Push Notifications

Receive notifications when the app is in the background. Requires a Service Worker (Web) or FCM (Android).

Web Push (PWA)

Enable Push

// Request permission and register with the server
const swRegistration = await navigator.serviceWorker.ready;
await client.push.enablePushNotifications(swRegistration);

This method:

1. Requests browser notification permission (if not already granted)
2. Subscribes to Web Push with the server's VAPID key
3. Sends the push subscription to POST /api/v1/push/register

Silent Re-registration

On app restart, re-register push silently (without triggering the permission prompt):

if ('Notification' in window && Notification.permission === 'granted') {
  const reg = await navigator.serviceWorker.ready;
  await client.push.enablePushNotifications(reg).catch(console.warn);
}

Service Worker

Your Service Worker must handle push events:

// sw.ts
self.addEventListener('push', (event) => {
  const title = 'New Message';
  const options = {
    body: 'You have a new message',
    icon: '/pwa-192x192.png',
    badge: '/pwa-192x192.png',
    data: { type: 'new_msg' },
  };
  event.waitUntil(self.registration.showNotification(title, options));
});

self.addEventListener('notificationclick', (event) => {
  event.notification.close();
  event.waitUntil(clients.openWindow('/'));
});

Zero-Knowledge Push

Push notifications contain no message content:

{
  "type": "new_msg"
}

• ❌ No conversation ID
• ❌ No sender info
• ❌ No message preview

The server only knows "someone has a new message" — not who, from whom, or what.

Important Notes

• Push only works on HTTPS (or localhost for development)
• The VAPID public key is hardcoded in the SDK
• Push subscriptions are per-device — each device registers independently
• If the user revokes notification permission, push stops silently