Notifications & Permissions

Notifications are a privilege, not a right. Abuse them and users disable them permanently — or delete your app.

Permission Requests

The Golden Rule

Ask for permission in context, immediately after the user experienced the value. Never on first launch.

The Permission Flow

User Action → Soft Prompt (in-app) → System Dialog (OS level)
     ↑              ↑                      ↑
  Context      Explain value          Irreversible (only once)

Soft Prompt Pattern

Before the system dialog (which can only be shown once), use an in-app screen:

Structure:

1. Contextual hook — "Stay on top of your orders"
2. Specific benefit — "Get notified when your package ships and arrives"
3. Two clear options — "Enable Notifications" / "Not Now"
4. Skip if declined — don't ask again for 30 days

Timing by Permission Type

If Permission Is Denied

• Never ask again immediately — respect the decision
• Show how to enable in Settings — if user tries the feature again
• Provide alternative path — web upload if camera denied
• Wait 30+ days before re-prompting — and only with new context

Push Notification Design

Structure

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [App Icon] App Name        2m ago  │
│                                     │
│ Headline (bold, 1 line)            │
│ Body text (2 lines max, specific)  │
│                                     │
│ [Action 1]  [Action 2]  [Dismiss]  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Rules

• Headline: Specific, actionable. "Your order shipped" not "Update available"
• Body: Personal and relevant. "Package #1234 arrives Tuesday" not "Tap to open"
• Max 2 action buttons — primary action + dismiss
• Deep link to the right screen — not just the app home

Notification Categories

Frequency Guidelines

• Transactional: unlimited (user-triggered)
• Status: 1-2 per user action lifecycle
• Re-engagement: max 1 per day, only if user has pending activity
• Marketing: max 1-2 per week, segment-targeted
• Batch non-urgent — daily digest instead of individual pings

Rich Notifications

• Images — increase engagement ~20%, but keep under 200KB
• Action buttons — let users act without opening the app
• Grouped/stacked — combine multiple notifications from same app

Notification Settings

Provide Granular Control

Let users choose which types of notifications they receive:

• Order updates
• Messages
• Promotions
• Account security
• Daily digest (replaces individual notifications)

Quiet Hours

Respect local time. Default quiet hours: 10 PM – 8 AM.

Reference Map

• references/permission-priming-flow.md — soft prompt → OS dialog timing and denied-state playbook
• references/frequency-and-categories.md — category matrix, quiet hours, opt-out signals

Related Skills

• For onboarding patterns → use onboarding-ux
• For UX writing → use ux-writing-content-design
• For ethical considerations → use ethical-design-patterns