There are a number of questions that I noticed in this space and it gives me a good idea of the notification space.
I found this Q&A informative and want to thank the folks for the discussion in that thread.
However there are still a few questions that are unanswered in my head.
(1) What exactly is a silent notification?
My understanding is notifications that contain this flag value equals 1 "content-available" : 1
In the Apple ecosystem (APNS) this would be realized with this attribute apns-push-type: background
(2) Can silent Notifications be turned-off? I read that it can't be turned off however at the same breath I see that if "Remote Notifications" are turned off in iOS, then they would not be received.
(3) Is it a good practice to send key events/notifcations as a silent notification (e.g Multi-factor authentication) or should they rely on regular push notifications?
From what i have read and observed:
- Silent Notifications are low priority ones
- They are not guaranteed Delivery
My conclusion (based on my search and reading) is silent-notificaiton should not be used for critical events.
I was hoping a best practice article/blog in this space from all the players (Apple, Google etc)however i see info in bits and pieces.
Happy to put one together an article/blog as a give back when I have all the info at hand as i work through these questions.
Appreciate inputs, links and advice.
References: [Pushing Background Updates to Your App] 2