A push notification is a message that appears on your device without you opening an app
A push notification is a short message that shows up on your phone, tablet, or computer while you're doing something else. You don't have to open an app to see it — the message just appears, usually at the top of your screen or in a small box. The app sends it to you, which is why it's called a "push" — the app is pushing the message toward you rather than waiting for you to pull it by opening the app yourself.
Push notifications work because your device stays connected to the internet in the background, even when you're not actively using it. When an app has something it wants to tell you — a message from a friend, a sale price drop, a sports score, a reminder — it sends that notification through a service that delivers it to your device. Your phone or computer then displays it on your screen.
The notification usually includes a headline, sometimes a short description, and often an icon from the app. When you tap or click it, the app opens to show you the full information. If you ignore it, it disappears or sits in your notification center until you clear it.
Key Takeaways
- Push notifications appear on your screen without you opening an app, sent by the app developer when they have something to tell you.
- Your device must have the app installed and notifications turned on in your settings for you to receive them.
- Common push notifications include messages from messaging apps, price alerts from shopping apps, sports scores, calendar reminders, and news headlines.
- You can turn push notifications on or off for individual apps in your device settings, or turn them off entirely.
- Push notifications use internet data but typically very small amounts — usually just a few kilobytes per notification.
How push notifications reach your device
When you install an app and turn on notifications in your settings, you're giving that app permission to send you messages. The app doesn't store your phone number or email — instead, your device gets a unique identifier that the app uses to send notifications to you specifically.
The app developer uses a service called a push notification service to actually deliver the message. Apple devices use Apple Push Notification service (APNs), Android devices use Google Cloud Messaging or Firebase Cloud Messaging, and web browsers use their own systems. The developer sends the message to one of these services, which then routes it to your specific device and displays it on your screen.
This happens through your internet connection — either Wi-Fi or cellular data. The message itself is tiny, usually just a few hundred bytes, so it uses almost no data. Your device stays connected to these services in the background all the time, which is why notifications can arrive when ready even when you're not actively using your phone.
Common types of push notifications you'll see
Messaging notifications are the most familiar — when someone texts you through WhatsApp, iMessage, Messenger, or another app, you get a notification showing their name and a preview of the message. You can reply directly from the notification without opening the app.
Commerce notifications come from shopping apps like Amazon or Walmart, telling you that an item you watched is on sale, that your order shipped, or that a deal is ending soon. News apps send notifications about breaking stories or topics you've marked as favorites. Social media notifications tell you when someone likes your post, comments on your photo, or sends you a direct message on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
Reminder and calendar notifications come from your phone's built-in calendar or reminder apps, alerting you to an upcoming appointment or task. Fitness apps send notifications when you hit a daily step goal. Banking apps notify you of transactions or suspicious activity. Delivery apps tell you when your food or package is arriving.
Controlling which notifications you receive
You have complete control over push notifications on your device. In your settings, you can turn notifications on or off for each individual app. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications and select each app to choose whether it can send you notifications. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & notifications, select an app, and toggle notifications on or off.
You can also customize how notifications appear. Most devices let you choose whether notifications make a sound, vibrate your phone, or show a badge with a number on the app icon. You can set "Do Not Disturb" schedules so notifications don't bother you during work hours or while you're sleeping, though you can usually allow notifications from specific people like family members to come through anyway.
If an app is sending you too many notifications, you don't have to uninstall it — just turn off notifications for that app in your settings. The app will still work normally; you just won't see the messages. You can turn them back on anytime.
Why apps send push notifications
App developers send push notifications to keep you engaged with their app. A notification reminds you the app exists and gives you a reason to open it. For messaging apps, notifications are essential — you need to know when someone has contacted you. For shopping apps, notifications drive sales by telling you about deals. For news apps, notifications keep you updated on stories you care about.
Some notifications are genuinely useful — a calendar reminder about a doctor's appointment, a notification that your package has arrived, an alert that your bank detected unusual activity. Others are designed mainly to get you to open the app and spend time in it, even if the notification itself isn't urgent.
This is why some apps send many notifications while others send few. A messaging app needs to notify you of every incoming message. A shopping app might send multiple notifications a day about sales and deals. A weather app might send one notification in the morning about today's forecast. The app developer decides how often to send them.
Push notifications versus other types of messages
A push notification is different from an in-app notification, which only appears when you have the app open. If you're using Facebook and someone likes your post, you might see a small notification inside the app. That's an in-app notification — it doesn't reach you if the app is closed.
Push notifications are also different from text messages (SMS) or emails. Text messages come through your phone's messaging system and usually cost the sender money. Emails go to your email inbox. Push notifications come directly from an app and are free for the app developer to send because they use your internet connection instead of the cellular network.
Web push notifications work similarly but appear on your computer or in your web browser. If you visit a website and it asks permission to send notifications, those are web push notifications. They appear on your desktop or in your browser even when you're not on that website.
Data and battery impact of push notifications
Push notifications use very little data — typically just a few kilobytes per notification. Even if you receive dozens of notifications a day, they won't noticeably affect your data usage. The real data cost comes from opening the app after you tap the notification, not from the notification itself.
Battery impact is also minimal. Your device is already staying connected to the internet in the background for other reasons, so push notifications don't significantly drain your battery. The notification service runs efficiently and only wakes up your screen when a message arrives. If you're concerned about battery life, turning off notifications for apps you don't need them from will help slightly, but the difference is usually small.
If you have many apps sending notifications and your battery is draining quickly, the problem is usually not the notifications themselves but the apps running in the background or your screen brightness. Turning off notifications for apps you don't actively use is still a good practice for reducing clutter and distractions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get push notifications if I don't have Wi-Fi?
Yes. Push notifications work over cellular data (4G, 5G, LTE) just as well as Wi-Fi. As long as your device has an internet connection and the app has permission to send notifications, you'll receive them. The data used is so small that it won't noticeably affect your data plan.
Why do I sometimes get a notification from an app I haven't used in months?
The app is still installed on your device and still has permission to send notifications. App developers often send notifications to inactive users to encourage them to open the app again. You can turn off notifications for that app in your settings, or uninstall it entirely if you don't want it anymore.
What happens if I turn off notifications for an app?
You straightforward won't see notifications from that app anymore. The app will continue to work normally when you open it — you just won't be alerted to new messages, updates, or events. You can turn notifications back on anytime in your settings.
Do push notifications work if my phone is off?
No. Your device must be powered on and connected to the internet to receive push notifications. If your phone is off, notifications will be queued and delivered when you turn it back on, though some services only keep them for a short time before discarding them.
Can I reply to a push notification without opening the app?
It depends on the app and your device. Many messaging apps let you reply directly from the notification on both iPhone and Android. Other apps only show a preview in the notification and require you to open the app to respond. Check your notification settings to see what options are available for each app.