🔔 Push Notifications: The Complete Setup Guide

Your app is installed. Your user closes it. How do you bring them back?

Push notifications are the lifeblood of user engagement. NativePHP makes them simple — one API handles both iOS (APNs) and Android (FCM).

In this post:

How It Works
Request Permission
Handle the Token
Best Practices

#How It Works

User enrolls — Your app requests permission and gets a device token
You store the token — Save it to your backend
You send notifications — Push from your server
User receives it — Even when the app is closed

#Request Permission

#PHP (Livewire)

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use Native\Mobile\Facades\PushNotifications;
use Native\Mobile\Events\PushNotification\TokenGenerated;
 
public function enableNotifications()
{
    PushNotifications::enroll();
}
 
#[On('native:' . TokenGenerated::class)]
public function handleToken(string $token)
{
    auth()->user()->update(['push_token' => $token]);
    $this->enrolled = true;
}

use Native\Mobile\Facades\PushNotifications;
use Native\Mobile\Events\PushNotification\TokenGenerated;

public function enableNotifications()
{
    PushNotifications::enroll();
}

#[On('native:' . TokenGenerated::class)]
public function handleToken(string $token)
{
    auth()->user()->update(['push_token' => $token]);
    $this->enrolled = true;
}

#JavaScript (Vue/React/Inertia)

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import { PushNotifications, On, Off, Events } from '@nativephp/mobile';
 
const enableNotifications = async () => {
  await PushNotifications.enroll();
};
 
On(Events.PushNotification.TokenGenerated, ({ token }) => {
  // Send token to your backend
  fetch('/api/push-token', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: JSON.stringify({ token })
  });
  enrolled.value = true;
});

import { PushNotifications, On, Off, Events } from '@nativephp/mobile';

const enableNotifications = async () => {
  await PushNotifications.enroll();
};

On(Events.PushNotification.TokenGenerated, ({ token }) => {
  // Send token to your backend
  fetch('/api/push-token', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: JSON.stringify({ token })
  });
  enrolled.value = true;
});

#Handle the Token

#Check Current Token (PHP)

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$token = PushNotifications::getToken();
 
if ($token) {
    // User has notifications enabled
}

$token = PushNotifications::getToken();

if ($token) {
    // User has notifications enabled
}

#Check Current Token (JavaScript)

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import { PushNotifications } from '@nativephp/mobile';
 
const token = await PushNotifications.getToken();
 
if (token) {
  // User has notifications enabled
}

import { PushNotifications } from '@nativephp/mobile';

const token = await PushNotifications.getToken();

if (token) {
  // User has notifications enabled
}

#Send from Your Backend

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class PushService
{
    public function send(string $token, string $title, string $body): bool
    {
        return Http::withHeaders([
            'Authorization' => 'key=' . config('services.fcm.key'),
        ])->post('https://fcm.googleapis.com/fcm/send', [
            'to' => $token,
            'notification' => compact('title', 'body'),
        ])->successful();
    }
}

class PushService
{
    public function send(string $token, string $title, string $body): bool
    {
        return Http::withHeaders([
            'Authorization' => 'key=' . config('services.fcm.key'),
        ])->post('https://fcm.googleapis.com/fcm/send', [
            'to' => $token,
            'notification' => compact('title', 'body'),
        ])->successful();
    }
}

#Best Practices

Ask at the right time — Not on first launch
Explain the value — Tell users what they'll get
Don't spam — Every unnecessary notification erodes trust
Handle token refresh — Tokens can change

#Token Refresh (PHP)

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#[On('native:' . TokenGenerated::class)]
public function handleToken(string $token)
{
    $user = auth()->user();
    if ($user->push_token !== $token) {
        $user->update(['push_token' => $token]);
    }
}

#[On('native:' . TokenGenerated::class)]
public function handleToken(string $token)
{
    $user = auth()->user();
    if ($user->push_token !== $token) {
        $user->update(['push_token' => $token]);
    }
}

#Token Refresh (JavaScript)

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On(Events.PushNotification.TokenGenerated, ({ token }) => {
  if (currentToken.value !== token) {
    updateToken(token);
  }
});

On(Events.PushNotification.TokenGenerated, ({ token }) => {
  if (currentToken.value !== token) {
    updateToken(token);
  }
});

You've got push notifications. Use them wisely, and your users will thank you by coming back.

Happy pinging! 🔔