How to Update Badge Counter for Apple Push Notification Using Amazon SNS
How to Update Badge Counter for Apple Push Notification Using Amazon SNS
As data scientists and software engineers, we are often tasked with building scalable, efficient and robust systems. One common requirement is the ability to send push notifications to mobile devices. This is where Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) comes in handy. But how do we manage the notification badge counter, particularly for Apple Push Notification Service (APNs)? This article aims to break down this process, step by step.
What is Amazon SNS?
Amazon SNS is a fully managed messaging service provided by AWS for both application-to-application and application-to-person communication. It offers a powerful set of features for sending push notifications to mobile devices, including Apple devices via APNs.
Understanding the Badge Counter in APNs
The badge is a small number displayed on the top-right corner of the app icon, indicating the number of unread notifications. Apple lets you modify this badge through the APNs. When you send a push notification, you can include a ‘badge’ key in your payload, and its value will be shown on the badge.
Updating the Badge Counter with Amazon SNS
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to send a push notification with a badge value using Amazon SNS.
Step 1: Set up an Amazon SNS Topic
First, you need to create a new SNS Topic. This is a logical access point and communication channel that your publisher will use to send messages.
aws sns create-topic --name my-topic
Step 2: Create an iOS Platform Application on SNS
Next, create an iOS Platform Application on SNS. This will allow you to send push notifications to iOS devices. You will need your APNs certificates for this step.
aws sns create-platform-application --attributes PlatformCredential=<APNs-PrivateKey>,PlatformPrincipal=<APNs-Certificate> --name MyiOSApp --platform APNS
Step 3: Subscribe Your Device to the SNS Topic
Once the SNS Topic and the iOS Platform Application are ready, you can subscribe your device to the Topic. You will need the device token for this step.
aws sns subscribe --topic-arn <my-topic-arn> --protocol application --notification-endpoint <device-token>
Step 4: Publish a Message to the Topic with a Badge
Finally, you can publish a message to the Topic. In the message attributes, you can set the ‘badge’ value. The following example sets the badge value to 9.
aws sns publish --topic-arn <my-topic-arn> --message-structure json --message '{"default": "Hello from SNS!", "APNS": "{\"aps\":{\"alert\": \"Hello from SNS!\", \"badge\": 9}}"}'
And that’s it. You’ve just sent a push notification with a badge value using Amazon SNS!
Conclusion
Amazon SNS is a powerful tool for managing and sending push notifications, and with a little bit of setup, it can also manage your app’s badge counter. This guide provided a step-by-step walkthrough of how to do just that. Whether you’re a data scientist or a software engineer, understanding how to use Amazon SNS with APNs is a valuable skill to have in your toolkit.
Remember, the key to successful implementation lies in careful and accurate setup. Make sure to replace <APNs-PrivateKey>, <APNs-Certificate>, <my-topic-arn> and <device-token> with your own values. Happy coding!
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