Push notifications are essential for improving app engagement and retention, with 65% of users returning to an app within 30 days of enabling them. However, to send push notifications, your app must be published on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, as these platforms provide the infrastructure (APNs and FCM) required to deliver notifications securely.
Key points:
- App Stores Are Mandatory: Push notifications depend on Apple and Google’s systems, which require developer credentials only available through app stores.
- Adalo Simplifies the Process: Adalo automates the setup for push notifications, handling certificates, device tokens, and server connections without coding.
- Boost Retention and Engagement: Apps using push notifications see retention rates increase by 3-10x and engagement rise by up to 191%.
- Impact on App Store Rankings: Higher engagement from notifications improves app store visibility and rankings.
Adalo allows you to build one app and deploy it as a Progressive Web App (PWA) and natively to iOS and Android, streamlining updates and ensuring push notifications work seamlessly across platforms.
Push Notifications Impact on App Engagement and Retention Statistics
How App Stores Enable Push Notifications
Push Notification Infrastructure Basics
When you tap "Allow" on a push notification prompt, you're linking your device to a system that operates through official app stores. For Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, this system is powered by Apple's Push Notification service (APNs). On Android and other platforms, Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) handles the job. These services act as middlemen, securely routing messages from apps to the right devices.
Here’s how it works: when a user installs an app from an official store, the operating system generates a unique device token. This token serves as a unique identifier for that specific app installation on the device, ensuring notifications are delivered to the correct user. Both APNs and FCM use the HTTP/2 protocol to manage efficient and secure message delivery. For added security, APNs authentication tokens are valid for up to one hour before needing renewal. This token-based system is what allows platforms like Adalo to streamline and automate the process of sending notifications.
How Adalo Handles Push Notification Setup
Adalo takes this complex infrastructure and makes it easy to use. Once you publish your app via Adalo to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, the platform handles the heavy lifting for you. There’s no need to write backend code, establish server connections, or deal with the complexities of JSON payloads.
Adalo’s workflows take care of everything - registering device tokens, managing certificates, and communicating with Apple’s and Google’s servers. When you want to send a notification, all you have to do is use Adalo’s "Trigger Notification" action within your app’s logic. The system automatically directs the notification to the proper infrastructure, whether it’s APNs for iOS or FCM for Android.
What You Need to Enable Push Notifications
To make the most of this system, your app has to meet three key requirements:
- App Store Approval: Your app must be approved and published on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. This step is essential because the app stores provide the necessary authentication entitlements for APNs and FCM. For iOS apps, push notification entitlements must also be included in the app’s provisioning profiles. Apps missing these credentials won’t pass Apple’s review process.
- Valid Developer Certificates: You’ll need provisioning certificates from your Apple Developer Account and Google Developer Account. For iOS, you can use either provider authentication tokens (.p8 files) or certificates (.p12 files). Tokens are often preferred because they’re easier to manage - they don’t expire annually and can be reused across multiple apps. For Android, FCM requires server keys or a Google Service JSON file for authentication.
- Credential Configuration in Adalo: Lastly, these credentials need to be set up within Adalo. The platform uses them to establish secure connections with APNs and FCM. This enables your app to register device tokens and send notifications. It’s also important to fetch a new device token every time the app launches since tokens can change if users restore a backup or reinstall their operating system.
Adalo is designed to help you launch fully functional apps as both Progressive Web Apps and native apps for iOS and Android - without needing to rebuild or dive into complex backend setups.
How Push Notifications Work on Mobile Apps
Why Push Notifications Improve App Performance
Apps that use push notifications see a notable boost in user retention - by as much as 3 to 10 times. In fact, 65% of users are likely to return to an app within 30 days when push notifications are enabled. These improvements directly translate to more purchases, increased content sharing, and higher app recommendations. With a solid push notification system in place, let’s explore how these messages enhance retention, engagement, and conversions.
Better User Retention
Retention is all about keeping users engaged after their first visit. The first week post-installation is critical - if users don’t quickly see the value, they might delete the app. Push notifications help bridge this gap by guiding users through the onboarding process, showcasing key features, and reminding them why they downloaded the app in the first place.
Interestingly, while only 42% of mobile users opt to enable push notifications, those who do tend to return more frequently and stay active longer. Automated notifications triggered by user actions - like completing a profile or achieving a milestone - consistently outperform generic reminders. In fact, 63% of brands report that behavior-triggered messages deliver the highest return on investment for their notification strategies. Platforms like Adalo simplify the process by enabling automated, personalized notifications without requiring complex backend setups.
More User Engagement
Engagement measures how often users open your app and interact with its features. Push notifications provide a direct way to reach users, showing up right on their lock screens. This simple visibility can boost engagement by as much as 191% compared to users who don’t receive any notifications.
