Agent skills for iOS, iPadOS, Swift, SwiftUI, and modern Apple framework development.
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Detailed implementation patterns for push notifications in iOS apps. Covers the complete lifecycle from AppDelegate wiring through debugging delivery issues.
The full AppDelegate wiring for a SwiftUI app that handles both remote and local notifications.
import SwiftUI
import UserNotifications
@main
struct MyApp: App {
@UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor(AppDelegate.self) var appDelegate
@State private var router = DeepLinkRouter()
init() {
// Set delegate as early as possible so no notifications are missed.
// App.init runs before application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:).
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().delegate = NotificationDelegate.shared
}
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ContentView()
.environment(router)
.task { await setupNotifications() }
}
}
private func setupNotifications() async {
registerNotificationCategories()
let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
let settings = await center.notificationSettings()
switch settings.authorizationStatus {
case .notDetermined:
let granted = try? await center.requestAuthorization(
options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]
)
if granted == true {
await MainActor.run {
UIApplication.shared.registerForRemoteNotifications()
}
}
case .authorized, .provisional, .ephemeral:
await MainActor.run {
UIApplication.shared.registerForRemoteNotifications()
}
case .denied:
// User denied -- do not prompt again. Show in-app UI if needed.
break
@unknown default:
break
}
}
}class AppDelegate: NSObject, UIApplicationDelegate {
func application(
_ application: UIApplication,
didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]? = nil
) -> Bool {
// Delegate may also be set here if not set in App.init.
// Setting in App.init is preferred because it runs earlier.
return true
}
func application(
_ application: UIApplication,
didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken deviceToken: Data
) {
let token = deviceToken.map { String(format: "%02x", $0) }.joined()
print("APNs device token: \(token)")
// Always send token to server -- tokens can change between launches.
Task { @MainActor in
await TokenService.shared.upload(token: token)
}
}
func application(
_ application: UIApplication,
didFailToRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithError error: Error
) {
#if targetEnvironment(simulator)
// Simulator cannot register for remote notifications. This is expected.
print("Simulator: APNs registration not available.")
#else
print("APNs registration failed: \(error.localizedDescription)")
// Log to your analytics/crash reporting service
#endif
}
// Silent push / background notification handler
func application(
_ application: UIApplication,
didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]
) async -> UIBackgroundFetchResult {
await BackgroundNotificationHandler.shared.handle(userInfo: userInfo)
}
}@MainActor
final class NotificationDelegate: NSObject, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate, Sendable {
static let shared = NotificationDelegate()
private override init() { super.init() }
/// Called when a notification arrives while the app is in the foreground.
/// Return which presentation options to use. Without this method,
/// foreground notifications are silently suppressed.
func userNotificationCenter(
_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
willPresent notification: UNNotification
) async -> UNNotificationPresentationOptions {
let userInfo = notification.request.content.userInfo
// Example: suppress banner for the chat screen the user is already viewing
if let chatId = userInfo["chatId"] as? String,
NavigationState.shared.currentChatId == chatId {
// Still update badge/list but do not show a banner
return [.badge, .list, .sound]
}
return [.banner, .sound, .badge, .list]
}
/// Called when the user taps the notification or a notification action button.
func userNotificationCenter(
_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse
) async {
let userInfo = response.notification.request.content.userInfo
let categoryIdentifier = response.notification.request.content.categoryIdentifier
switch response.actionIdentifier {
case UNNotificationDefaultActionIdentifier:
await routeNotificationTap(category: categoryIdentifier, userInfo: userInfo)
case UNNotificationDismissActionIdentifier:
// User swiped away the notification. Only fires if the category
// was created with .customDismissAction option.
break
default:
// Custom action button
await handleAction(
response.actionIdentifier,
category: categoryIdentifier,
response: response,
userInfo: userInfo
)
}
}
// MARK: - Routing
private func routeNotificationTap(
category: String,
userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]
) async {
switch category {
case "MESSAGE_CATEGORY":
guard let chatId = userInfo["chatId"] as? String else { return }
DeepLinkRouter.shared.navigate(to: .chat(id: chatId))
case "WORKOUT_CATEGORY":
guard let workoutId = userInfo["workoutId"] as? String else { return }
DeepLinkRouter.shared.navigate(to: .workout(id: workoutId))
default:
// Unknown category -- open the app to its default state
break
}
}
private func handleAction(
_ actionIdentifier: String,
category: String,
response: UNNotificationResponse,
userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]
) async {
switch (category, actionIdentifier) {
case ("MESSAGE_CATEGORY", "REPLY_ACTION"):
guard let textResponse = response as? UNTextInputNotificationResponse,
let chatId = userInfo["chatId"] as? String else { return }
await MessageService.shared.sendReply(
text: textResponse.userText,
chatId: chatId
)
case ("MESSAGE_CATEGORY", "LIKE_ACTION"):
guard let messageId = userInfo["messageId"] as? String else { return }
await MessageService.shared.likeMessage(id: messageId)
case ("MESSAGE_CATEGORY", "MARK_READ_ACTION"):
guard let chatId = userInfo["chatId"] as? String else { return }
await MessageService.shared.markAsRead(chatId: chatId)
default:
break
}
}
}An @Observable router that bridges notification taps to SwiftUI navigation. The router holds a pending destination that the view layer observes and consumes.
