Enhanced broadcast push notification metrics now live in Push Notifications Console

The Push Notifications Console now offers new, in-depth metrics for broadcast push notifications sent through Apple’s Push Notification service (APNs) production environment, Apple announced recently. This enhancement provides a centralized view of key performance data, allowing developers to better understand the reach and impact of broadcast push notifications across their subscriber base. Metrics available include the number of notifications successfully accepted by APNs, the total devices that received notifications, and a snapshot of the maximum number of devices subscribed to your channels.

Broadcast push notifications are a powerful tool to engage a large audience via Live Activities, a feature that has become increasingly popular with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. This technology allows users to subscribe to a channel and receive updates on events, activities, or relevant information in real time. To utilize this feature, developers need to enable the broadcast capability for APNs through the Apple Developer Console.

Unlike standard push notifications, which rely on individual device tokens, broadcast notifications allow for a single broadcast request, targeting all users interested in a particular Live Activity update. This streamlined approach is ideal for delivering timely updates on widely relevant topics, such as flight statuses, sports events, or other real-time information where multiple users are interested in the same broadcast.

However, when notifications are relevant to individual users—like a ride-sharing update or a personal delivery—developers should continue to use device token-based notifications. This distinction helps ensure that users receive the most relevant and personalized information while allowing broader communications through broadcast channels.

To begin utilizing the broadcast push functionality, developers must first ensure they have enabled push notifications for their app on the Apple Developer Console. The process involves navigating to Certificates, IDs & Profiles > Identifiers, selecting the relevant app topic, and enabling Broadcast Capability within the Push Notifications section. Once enabled, this capability can only be removed manually, and any removal will result in the deletion of all associated channels and broadcast configurations. Developers should note that this action is irreversible, and the channels will require reconfiguration if reinstated.

The new metrics are accessible via the Overview and Channels tabs within the Push Notifications Console. The Overview tab provides a four-week history of metrics, including the total number of notifications published, devices that received them, and a snapshot of total device subscriptions. These metrics offer a comprehensive view of engagement with Live Activity broadcasts, helping developers assess the reach and effectiveness of their broadcast notifications. Metrics are aggregated daily, providing insights into user behavior and helping developers optimize notification strategies based on real-time feedback.

For a deeper dive, the Channels tab breaks down metrics by individual channels, displaying a one-week history of performance. Recently deleted channels will still display historical metrics for analysis, though channels with minimal subscribers may not show broadcast metrics.

Key Metrics Breakdown:

• Notifications Published: Represents the number of notifications accepted by APNs.
• Notifications Delivered: Indicates the total notifications successfully delivered by APNs.
• Total Subscriptions: Provides a daily snapshot of device subscriptions, recording the highest value for each day.
• Unique Subscribers: Available in application-level metrics, this is a snapshot count of unique devices subscribed to at least one channel for the app, also recording the highest daily value.