For example, in news apps, push notifications can account for up to 50% of daily active users. Rory Brunner from Verizon Media’s News Editorial Operations explains:
"Push notifications are such a core driver of app usage across News that if we don't send at least a handful in a day, the analysts will notice that traffic is down sometimes by as much as 50% and ask what is wrong".
Personalization plays a huge role here. Notifications tailored to specific user segments have a 21% higher click-through rate compared to generic messages. By leveraging user data - such as browsing history, purchases, or clicks - you can craft notifications that feel relevant. Features like deep linking, which direct users to specific pages within the app, further streamline their experience and reduce unnecessary steps.
Higher Conversion Rates
Conversions represent the actions you want users to take, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a service, or completing a task. Push notifications are particularly effective at driving these actions. For instance, 40% of shoppers have made purchases directly from a mobile app push notification, which boasts an average open rate of 20% - far higher than the 2% seen with email.
Take KFC India’s 2025 gamified campaign, “Bucket It,” as an example. Push notifications were used to remind users to claim rewards, leading to a 22% increase in average daily orders per store, a 23% rise in daily revenue, and a 27% growth in repeat orders. Similarly, the online grocer mon-marche.fr used personalized push reminders for recurring orders, achieving a 21% open rate and a 43% boost in total orders.
The most effective push notifications combine urgency with personalization. Limited-time offers, abandoned cart reminders, and flash sales create a sense of urgency, while rich media elements - like images, GIFs, or action buttons - make it easy for users to act immediately.
Adalo’s platform makes it simple to deploy your app as a Progressive Web App or natively to iOS and Android, all without the need for rebuilding, ensuring your notifications reach users seamlessly across devices.
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How to Set Up Push Notifications with Adalo
Adalo makes it straightforward to integrate push notifications into your app. The process involves three main steps: building your app, publishing it to app stores, and setting up the notification system. Let’s break it down.
Building and Publishing Your App
To enable push notifications, you first need to publish your app. Start by signing up for an Apple Developer Account, which costs $99 per year. Gather all the essentials, like app icons, screenshots, and metadata.
In the Adalo Editor, head over to the Launch tab and choose either the iOS or Android App section. Enter your Apple credentials, including your Bundle ID, Apple ID email, and an app-specific password created specifically for Adalo. Adjust the app permissions as needed, then click Initiate a Testflight Build to generate a testing package for Apple’s environment. Typically, apps are approved in about 48 hours. With over 650 million visitors browsing the Apple App Store weekly, getting your app published is a big milestone.
Once your app is live, you’re ready to set up push notifications.
Setting Up Push Notifications
Configuring push notifications in Adalo is a simple process. Start by adding the Request Notification Permission action to your app’s Home Screen. For progressive web apps (PWAs), this action should be tied to a button click since browsers block automatic permission prompts.
To send notifications, select a component in your app and add the Trigger Notification action. You can send notifications to individual users, groups, or even your entire user base. Customize the title and message using magic text from your database, and link the notification to a Target Screen so users are directed to a specific page when they tap it.
After setting everything up, it’s time to test.
Testing and Fine-Tuning Notifications
To ensure your notifications work flawlessly, test them across different devices. You’ll need two devices: one to send the notification and another to receive it. The receiving device must be logged in, have notification permissions enabled, and must have been active in the app within the last two weeks. For accurate testing, close the app completely on the receiving device before triggering the notification. Keep in mind that users can’t receive notifications that they trigger themselves.
If your notifications work on Android but not iOS, try deleting the Apple notification key and generating a new build. For PWAs, make sure the permission request is tied to a clear "Allow Notifications" button instead of triggering automatically on page load.
Once your notifications are live, you can refine your strategy by monitoring open rates and tweaking your messaging. If you’re on Adalo’s Team or Business plan, you can take advantage of the Adalo API for advanced automation and scheduling.
Adalo simplifies app deployment by allowing you to release your app as both a progressive web app and a native app for iOS and Android from a single build. This way, your app stays current without the need for separate updates or rebuilds.
How Push Notifications Affect App Store Rankings
Push notifications play a key role in boosting user engagement, which is a critical factor app stores consider when ranking apps. App store algorithms focus heavily on how users interact with an app after downloading it. If users frequently open your app, spend more time engaging with it, and keep it installed, these actions signal to the algorithm that your app provides value.
How Engagement Improves Rankings
Push notifications help create a feedback loop where increased engagement leads to better app store visibility. By prompting users to open your app, they naturally boost session frequency and retention rates - two metrics that app store algorithms prioritize. Apps with strong Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 retention rates often perform better than those with high download numbers but poor engagement.
