Push Notification for an App Catalog
Digital.ai App Management supports Push Notification for native iOS and Android App Catalogs.
A push notification is the delivery of information from a software application to a device, and mobile application users are accustomed to receiving these notifications so they know when something in an app is new or requires their attention. For example, an email client app will typically send a push notification whenever the user receives a new email.
When Push Notification is enabled for the App Catalog, Digital.ai App Management sends notifications to the user's device when there are updates available for apps that the user installed through the catalog. For more information, see Push Notification for an App Catalog#Notifications for Application Updates.
Note the following
- Push notifications are not supported for apps signed with an Ad Hoc distribution provisioning profile.
- Push notifications are not supported for the Web or Windows App Catalogs.
Digital.ai App Management also uses Push Notification to send group and application notifications. These are messages that an Digital.ai App Management administrator can compose and send to all members of a specific Digital.ai App Management group, or all users who have installed a particular application. For more information on group and application notifications, see Sending Notifications to Users.
If you are having problems getting Push Notification to work with your App Catalog, see Troubleshooting.
Notifications for App Updates
Digital.ai App Management lists all available updates on the Updates tab regardless of whether Push Notification is enabled for the catalog. However, when when Push Notification is enabled for an App Catalog, your users receive a notification when there is an update available for an app that was installed through the App Catalog.
To install an update, the user can log in to the App Catalog and open the Updates tab. For more on application updates, see Managing Application Updates.
A push notification for an app update displays differently on iOS and Android devices.
| iOS Devices | Android Devices |
|---|---|
| Digital.ai App Management flags the App Catalog icon on the user's Home screen with a badge that identifies the number of updates available. An app update notification does not appear in the Notification Center. Info: The badge on the App Catalog still appears even if Push Notification is not enabled, but only AFTER the user has opened the App Catalog. When Push Notification is enabled, the badge shows without the user needing to first open the catalog. | The user receives the notification in the notification area of the Android device. |
The purpose of a push notification is to notify users when updates are available; it is still up to the user to actually install the update. When you upload a new version of an app to Digital.ai App Management, you can specify a date by which users must install the update, or you can set it so that users decide when (and if) to update. When you force users to update by a certain date, they cannot log in to the App Catalog until they install the update(s). For information on updating an app in Digital.ai App Management, see Edit or Update an Application.
You can also apply the Self Updating App policy to an app to prompt users to install an update when they launch the application (rather than when they log in to the App Catalog). For more information on this policy, see Self Updating App.
Enable Push Notification for an iOS App Catalog
When you add an iOS App Catalog to VAR::COMPANYNAME App Management, Push Notification is _disabled by default. Follow this procedure to enable it.
Before You Begin
Ensure that a Production Push SSL Certificate was created for the App Catalog before it was signed.
- If you are the person who prepared the App Catalog for distribution, then you should have exported the certificate to a file in Personal Information Exchange format (a file with a .p12 extension) and saved it to a local directory on your computer. You need to upload that file during this procedure
- If someone else prepared the App Catalog for distribution, ask that person to use Keychain Access to export the certificate and its private key from the Login Keychain to a .p12 file and send the .p12 file to you. For instructions on creating a Production Push SSL, see Manage SSL Certificates for Push Notifications.
Password protected .p12 files are not supported at this time.
To enable push notification for an iOS App Catalog
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On the Admin Portal navigation bar, click Applications.
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In the App Catalogs section at the top of the page, click the iOS App Catalog and select the Edit link to display the Edit Application page.
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Expand the Push Notification section.
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Click Choose File and then browse to select the Production Push SSL Certificate file that you have saved to a local directory. This file must have a .p12 extension.
After the file is uploaded, the Push Notification status changes to enabled.
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Once Push Notification is enabled, you cannot disable it.
Enable/Disable Push Notification for an Android App Catalog
When you add an Android App Catalog to VAR::COMPANYNAME App Management, Push Notification is _enabled by default. Push Notification is an efficient and effective way to inform your users of app updates; we recommend that you keep it enabled.
To enable/disable push notification for an Android App Catalog
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On the Admin Portal navigation bar, click Applications.
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In the App Catalogs section at the top of the page, click the Android App Catalog and select the Edit link to display the Edit Application page.
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Expand the Push Notification section.
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Select the Enable Push Notification check box to enable push notification; clear the check box to disable it.