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I'm already dumbfounded by the number of notifications I see pop up on relative's screens, this can only add to it. My default is to not allow notifications unless the application has a very good reason for needing it, and even then if they abuse that the notifications get turned back off.

It's one of many moves Apple is making in what I'm assuming is to assuage antitrust concerns. I think it's an overall good because having choice is good, but I do suspect I'll start seeing even more spam on people's notifications as a result.

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Good news! You'll only get notifications if you save a web app to your homscreen and then explicitly give it permission. And then you can choose to limit it to only badging, as with native iOS apps. Or you can use focus modes to manage which notifications you can get in different situations, as with native iOS apps. We've been careful to minimize the risk of notification overload as much as we can.

I'm glad that there's controls in place to help minimize the issue, but I also know that companies do a good job of making people think that they need to enable settings on their phones that they don't.

That's of course not in Apple's control, it's just a meaningful downside to opening up push notifications to web apps on iOS. The utility for the few apps that can really benefit from this probably outweighs the downsides, but I've seen other people's phones and know it will also, and possibly mostly, only contribute to more spam.

they thought of everything huh?

But it's bad news!

I can think of so many valid and proven use cases for notifications.

Requiring to first save a web app locally in order to actually benefit from its full feature set is bad UX. Apple.

I am wondering what is the use case for a website that sends notification to the user who didn't install the PWA to home screen.

Going by this thread, more people seem grateful than upset about this UX.

I completely agree about notification spam being an issue, but why should native apps get a head start over PWAs here?

There are many native apps on my phone that abuse notifications for spamming (often by not having an option that disables marketing while keeping e.g. delivery notifications active, which means blocking everything is sometimes not an option), but at the same time, there are some websites where I'd really like getting notifications (and notifications are in fact the only reason I have their app installed!).

> I completely agree about notification spam being an issue, but why should native apps get a head start over PWAs here?

They shouldn't, which is why I think this is an overall positive change. It's mostly that when you add ways people can receive notifications, it can only increase the amount of notifications you can get, not reduce it, and notifications for most applications have at best dubious utility for the end user.

Web apps are also not beholden to the app store rules, so I think they at least have slightly higher chance of being abused, not that the app store prevents companies like Uber from spamming you with advertisements and bundling them with delivery notifications, like you mentioned.

However with a native app, you've chosen to install it, so you're at least partially interested in its notifications. With a website, you may just have browsed to it and have no intention of ever returning again. So the point of having to "install" the PWA to your home-screen mimics that first stage of intention.

The key issue (as many others have noted) is that the "installation" step is still somewhat arcane.

The difference is that Apple has rules about what can going into App notifications, and if developers don't follow the rules they can kick the app out of the App Store. (Not saying they couldn't be better about this, but it's at least an option even if it's not perfect.) But they'll have no control over what notifications from web pages you've put on your home screen show. It will make notifications a worse experience for users all around.

Apple has rules surrounding using push notifications for marketing uses, yes. They haven’t enforced them for a decade. Apple’s own apps are guilty of blatant rule violations. Not to say that there’s any expectation that Apple would follow their own rules. Rather that the company doesn’t see the value in following them. So. In the hypothetical universe where they still cared, sure. But we aren’t in that universe.

> But they'll have no control over what notifications from web pages you've put on your home screen show.

They own the browser. They can theoretically maintain a list of bad origins just as much as they can block an app from the App Store.

> The difference is that Apple has rules about what can going into App notifications,

They aren't very effective, then. I'd love to have a way to let (e.g.) food delivery apps tell me when my food is arriving, without letting them spam me 30 times a week with "special offers".

Unfortunately, these rules primarily serve Apple, not me as a user.

That isn’t true. Here are the rules:

> 2.5.3 Apps that transmit viruses, files, computer code, or programs that may harm or disrupt the normal operation of the operating system and/or hardware features, including Push Notifications and Game Center, will be rejected. Egregious violations and repeat behavior will result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.

> 2.5.16 App Clips, widgets, extensions, and notifications should be related to the content and functionality of your app.

> 2.5.18 Display advertising should be limited to your main app binary, and should not be included in extensions, App Clips, widgets, notifications, keyboards, watchOS apps, etc.

> 3.2.2 Unacceptable: (ii) Monetizing built-in capabilities provided by the hardware or operating system, such as Push Notifications, the camera, or the gyroscope; or Apple services, such as Apple Music access or iCloud storage.

> 4.5.3 Do not use Apple Services to spam, phish, or send unsolicited messages to customers, including Game Center, Push Notifications, etc.

> 4.5.4 Push Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used to send sensitive personal or confidential information. Push Notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive them via consent language displayed in your app’s UI, and you provide a method in your app for a user to opt out from receiving such messages. Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges.

— https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

Apple doesn't even follow their own rules on this.

It requires adding the app your Home Screen first.

I'm like you I disable almost all notifications by default. For some pesky apps that try to be cheeky about it, like Uber Eats requiring notifications but then not letting you opt out of promotional ones, I turn them on only for the duration of my order.

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