Apple iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 are gearing up to bring Safari web app push notifications to iPhones and iPads.
The Cupertino-based tech giant first mentioned such a feature when it introduced the iOS during the WWDC event in June 2022.
And this time, the latest beta of the iPhone operating system includes the new push notification option for web apps.
Apple iOS 16.4's Safari Web App Push Notifications Support
As per a recent report by The Verge, iPhones, as well as iPads, lets their users create Safari web apps on the home screen of their mobile devices. This feature has long been available, allowing Apple users to access their favorite sites similar to how actual apps work.
However, unlike apps that were actually downloaded from the Apple App Store, these Safari web apps lack any option that lets them send users to push notifications. So you might end up missing updates if you fail to visit these web apps frequently.
But this time, it looks like the renowned phone maker is now working to change this limitation. The beta versions of iOS and iPadOS 16.4 are now available, which offers long-awaited push notification support for these web apps.
So after a couple of months since Apple vowed to bring it, the new notification option is closely reaching its final form. For now, iPhone and iPad users have to install the latest software beta on their devices for them to get their hands on it.
But how does it work anyway? Is it similar to how actual apps send push notifications?
How Notification Support for Web Apps Work
Mac Rumors notes in its report that the web app notifications work a lot like how native apps are doing so.
These Safari web apps would send push notifications using the Notification API, Push API, and Service Workers.
The Apple WebKit team notes that "a web app that has been added to the Home Screen can request permission to receive push notifications as long as that request is in reports to direct user interaction."
It includes activities like "tapping on a 'subscribe' button provided by the web app."
On top of that, iPhone and iPad users can also enable and disabled it via the Notifications Settings, alongside the options for other native apps on their devices.
Given that iOS 16.4 has recently entered its beta testing phase. It might not take long before this new notification support rolls out to the stable version.
