Web Push FAQ covers compatibility, opt-in rules, setup, delivery, and troubleshooting for Web Push notifications.
Why does the Web Push notification look different on different computers/mobile devices?
The notifications are displayed differently on each combination of browser and operating system.
How are Web Pushes sent to users?
When you send a Web Push notification from the InOne panel, Insider sends a request to the push service (Google Cloud Messaging) to deliver the notifications to users' browsers.
The push service receives this request, validates it, and delivers the push notification to the eligible users' browsers. If the user's browser is offline, the push service queues the notification until the browser is back online. The notification will remain queued until the user’s browser becomes online, allowing the push service to deliver it.
With this request, Insider specifies the content of the notification, who to send it to, and the settings for how the push service sends the notification, such as the TTL (time-to-live) value. TTL defines how long the push service should keep a notification on the queue before removing it. When the TTL expires, the notification will be removed from the push service queue, and it will not be delivered.
When the notification arrives on the user's browser, the browser wakes the Service Worker, a special JavaScript file responsible for displaying the push notification.
The whole flow of sending a Web Push notification is as follows:
A Web Push notification is created in the InOne panel. > The notification is sent to the push service (GCM). > The push service sends the notification to the user's browser when it is online. The notification appears in the user's browser. > The browser wakes up the Service Worker. > The Service Worker displays the notification to the user.
What Platforms Support Web Push Notifications?
All major browsers are compatible with Web Push notifications.
Do I have to have an open browser to receive Web Push notifications?
No, you don’t need the browser to be actively open to receive Web Push notifications. As long as the browser is installed and background processes or push services run, notifications can still be delivered. Because Web Push campaigns are delivered to the browser rather than the site itself, notifications will continue to appear for the duration of the TTL (Time To Live) as long as the browser is active or open.
Will Web Push notifications be sent if the browser is closed when the Web Push campaign is launched?
The Web Push campaign will be queued if the browser is closed when the Web Push campaign is launched. Once the browser is reopened or becomes active, the Web Push message will be displayed for the duration of the TTL (Time To Live). The duration for which the message remains queued depends on the browser and operating system.
If the user previously rejected the Web Push permission, can I prompt them to grant it again?
If the user rejects the Web Push permission, Insider doesn’t show the prompt again. However, if they dismissed the native prompt without making a selection, you can configure when to show the prompt again for both native and custom opt-ins.
How do users unsubscribe from Web Push campaigns if they previously accepted them?
To opt out of Web Push notifications, users need to go to their browser settings and manually disable push notifications.
Why did I receive a Web Push notification without a rich image or logo?
Image files are not directly contained in the notification content; instead, they are provided as links that can be downloaded when the notification is displayed. Each device that receives the notification must download the image file. If the image file cannot be downloaded immediately due to issues such as an unstable internet connection or network restrictions, the image will not be displayed in the notification. Additionally, if a dynamic image is used in the notification, ensure that the image is hosted on an HTTPS source, as HTTP images will not be displayed.
What causes Web Push notifications to display incorrectly?
If Web Push notifications appear slightly altered, it is due to the device's browser and operating system influencing their presentation. Elements such as character limits, images, and overall functionality can vary across different versions. For instance, Chrome version 59 introduced significant changes to the appearance and behavior of notifications. Similarly, macOS Big Sur (version 11.0) introduced substantial updates in 2020. While these are notable examples, Web Push notifications are continually evolving, and their appearance and behavior might differ depending on the specific browser and operating system versions in use.
How can I know who exactly sent Web Pushes? Can I see the logs?
You cannot view the user who launched a Web Push campaign in the InOne panel. For urgent cases, you can contact the Insider One team.
Which languages are seen on the Language dropdown?
The Language dropdown lists the languages for which you collect tokens and the default campaign language selected in the InOne Settings.
If the system rules are correct but you cannot see the language, go to the Default Campaign Language setting page and click Save. This will remove the cache, and you will be able to see the languages.
Where can I create a Web Push API key from the InOne panel?
To create a Web Push API key, navigate to Inone Settings > Integration Settings tab. You can create and copy the key there.
Can I check how many contacts have accepted Web push notifications?
You can see your Web Push subscribers on the Web Push Subscriber Analytics page. If you want to export your subscribers, create a dynamic segment and select the Reachability on Channel option, then you can export the list.
Why is the data collection status still 'in process' when my Web Push campaign has been sent?
When you send a Web Push campaign, several background processes and timing factors might affect data collection in Web Push Analytics:
Time-to-Live (TTL) Duration
The TTL period specifies how long a Web Push notification remains active on a user’s device if they are offline or unavailable when the notification is sent. If a user comes online within this TTL period, they will receive the notification at that time. Consequently, data collection may still be ongoing as notifications reach users who were previously offline, allowing delivery, click, and other engagement metrics to continue updating after the campaign’s initial send time.
Conversion Duration
The Conversion Duration is the timeframe during which conversions are tracked and recorded after users receive a Web Push notification. For instance, if you set the conversion duration to five days, any conversions occurring within five days of the notification's send time will be included in the campaign metrics. This means that new conversions will continue to be recorded throughout the conversion duration, even after the campaign has been sent.
Why do the metrics for a selected date range sometimes differ from the sum of metrics for individual days on the Web Push Analytics?
The Web Push Analytics logic is designed to provide a comprehensive view of user metrics for the selected date range:
When you select a single day, the metrics include campaigns sent on that date and the actions recorded for those campaigns on the same day.
When you select a date range, the analytics combine the metrics for campaigns sent during the selected range and recorded within the range.
For example,
If you select December 17th, the analytics will display metrics for campaigns sent on that day and their respective actions recorded on that day. For example, if 3,000 clicks occurred on December 17th, the analytics will show 3K clicks.
Similarly, if you select December 18th, the analytics will show metrics for campaigns sent on that day, with their respective actions recorded on that day. For example, if 5,000 clicks occurred on December 18th, the analytics will show 5K clicks.
For the date range of December 17th–18th, the analytics will include both metrics for campaigns sent on December 17th and December 18th, as mentioned above, as well as actions recorded on December 18th for campaigns sent on December 17th. Therefore, instead of seeing the sum of 3K + 5K clicks (from the individual days), the total range might show more than 8K clicks.
Metrics such as delivered, clicks, and conversions, which are recorded a day after a campaign is sent, are included in the range's total. That's why you might notice differences from simply adding up metrics for individual days.
When is the Web Push status updated in the UCD Profile?
The Web Push status in the UCD Profile is updated under the following conditions:
Web Push Opt-in: When users enable browser push notifications, their Profile ID captures the Web Push Token update. This automatically updates their Web Push status to opt in in the UCD Profile.
Web Push Opt-out: The status does not update immediately when a user disables browser push notifications. A push campaign must be sent to the affected user segment. If the user is unreachable, their UCD Profile will be updated to opt out.
Why does the Web Push notification link look different sometimes?
The link shown in a Web Push notification cannot be edited. It automatically comes from the domain where the user originally subscribed (token was granted).
For example, if users subscribed on mywebsite.com, their notifications will show mywebsite.com. After the you switch to yourwebsite.com and new users subscribe there, those new users will see yourwebsite.com in their notifications.