How to Add Push Notifications to an App Built from Your Website

If you ask people why they want their website as an app, push notifications are usually the answer. Email open rates keep falling, social reach depends on algorithms, but a notification lands on the lock screen of someone who chose to install your app. This guide explains how push works in an Android app built from a website, how to set it up without writing code, and how to use it without annoying people into switching it off.

How push works in a website-based app

Your website can't send native notifications on its own, but the Android app around it can. Android apps receive push through Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), Google's free messaging service. The app registers with FCM when it's installed, and when you send a notification, FCM delivers it to the phone, even if the app is closed.

1. 1

   You write the notification

   A title, a short message and, optionally, a link to a page on your site.

2. 2

   Firebase delivers it

   Your Firebase project sends it to every phone that installed the app and allowed notifications.

3. 3

   The user taps it

   The app opens straight to the page you linked, inside the app, not in the browser.

Because the notification carries a link, the page it opens is just a page on your website. You don't need to build anything new for it: a blog post, a product, an order status page or a members' announcement all work.

Why not web push?

Websites can send web push through the browser, and on Android that works too. The difference is reach and trust. Web push needs the user to accept a browser prompt while visiting your site, which most people dismiss, and notifications show under the browser's name. An installed app shows your own icon and name, sits on the home screen, and is listed in the Play Store. The full comparison is in PWA vs WebView app.

Setting up push notifications with Capsule

Capsule apps send push through your own Firebase project, so you own the connection to your users' devices and nothing is shared with other apps. Setup takes a few minutes:

1. 1

   Turn on notifications

   In your app's permissions, switch on notifications. On Android 13 and later, the app asks users for permission to show them.

2. 2

   Connect Firebase

   Click Connect to Firebase and sign in with Google to pick or create a project, or upload a google-services.json file from the Firebase console yourself.

3. 3

   Rebuild the app

   Build a new version so the Firebase connection is included, then install it or upload it to Google Play.

4. 4

   Send from the dashboard

   Write a title and message, add an optional link to any page on your site, and send.

Getting users to say yes

Since Android 13, apps have to ask before showing notifications, the same way iPhones do. Users who say no rarely change their mind later, so it's worth earning the yes:

• Tell people what they'll get before the system asks. A line on your home page inside the app, like "Turn on notifications for order updates and new drops", makes the request feel expected.
• Promise something specific: delivery updates, new episodes, booking reminders, price drops. "Stay updated" isn't a reason.
• Mention it in your Play Store description, so people know it's coming.

What to send, and how often

Frequency matters more than anything. One useful notification a week builds a habit; three promotional ones a day get your app muted or uninstalled. Always link to the exact page the notification is about, never just the home page, and keep the title short enough to read on a lock screen: around 40 characters.

Push and Google Play approval

Push notifications are one of the clearest ways to show Google that your app does something a browser tab can't, which helps with the minimum functionality policy. Firebase Cloud Messaging uses a device identifier to deliver messages, so include it when you fill in your Data safety form, and never use notifications for ads that have nothing to do with your app. More on review in why Google Play rejects WebView apps.