@Observable
@MainActor
final class DeepLinkRouter {
static let shared = DeepLinkRouter()
var pendingDestination: AppDestination?
func navigate(to destination: AppDestination) {
pendingDestination = destination
}
}
enum AppDestination: Hashable {
case chat(id: String)
case workout(id: String)
case profile(userId: String)
case settings
}
// In the root view:
struct RootView: View {
@Environment(DeepLinkRouter.self) private var router
@State private var selectedTab: Tab = .home
@State private var homePath = NavigationPath()
@State private var chatPath = NavigationPath()
var body: some View {
TabView(selection: $selectedTab) {
Tab("Home", systemImage: "house", value: .home) {
NavigationStack(path: $homePath) {
HomeView()
.navigationDestination(for: AppDestination.self) { dest in
destinationView(for: dest)
}
}
}
Tab("Chat", systemImage: "message", value: .chat) {
NavigationStack(path: $chatPath) {
ChatListView()
.navigationDestination(for: AppDestination.self) { dest in
destinationView(for: dest)
}
}
}
}
.onChange(of: router.pendingDestination) { _, destination in
guard let destination else { return }
handleDeepLink(destination)
router.pendingDestination = nil
}
}
private func handleDeepLink(_ destination: AppDestination) {
switch destination {
case .chat:
selectedTab = .chat
chatPath = NavigationPath()
chatPath.append(destination)
case .workout:
selectedTab = .home
homePath = NavigationPath()
homePath.append(destination)
case .profile, .settings:
selectedTab = .home
homePath = NavigationPath()
homePath.append(destination)
}
}
@ViewBuilder
private func destinationView(for destination: AppDestination) -> some View {
switch destination {
case .chat(let id): ChatDetailView(chatId: id)
case .workout(let id): WorkoutDetailView(workoutId: id)
case .profile(let userId): ProfileView(userId: userId)
case .settings: SettingsView()
}
}
}Silent pushes wake the app in the background to fetch new content. The system gives approximately 30 seconds of background execution time. Return the correct UIBackgroundFetchResult so the system can learn the app's data patterns and schedule future wakes efficiently.
@MainActor
final class BackgroundNotificationHandler: Sendable {
static let shared = BackgroundNotificationHandler()
func handle(userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]) async -> UIBackgroundFetchResult {
guard let action = userInfo["action"] as? String else {
return .noData
}
do {
switch action {
case "sync":
let hasNewData = try await DataSyncService.shared.performSync()
return hasNewData ? .newData : .noData
case "refresh-config":
try await ConfigService.shared.refreshRemoteConfig()
return .newData
case "clear-cache":
await CacheManager.shared.clearExpired()
return .newData
default:
return .noData
}
} catch {
print("Background notification handling failed: \(error)")
return .failed
}
}
}Important: The Background Modes capability with "Remote notifications" must be enabled in the Xcode project for silent push to work. Without it, didReceiveRemoteNotification is never called for silent pushes.
A service that encapsulates local notification scheduling, making it testable and reusable.
@MainActor
final class NotificationScheduler {
private let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
// MARK: - Schedule
func scheduleReminder(
id: String,
title: String,
body: String,
at date: Date,
repeats: Bool = false,
categoryIdentifier: String? = nil,
userInfo: [String: String] = [:]
) async throws {
let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
content.title = title
content.body = body
content.sound = .default
content.userInfo = userInfo
if let category = categoryIdentifier {
content.categoryIdentifier = category
}
let components = Calendar.current.dateComponents(
[.year, .month, .day, .hour, .minute],
from: date
)
let trigger = UNCalendarNotificationTrigger(
dateMatching: components,
repeats: repeats
)
let request = UNNotificationRequest(
identifier: id,
content: content,
trigger: trigger
)
try await center.add(request)
}
func scheduleDailyReminder(
id: String,
title: String,
body: String,
hour: Int,
minute: Int
) async throws {
let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
content.title = title
content.body = body
content.sound = .default
var components = DateComponents()
components.hour = hour
components.minute = minute
let trigger = UNCalendarNotificationTrigger(
dateMatching: components,
repeats: true
)
let request = UNNotificationRequest(
identifier: id,
content: content,
trigger: trigger
)
try await center.add(request)
}
// MARK: - Manage
func cancelNotification(id: String) {
center.removePendingNotificationRequests(withIdentifiers: [id])
center.removeDeliveredNotifications(withIdentifiers: [id])
}
func cancelAll() {
center.removeAllPendingNotificationRequests()
center.removeAllDeliveredNotifications()
}
func pendingNotifications() async -> [UNNotificationRequest] {
await center.pendingNotificationRequests()
}
func isScheduled(id: String) async -> Bool {
let pending = await center.pendingNotificationRequests()
return pending.contains { $0.identifier == id }
}
}Device tokens can change between app launches. Treat the token as ephemeral and always send the latest to your server.
