How Mobile SDK Improves Push Notification Deliverability

What Affects Push Deliverability With API Integration

Direct integration with services such as Apple Push Notification service (APNs) and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is the classic and most obvious approach when working with mobile push notifications. It gives you control over the sending logic, but at the same time requires the team to handle a whole range of infrastructure tasks.

Token Expiration

Mobile Ecosystem Fragmentation

Today, the push ecosystem is not limited to APNs and FCM. In addition to them, there are, for example, Huawei Push Kit, RuStore Push Notifications, and various other providers.

The choice of a suitable provider will depend, among other things, on the device manufacturer. For example, on smartphones without Google Mobile Services, notification delivery via FCM is unavailable. Instead, an alternative service is required, such as HMS from Huawei.

In addition, delivery can be complicated by restrictions on background app activity, power-saving mode, and manufacturer-specific firmware settings.

Error Handling And Resending

With direct API integration, temporary unavailability of a push service and possible failures on the provider’s side do not trigger automatic resending. Therefore, without preconfigured status monitoring, error handling, and push redelivery logic, even a short-term issue may prevent some messages from reaching their recipients.

How A Mobile SDK Improves Push Notification Delivery

• First, automating the push token lifecycle reduces the amount of manual work. After the app is initialized, the SDK registers the device in the marketing platform and sends up-to-date data to the server whenever the token changes. Developers do not need to build the entire logic for receiving, updating, and transmitting push tokens from scratch.
  
  
• Second, it provides a single interface for working with different providers. Routing push messages through APNs, FCM, HMS, or RuStore is handled at the SDK and platform server logic level.
  
  In addition, the SDK can send customer data to the platform and record mobile events, such as app launches or screen views, providing end-to-end analytics without additional integration.
  
  In short, an SDK can simplify development and reduce the key technical causes of non-delivery, turning fragmented API calls into a controlled and transparent communication channel.

Altcraft MSDK: How It Is Built And What It Can Do

Delivery Control And Statistics

Altcraft’s mobile SDK automatically records delivery and open events for each incoming push message. They are not lost even if there is no network connection at the moment they are sent to the server: the built-in retry mechanism based on WorkManager stores the events and sends them as soon as the connection is restored.

Security And Flexible User Identification

Rich Content In Push Notifications

A push campaign is not just text. Altcraft mSDK makes it possible to customize how notifications are displayed and add images and action buttons. A button can open a web page, take the user to a specific screen via a deep link, or simply launch the app. The response logic for a tap is configured on the platform side.

How To Get Started With Altcraft mSDK

• Package Installation. Altcraft mSDK is distributed through standard package managers: CocoaPods and Swift Package Manager for iOS, Maven Central for Android, and npm for React Native.
  
  
• Initialization. To launch the SDK, it is enough to specify the platform instance URL and implement interfaces for passing the JWT token and push tokens from notification providers.
  
  
• Subscription Management. To register a device and create a subscriber profile, the pushSubscribe() function is called after initialization: it sends the push token to the server. The pushSuspend() and pushUnsubscribe() methods make it possible to pause a push subscription or fully revoke it from the app. In addition, there is a mechanism for updating profile data in the platform at the SDK’s request.
  
  
• Service Automation. Push token updates, delivery and open data collection, and request retries in case of failures are performed without any additional action from the developer. These processes start automatically after initialization.

What Falls Outside The Capabilities Of A Mobile SDK

Mobile SDK can eliminate technical integration errors and make statistics more reliable. However, it cannot affect a number of external factors that should also be considered when working with push notifications:

• OS And Firmware Restrictions. As mentioned earlier, power-saving modes and background app activity restrictions can delay push delivery or block it. Under these conditions, the SDK retries data transmission and updates tokens, but it cannot change operating system policies.
  
  
• User-Disabled Notifications. If notifications are disabled in the app, the push message will not be displayed, even if the subscription is active. The SDK can send the current permission status to the platform so that such users are excluded from campaigns, but it is impossible to restore permission without their consent.
  
  
• Device Offline For A Long Time. Push messages have a limited storage period on the provider’s side. For example, APNs stores only the most recent notification for up to 30 days, while in FCM, the maximum message storage period is 28 days. If the device does not come online during this time, the message will expire and will not be delivered. Although an SDK does not provide a 100% delivery guarantee, it can reduce losses related to the technical side of integration and provide accurate data on who actually received the notification and how they reacted to it.

Conclusion