For many users, the ability to send notifications from web apps is a welcome change to iOS and iPadOS 16.4. Push notifications make it easier for users to keep track of new information and upcoming events associated with websites or web apps that have been added to their Home Screen.
When a web app sends its users a notification, their iPhone or iPad will display it on the Lock Screen, Notification Center, and even a paired Apple Watch if desired. For the added convenience, users can also manage which notifications they receive from the web apps to their Home Screen on an app-by-app basis. This ensures that notifications stay organized and don’t overwhelm the user’s device.
In addition to the notification support being added to web apps, iOS and iPadOS also now allows users to add websites and apps from third-party browsers to their Home Screen. This makes it easier for users to customize their device and have all their important information just a few taps away.
As Apple announced during WWDC 2022 back in June, web push notifications have been planned for quite some time. For those who don’t want to receive a ton of notifications from web apps on their device, the ability to manage permissions per web app is a welcome and much needed feature.
For users who frequently use websites for work, having multiple versions of the same web app on their Home Screen with different settings can be beneficial as well. That way, it is easier to stay organized and divide up personal and work uses.
Overall, web push notifications support the idea of having an all-encompassing device like an iPhone or iPad. It allows users to quickly and easily stay updated with information associated with websites and web apps, while also giving them tools to manage the push notifications if they become overwhelming.
It’ll be interesting to see how these updates to Safari’s web apps affect how people use their iPhones and iPads. What do you think? Will you be turning on any web push notifications? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
