Set up push notifications

Overview

On incoming events such as a new message, or an incoming call, the user often expects to receive a push notification, if the app is not active.

This guide explains how to configure your Android app to receive push notifications from the Nexmo Client SDK.

Set up Firebase project for your app

In order to enable push notifications for your Android app, you should use the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) API. To do that, start by adding Firebase to your Android project.

In case you have not done that already, more details can be found in the official Firebase documentation.

Provision your server key

Obtain a jwt_dev, which is a jwt without a sub claim. More details on how to generate a JWT can be found in the setup guide.

Get your private_key_file from the Firebase console. Navigate to Firebase console, Project settings, Service accounts, Firebase Admin SDK, generate new private key. You will need to ensure the private_key_file is encoded to JSON using a suitable method before you can send it to the push service.

Get your projectId from the Firebase console. Navigate to Firebase console, Project settings, General, projectId.

Get your Nexmo Application ID, app_id. It can be obtained from Nexmo Dashboard.

Run the following Curl command, replacing jwt_dev, private_key_file, projectId, app_id with your values:

curl -v -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer $jwt_dev" \
   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
   -d "{\"token\":\"$private_key_file\", \"projectId\":\"$projectId\"}" \
   https://api.nexmo.com/v1/applications/$app_id/push_tokens/android

Add Firebase Cloud Messaging to your Android project

In your IDE, in your app level build.gradle file (usually app/build.gradle), add the firebase-messaging dependency:

dependencies{
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:x.y.z'
}

You need to replace x.y.z with the latest Cloud Messaging versions number, which can be found on the Firebase website.

Implement a service to receive push notifications

If you do not have one already, create a service that extends FirebaseMessagingService. Make sure your service is declared in your AndroidManifest.xml:

<service android:name=".MyFirebaseMessagingService">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

Enable Nexmo server to send push notifications to your device

In order for Nexmo to be able to send push notifications to a device, the Nexmo server has to know the device token, also known as InstanceID.

In your implementation of FirebaseMessagingService, override onNewToken() and update the Nexmo servers with it:

override fun onNewToken(token: String?) {
    token?.let {
        NexmoClient.get().enablePushNotifications(token, requestListener)
    }
}

Receive push notifications

Push notifications are received in your implementation of MyFirebaseMessagingService, on onMessageReceived() method.

You can use NexmoClient.isNexmoPushNotification(message.data)) to determine if the message is sent from Nexmo server.

Use processPushNotification(message.data, listener) to process the data received from Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) into an easy to use Nexmo object:

// determine if the message is sent from Nexmo server
if (NexmoClient.isNexmoPushNotification(message!!.data)) {  
    NexmoPushPayload nexmoPushPayload = nexmoClient.processPushPayload(message!!.data, pushListener)
    when(nexmoPushPayload.pushTemplate){
        Custom ->
            nexmoPushEvent.customData //got custom push data 😀
        Default ->
            nexmoPushEvent.eventData // got default push event data
    }
}

NOTE: In order to apply any methods on Nexmo Client object (for example answer a call, hangup, and so on) Nexmo Client has to be initialized and the user has to be logged in to it.

Conclusion

In this guide you have seen how to set up push notifications.

Overview

On incoming events such as a new message, or an incoming call, the user often expects to receive a push notification, if the app is not active.

This guide explains how to configure your iOS app to receive push notifications from the Nexmo Client SDK.

Create a push certificate

Log in to your Apple developer account and create a push certificate for your app. Find more details in Apple's official documentation.

Download your certificate. In the next step the downloaded certificate name is referred to as applecert.p12.

Upload your certificate

Obtain a jwt_dev, which is a jwt without a sub claim. More details on how to generate a JWT can be found in the setup guide.

Get your Nexmo Application ID, app_id. It can be obtained from Nexmo Dashboard.

Run the following Curl command, replacing jwt_dev, applecert.p12, app_id with your values:

hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x"' < applecert.p12 > applecert.pfx.hex
hextoken=`cat applecert.pfx.hex`

curl -v -X PUT \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer $jwt_dev" \
   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
   -d "{\"token\":\"$hextoken\"}" \
   https://api.nexmo.com/v1/applications/$app_id/push_tokens/ios

Integrate push notifications in your application

There are two types of push notifications that you can use:

  • VoIP push - the better fit for applications that use Nexmo In-App Voice functionality.
  • Regular push

Integrate VoIP push

VoIP push notifications are suitable for VoIP apps. Among other benefits, it allows you to receive notifications even when the app is terminated.

To integrate VoIP push in your app, follow these steps:

1. Enable VoIP push notifications for your app

In Xcode, under your target, open Capabilities:

  • Enable Push Notifications
  • Enable background modes with Voice over IP selected

2. Import PushKit, adopt PKPushRegistryDelegate, and sign up to VoIP notifications

Add a voipRegistry property:

let voipRegistry = PKPushRegistry(queue: nil)

and set it up:

func registerForVoIPPushes() {
    self.voipRegistry.delegate = self
    self.voipRegistry.desiredPushTypes = [PKPushType.voIP]
}

Add a voipRegistry property:

@property PKPushRegistry* voipRegistry;

and set it up:

- (void) registerForVoIPPushes {
    self.voipRegistry = [[PKPushRegistry alloc] initWithQueue:nil];
    self.voipRegistry.delegate = self;

    // Initiate registration.
    self.voipRegistry.desiredPushTypes = [NSSet setWithObject:PKPushTypeVoIP];
}

3. Implement the following delegate method and add the the code to handle an incoming VoIP push notification

func pushRegistry(_ registry: PKPushRegistry, didReceiveIncomingPushWith 
        payload: PKPushPayload, for type: PKPushType, completion: @escaping () -> Void) {
    if(NXMClient.shared.isNexmoPush(userInfo: payload.dictionaryPayload)) {
        guard let pushPayload = NXMClient.shared.processNexmoPushPayload(payload.dictionaryPayload) else {
            NSLog("Not a Nexmo push notification")
            return
        }
    }
}

- (void)pushRegistry:(PKPushRegistry *)registry didReceiveIncomingPushWithPayload:(PKPushPayload *)payload 
        forType:(PKPushType)type withCompletionHandler:(void (^)(void))completion {
    if ([NXMClient.shared isNexmoPushWithUserInfo:payload.dictionaryPayload]) {
        NXMPushPayload *pushPayload = [NXMClient.shared processNexmoPushPayload:payload.dictionaryPayload];
        if (!pushPayload){
           NSLog(@"Not a nexmo push");
           return;
        };
    }
}

For the SDK to process the push properly NXMClient should be logged in.

4. Enable Nexmo push notifications through a logged in NXMClient 

NXMClient.shared.enablePushNotifications(withPushKitToken: pushKitToken, 
        userNotificationToken: deviceToken, isSandbox: true) { (error) in
    // code
}

[NXMClient.shared enablePushNotificationsWithPushKitToken:pushKitToken 
        userNotificationToken:userNotificationToken isSandbox:YES 
        completionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) {
    // code 
}];

  • 'isSandbox' is YES/true for an app using the Apple sandbox push servers and NO/false for an app using the Apple production push servers.

  • 'deviceToken' is the token received in application:didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:.

Conclusion

In this guide you have seen how to set up push notifications.