sounds (as documented)
Result: System error beep (not my audio)
Test 2: Professional Apps
Tested ADHDAlarms (popular AlarmKit example by jacobsapps) https://github.com/jacobsapps/ADHDAlarms
Their airhorn.mp3 custom sound: same error beep (not an airhorn)
Their default sound: works perfectly
Test 3: Device Testing
Physical iPhone (iOS 26.0 - 23A341): broken
iOS Simulator: broken
Not device-specific
Files are found correctly, but the actual audio file is never played. Instead, you hear what sounds like a system error/cancellation tone.
What I've Eliminated
Not a Library/Sounds vs Bundle issue (both broken)
Not a file format issue (.mp3, .caf, .m4a all broken)
Not an implementation issue (professional apps broken too)
Not a device issue (simulator and device both broken)
Not a file size issue (5KB to 2MB all broken)
The Documentation Lie:
Apple's docs for AlertConfiguration.AlertSound.named(_:) state:
"Choose a file that's in your app's main bundle or the Library/Sounds folder"
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/activitykit/alertconfiguration/alertsound/named(_:)
Both locations are broken.
Tested on: iOS 26.0 (23A341), Xcode 26.0.1, Swift 6.2
Impact:
This affects any app trying to:
Provide personalized wake-up sounds
Use custom alarm tones
Create meditation/sleep apps
Differentiate from default iOS alarms
Current Status:
Multiple bug reports filed: FB19900024, FB18237648, FB19779004
Apple engineer claimed "fixed in latest beta" in August
Still broken in iOS 26.0 stable (September)
Workaround:
None that I know of. You must use .default sound.
For apps needing custom audio, play it with AVAudioPlayer after the alarm fires and user opens the app.
Question:
Has ANYONE gotten custom AlarmKit sounds working in iOS 26.0 stable? If so, plzzz help I'd be so grateful.
requestUrl:https://api.storekit-sandbox.itunes.apple.com/inApps/v1/notifications/test
method:Post
responseCode:200
testNotificationToken:06beba6c-7587-44f6-a4b8-f12b11db6061_1745832671126
Request environment:
①APP from: TestFlight
②Apple acount : Sandbox account
③Apple originalTransactionId: 2000000907966801
App Store sandbox server notification configuration is fine(https://*.com/v2/apple_refund_notify), I have tried many times, but have not received any notification from Apple. Is this API not working?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Tags:
App Store Server Notifications
User Notifications