This engagement also contributes to "download velocity", which refers to sudden spikes in user activity. App stores interpret these spikes as a sign of relevance, often improving your app's search rankings and visibility within just 24 to 48 hours. Looking ahead, iOS 18 in 2026 introduces AI-driven "Priority Notifications", which focus on apps users engage with the most. Apps with strong engagement metrics will see their notifications prioritized, creating a cycle where higher engagement leads to even better notification visibility and, ultimately, higher rankings.
"The AI seems to prioritize time-sensitive messages and apps that users interact with most. For businesses, that's huge: you're not just competing for attention anymore - you're being scored by an algorithm that learns user behavior."
- Max Konev
Frequent updates also play a role in improving rankings, as they signal active development to app stores. Push notifications can be a great way to announce these updates, encouraging users to explore new features and further boosting engagement metrics.
Adalo's Cross-Platform Update System
Adalo simplifies the process of maintaining strong engagement metrics across platforms with its single-build system. This approach allows you to update your app once, and the changes are automatically applied to your progressive web app as well as native iOS and Android versions. This synchronization ensures that metrics like session frequency and retention rates remain consistent across both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
This consistency is crucial because app stores now evaluate post-install quality more heavily than simply relying on keyword optimization. By keeping your app stable, regularly updated, and engaging across platforms, you maintain what some industry experts call "ranking insurance" - a safeguard for your app's visibility in search results. Adalo's unified update system eliminates the need to rebuild separately for each platform, ensuring your app performs well and maintains its rankings everywhere.
Conclusion
App stores play a critical role in enabling push notifications. Without publishing your app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you miss out on access to essential services like APNs or FCM. These platforms provide the necessary security credentials, device tokens, and entitlements required for push notifications to function.
The benefits of push notifications are hard to ignore. Users who opt in are 65% more likely to return within 30 days, and retention rates can increase by 3 to 10 times. This improved engagement doesn’t just help you keep users - it also boosts your app’s store rankings and conversion rates.
Adalo simplifies what can often be a complex process. With its "Trigger Notification" action, there’s no need to manage device tokens, backend logic, or multiple codebases. You build your app once, and Adalo handles publishing it across the web, iOS, and Android. Push notifications? They work seamlessly across all platforms with just one update.
Beyond that, Adalo takes care of ongoing tasks like automated permission handling and syncing across platforms. This means you can dedicate your time to crafting meaningful notifications - whether it’s re-engaging users, promoting new features, or driving urgent actions - without worrying about backend development.
FAQs
Why do app stores play a key role in enabling push notifications?
App stores play a crucial role in enabling push notifications by acting as the bridge between your app and platform-specific notification services, such as Apple Push Notification service (APNs) for iOS and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Android. When you publish an app, the store checks essential permissions and credentials - like API keys and provisioning profiles - ensuring your app can securely register device tokens needed to send and receive notifications.
Beyond this technical connection, app stores also provide a layer of trust. By verifying apps before they’re distributed, they help ensure users only download secure and legitimate versions of your app. This trusted environment is essential for push notifications to work seamlessly, as it safeguards users while giving developers a dependable way to handle notification permissions and delivery.
How does Adalo make setting up push notifications easy for app creators?
Adalo makes setting up push notifications straightforward, offering a no-code solution that simplifies what could otherwise be a technical process. With the Request Notification Permission component, you can seamlessly integrate a prompt into your app, asking users for consent to receive notifications. Once they grant permission, you can link a Trigger Push Notification action to buttons, forms, or workflows. This lets you tailor the notification's title, message, and target audience - all without needing to write a single line of code.
If you need more advanced options, Adalo provides a REST API that allows you to send notifications programmatically with ease. Whether you lean toward the visual drag-and-drop interface or prefer API-based customization, Adalo gives you the tools to set up and test push notifications efficiently, saving both time and effort.
How do push notifications improve app engagement and user retention?
Push notifications are an effective way to catch users' attention by delivering messages straight to their lock screen. Unlike emails or texts, they don’t require any extra steps to view, making them a fast and direct communication tool. When tailored to the user - like a breaking news update, a reminder about an upcoming bill, or an exclusive discount - they can prompt users to open the app, increasing both daily active users (DAU) and how often they engage.
But it’s not just about immediate clicks. Push notifications also play a key role in user retention by keeping your app fresh in their minds. With around 42% of mobile users opting in for push notifications - and younger users being especially responsive - a smart notification plan can turn infrequent users into regular ones. Messages that provide real value, such as reminders for abandoned carts, updates on new features, or prompts for habit tracking, can build loyalty, improve retention, and encourage users to keep coming back.
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