How to send Notification in iOS when using firebase cloud functions? - ios

I have been looking around many different places for how to implement notification sending using cloud functions. And the best I have found is the following: Push notifications using Firebase Cloud Function iOS
But I believe it would benefit many people as well as me, if this fragmentation were fixed with one set of instructions from start to finish.
Thus I ask: How can I implement notification sending when a user creates something at a certain spot in firebase realtime DB?
From start to finish, a very clear explanation for someone doing this for the FIRST TIME.

This is in the documentation for Firebase. This is a specific part of the documentation that uses Node.js as an example to send a message.

I believe this does the trick: https://github.com/onmyway133/blog/issues/64

Related

Best way to push iOS notification after calculating result from its input received for a network call?

I'm working on something where my iOS app will give 2 input parameters to some server side setup. The server side will periodically run a google API network call and get its result response X. When this X is the right answer, I want the server side to send my iOS app a push notification. This needs to happen for every app user individually.
I know the iOS coding part, and also know how to setup a iOS push notification.
But what’s the best way to setup this server side code? Are there some free cloud instances that I could use?
I’ve looked into Firebase and Google Cloud console that I can combine with a cron job to make regular network calls, but they seem to have a fair bit of complexity involved (especially since it’ll be inputs from per app install so it'll become one cron job per app install).
Is there a better way to achieve this?
figured it out.
for future visitors, i’m writing how i achieved it -
the client sends inputs to the firebase DB, and a firebase cloud function scheduler periodically reads those values to calculate output from google api call. when the output is right, the firebase cloud function sends notification to the client

