Push Notifications Now Work Across Browsers
Web push notifications are now supported cross-browser, bringing standardized notification delivery to web apps on all major platforms. The Push API and Notification API, both part of the W3C's Web Applications Working Group, were standardized back in 2016 and provide the underlying functionality developers need to build notification features into their applications.
These push messages are sent from a website or app to a user's browser after the user has granted explicit permission. Common use cases include alerting users to fresh content or updates, reminding about deadlines or events, and surfacing time-sensitive information. News and sports apps, plus e-commerce sites advertising special offers or sales, are typical beneficiaries of this feature.
Before implementing push notifications, developers should verify browser support by checking for both serviceWorker and PushManager objects on the navigator and window objects. Once confirmed, the setup involves using async and await to register a service worker and subscribe the user for push notifications via JavaScript.
Browser support
- Chrome: 42
- Edge: 17
- Firefox: 44
- Safari: 16
Further reading
- Push notifications overview
- Push API
- Web Push for Web Apps on iOS and iPadOS