@MainActor
@Observable
final class TokenService {
static let shared = TokenService()
private(set) var currentToken: String?
func upload(token: String) async {
// Skip if token has not changed since last successful upload
if token == currentToken { return }
do {
try await APIClient.shared.registerDeviceToken(token)
currentToken = token
UserDefaults.standard.set(token, forKey: "lastUploadedAPNsToken")
} catch {
print("Failed to upload APNs token: \(error)")
// Retry on next launch -- didRegisterForRemoteNotifications fires again
}
}
/// Call when the user logs out to disassociate the token from their account.
func invalidate() async {
guard let token = currentToken else { return }
try? await APIClient.shared.unregisterDeviceToken(token)
currentToken = nil
UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "lastUploadedAPNsToken")
}
}Logout flow: When a user logs out, unregister the device token from your server. Otherwise the old user's account continues receiving pushes on this device.
Register categories at app launch, before any notification arrives. Calling setNotificationCategories replaces the entire set, so register all categories in one call.
func registerNotificationCategories() {
// Message category
let replyAction = UNTextInputNotificationAction(
identifier: "REPLY_ACTION",
title: "Reply",
options: [],
textInputButtonTitle: "Send",
textInputPlaceholder: "Type a reply..."
)
let markReadAction = UNNotificationAction(
identifier: "MARK_READ_ACTION",
title: "Mark as Read",
options: []
)
let messageCategory = UNNotificationCategory(
identifier: "MESSAGE_CATEGORY",
actions: [replyAction, markReadAction],
intentIdentifiers: [],
categorySummaryFormat: "%u more messages from %@",
options: [.customDismissAction]
)
// Workout category
let startAction = UNNotificationAction(
identifier: "START_WORKOUT_ACTION",
title: "Start",
options: [.foreground]
)
let skipAction = UNNotificationAction(
identifier: "SKIP_WORKOUT_ACTION",
title: "Skip",
options: [.destructive]
)
let workoutCategory = UNNotificationCategory(
identifier: "WORKOUT_CATEGORY",
actions: [startAction, skipAction],
intentIdentifiers: [],
options: []
)
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().setNotificationCategories([
messageCategory,
workoutCategory,
])
}.apns files onto the simulator to simulate remote notifications.didFailToRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithError always fires on the simulator.Create a .apns file and drag it onto the running simulator:
{
"Simulator Target Bundle": "com.example.myapp",
"aps": {
"alert": {
"title": "Test Notification",
"body": "This is a simulated push notification."
},
"badge": 1,
"sound": "default",
"category": "MESSAGE_CATEGORY"
},
"messageId": "test-123",
"chatId": "chat-abc"
}Or use the xcrun simctl push command:
xcrun simctl push booted com.example.myapp payload.apnsUse the APNs sandbox environment during development. The device token from a development build uses the sandbox; production builds use the production APNs endpoint.
For quick testing without a server, use tools like:
Check entitlements: Ensure the push notification entitlement is in the app's provisioning profile. The aps-environment key must be present.
Verify token format: The token must be a hex string (64 characters for most devices). If your server receives something shorter or with non-hex characters, the conversion is wrong.
Check APNs response codes:
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | Success | Notification accepted by APNs |
| 400 | Bad request | Check payload format (max 4096 bytes) |
| 403 | Forbidden | Certificate/key mismatch or expired |
| 405 | Method not allowed | Must use POST with HTTP/2 |
| 410 | Gone | Device token is no longer valid; remove from server |
| 413 | Payload too large | Reduce payload size (max 4096 bytes) |
| 429 | Too many requests | APNs is throttling; back off |
| 500 | Internal server error | APNs issue; retry later |
Console.app: Connect the device, open Console.app on Mac, filter by dasd or apsd or your app's bundle identifier. Look for delivery confirmations or rejection reasons.
Common reasons notifications do not arrive:
Background push debugging: Silent pushes are heavily throttled. The system decides when and whether to wake the app. During development, the system is more generous. In production, expect delays. Use BGTaskScheduler for more reliable background processing.
Reset the badge count when the user opens the app so stale badge numbers do not persist.
// In AppDelegate or SceneDelegate
func sceneDidBecomeActive(_ scene: UIScene) {
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().setBadgeCount(0)
}
// Or in SwiftUI with the scene phase
struct ContentView: View {
@Environment(\.scenePhase) private var scenePhase
var body: some View {
MainView()
.onChange(of: scenePhase) { _, phase in
if phase == .active {
Task {
try? await UNUserNotificationCenter.current().setBadgeCount(0)
}
}
}
}
}setBadgeCount(_:) (iOS 16+) is the modern replacement for setting UIApplication.shared.applicationIconBadgeNumber, which is deprecated.
If you started with provisional notifications, you can later ask for full authorization. The system shows the permission prompt again.
@MainActor
func upgradeToFullAuthorization() async -> Bool {
let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
let settings = await center.notificationSettings()
guard settings.authorizationStatus == .provisional else {
return settings.authorizationStatus == .authorized
}
do {
// This presents the system prompt to the user
let granted = try await center.requestAuthorization(
options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]
)
return granted
} catch {
return false
}
}skills
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