Best way to implement push notifications with Firebase

I am an iPhone app coder, and I'm using Firebase as my backend server. Firebase doesn't support Push Notifications, so I've been trying to figure out how to include them in my app. I've read this question: How to send an alert message to a special online user with firebase but it seems like more of a work-around than an actual solution.
Is there an answer on how to do this? Are there third parties or APIs that might seemlessly implement this functionality?
One solution I have tried is to use Zapier to connect Firebase to Pushover.
At this point, I've been able to observe events in the app that I'm coding and then get notifications in a pushover app on my iphone. However, ideally, I'd like to receive the notifications in my app, not in the pushover app, because I don't want users to need to have pushover in order to use my app and because I want users to receive their own distinct notifications, not notifications for everyone.
Does anyone have suggestions on how I should handle this issue?
Thanks for the help!
EDIT
This isn't a duplicate of this question: Does firebase handle push notifications? because I know Firebase doesn't directly handle push notifications. I'm looking for the best indirect way of handling push notifications with Firebase.
Now Google rebranded GCM to Firebase Cloud Messaging and it now offers this cross platform service. Firebase also offers notifications.
These are the differences between these two services:
Firebase Cloud Messaging provides a complete set of messaging
capabilities through its client SDKs and HTTP and XMPP server
protocols. For deployments with more complex messaging requirements,
FCM is the right choice.
Firebase Notifications is a lightweight, serverless messaging solution
built on Firebase Cloud Messaging. With a user-friendly graphical
console and reduced coding requirements, Firebase Notifications lets
users easily send messages to reengage and retain users, foster app
growth, and support marketing campaigns.
If you want a more detailed comparison. Read this.
If you want device to device push messages and not just server to device, the only solution I found was OneSignal. I was able to add basic device to device push message support for my app in about an hour and it is currently free.
Both Batch and Firebase only support server to device push messages, not what you want for a chat app
There are a couple of options: (well, more than a couple but here's two)
Parse handles push notifications very very well - they have that down pat and it's super simple. However, you may have issues with users and accounts - depending on what your app does.
You mentioned Pushover. We worked their API a while back but not through Zapier. If I remember correctly, I believe you can simply register your app, send an HTTPS: request to their server and then the notifications are sent from/to your app.
Also, you may want to evaluate how you are using push as it's possible you can roll a notification-like event just into the app itself.
Here's the answer I got from the Firebase team:
Firebase currently does not have push notification feature. You can use Firebase Queue and GCM to implement push notification in your app. Queues can be used in your Firebase app to organize workers or perform background work like generating thumbnails of images, filtering message contents and censoring data, or fanning data out to multiple locations in your Firebase database. Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) is a free service that enables developers to send messages between servers and client apps and it is available in both iOS and Android.
You can push an object with some data to the /queue/tasks location in your Firebase using any Firebase client or the REST API. Workers listening at that location will automatically pick up and process the job. From that, your workers can make a GCM push notification.
(end of message from Firebase team)
~~~~~~~~~
Here's my analysis:
It seems like there are a few solutions, but the two best ones are:
1) Use FirebaseQueue with Google Cloud Messaging.
2) Leverage the Push Notification functionality in Parse within the Firebase app.
I'm not sure which is better. Parse seems more proven, but Firebase Queue is more-easily integrated into the app (ie. it's nice have everything on Firebase and not having to set up a Parse app)
Anyways, I hope this thread helps out other people!
Just realized that they've come out this:
Batch
Firebase now has Notifications inbuilt.
https://firebase.google.com/docs/notifications/
I had the same problem and managed to figure out a solution a while back. I have detailed my solution in the following posts https://stackoverflow.com/a/44192515/7048719 and https://stackoverflow.com/a/42240984/7048719
You have to create a firebase data service class and use a shared instance to hold the observers in memory when the app goes into background. From there it is just a matter doing what you wish.

Parse.com push notifications VS. Google Cloud messaging for iOS?

I am using Parse Data Core and was planning to use Parse Push notifications for iOS, however Google just announced cloud messaging for iOS # I/O 2015. I'm a newbie and a little unclear so thought i'd ask. what are the pro's and Con's of using one service over the other? My thought is that since parse counts each push message as a request , GCM might be better since its free with no limit.I think I can trigger GCM in Parse cloud code. Parse notifications also have a large allowable quota under free tier, but not sure if it offers extra simplicity of use over GCM. Also not sure if google requires iOS device to have a linked google account on device to receive a notification. Thanks in advance
visit
http://www.quora.com/Push-Notifications/Which-is-best-to-use-Amazon-SNS-Google-Cloud-Messaging-or-Parse-Why
it would be helpful,
all you need it's there.

Push notifications not received in some devices in iOS

I am implementing the push notification in iOS for sending offers and deals. Right now I am working in the development environment. I see that some of the devices are not being notified. Could anybody explain possible causes? I have also read that if a push is sent to same device multiple times then APPLE disables them for that particular device? Could some one verify this or provide any documentation where I can find the issue. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Not directly answering your question, but what you asked about in the comments and an alternative. You could use a push-notification service such as Parse.
They allow you to send Push Notifications to Web, iOS and Android, also offer data storage and backend infrastructure. The best thing about Parse is that they're free. Unless you have one million unique recipients, which is rather hard to accomplish. Parsee allows you tons end Push Notifications in multiple ways, some including automatic messages based on their tables or other events. You can program those in their cloud code. You can do so using their REST API or their Java Script API if you have a website. You could also send from the Push window on their website.
Setting up is fairly easy. I'll give you the most important links below.
iOS Quick Start Guide
Rest API
PHP Guide
Hope that helps, Julian
If you are dependent on APNS then there is no guarantee provided regarding the delivery of the push notification. And regarding sending multiple notifications. Like if you send notification every min then many may not deliver. Else it will. This service is free and many including myself using it on a regular basis. It has been delivered regularly even though apple will not provide any guarantee. i'm using a php script on server side to send push notification. Refer the below link if you want to know how to send a push notification using php.
tutorial

Daily check in Trigger.io mobile application

I want to write a feature in my app that checks local data daily (at a specified time eg. 12:00pm), and alert if needed. Really, I want something kind of like setTimeout() in Node.js.
Does Trigger.io's API give me a way to 'background' a small check, or fire an event at a specific time? Something via the OS,so that the app doesn't have to be running all the time?
I've searched through the API, but might be using the wrong terminology (as a non-mobile dev).
This isn't something currently supported, mainly because its difficult to provide a consistent experience across Android and iOS.
A common solution to this kind of problem is to have the check performed on a remote server, then use a push notification to notify the user if required. (see http://docs.trigger.io/en/v1.4/partners/parse.html#partner-parse)
The reason doing this on the device is difficult is that on iOS you cannot just run code in the background, it is possible to send a notification to the user at a specific time but this notification has to be set in advance.

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