Overview
What Apple Push Notifications (APNS) is
Apple Push Notification service (APNs) is Apple's platform for delivering remote push notifications to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS apps over a secure connection.
Courier sits in front of it, manages device tokens for you, and adds an in-app inbox and SMS, so you get a complete mobile messaging stack from one API.
You need a Courier account and an APNs authentication key (.p8 file) from your Apple Developer account, along with your Key ID and Team ID.
Why Courier
What you get with Apple Push Notifications (APNS) + Courier
We manage device tokens
Courier stores and manages APNs device tokens for you, so you stop tracking registrations and expiry across your Apple apps yourself.
Add an in-app inbox
Pair push with an in-product notification center (web and mobile SDKs), so a tapped push opens the full message history inside your app.
Complete the mobile picture with SMS
Add SMS alongside push from the same notification, so you can also reach users who have push turned off.
Design push without code
Compose and localize push content in Courier's editor. Product teams change messaging without a deploy.
Automate multi-step flows
Onboarding, re-engagement, and lifecycle sequences across push, in-app, and SMS with delays and branching.
Localize a message in seconds
Pick a language and let Courier translate your push content with AI, then tweak any string.
Use cases
What teams build with it
Setup
Connect it in minutes
An admin adds Apple Push Notifications once on the Integrations page in Courier. Once connected, Courier manages tokens and your team can send push, add an in-app inbox, and layer in SMS.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Apple Push Notification service (APNs) with Courier?
Yes. APNs is Apple's service for delivering push notifications to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS apps. Courier sends through it from the Send API, so you can reach Apple devices as one channel in your notification stack.
Do I still need my own APNs account?
Yes. You need an Apple Developer account, since Courier authenticates to APNs as your own app rather than proxying Apple. That account is where you own the app's Bundle ID and generate the token-based signing key Courier uses to send.
What do I need to connect APNs to Courier?
Upload your APNs authentication key (a .p8 file) in the APNS channel settings, then enter the matching Key ID and Team ID. Set the sandbox or production environment toggle to match the build your device tokens came from.
How does Courier handle APNs device tokens?
You can set a device token on the recipient profile as apn.token or apn.tokens, push it through the Device Tokens API, or let a Courier Mobile SDK sync tokens automatically so you send to a user_id instead of a raw token.
Which platforms does the APNs integration cover?
APNs covers Apple devices, and Courier's iOS, React Native, and Flutter SDKs auto-manage those tokens for you. Android is not delivered through APNs; route Android devices through FCM instead.
How do I customize the APNs payload, like badges or a deep link?
Use the override schema on a send request. Settings such as sounds and badges live under providers.apn.override.body.aps, and you can add your own keys there (for example, a screen to open) or send a silent notification.
Is Courier a replacement for APNs?
No. APNs still delivers every push to Apple devices; Courier sits in front of it. Courier adds one API, content design in Design Studio, multi-step Journeys, and other channels like email, SMS, and Courier Inbox.
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