Make your notifications utilize the new richer user interface!

Now you can show to your app users the notification title, subtitle, icon (URI to PNG file) and play a sound. Additionally there is now type parameter that you can use for example to categorize the payload content.

Get the Qt SDK 1.2 now and let your end-users experience richer notifications.

See here how to add the new parameters on the service side.

See the What's new page for more information.

---

Nokia Store button website integration: Good for you & your customers

Easy way to advertise and link content from Nokia Store to your webpage.

It´s an easy way to link your website directly to your content and apps in the Nokia Store and offer more download options for your customers. The Nokia Store button can increase your app downloads because it allows consumers to download your app directly from your website without ever leaving the website. Generating buttons is extremely easy and fast – just visit Online Marketing Tool today to get started!

Create sticky mobile services and apps with push notifications

What does this API offer?

The Notifications API makes it easy to add real-time push notifications to your client applications running on Nokia devices. As shown in the diagram below, applications access the Nokia-hosted Notification Server through two separate interfaces that you integrate in your applications:

• The Service API provides access to the Notification Server through an HTTP REST interface. Your service uses this interface to send notifications.
• The Client API allows applications on the device to register and receive notifications from the Notification Server. The Client API is available for Qt on Symbian devices. QML support will also be available in the near future.

For more information, please download and read the Notifications White Paper.

To read more about how using the Notifications API in your application can dramatically reduce battery use, see this great article on the Long Live Your Mobile Battery blog.

 Contents

• Home
• 1. Register your service
• 2. Add notifications to your service
• Examples: Java, Python, Perl
• API reference
• 3. Add notifications to your client application
• Set up Qt API environment
• Examples
• Install application on devices
• Notifications UI application
• API reference
• 4. Test your service
• 5. Publish your service
• Supported devices
• What's New?

Developer console

Get support

Typical lifecycle of a notification

The diagram below shows the typical lifecycle of a notification.

1. Before an application can receive notifications, it must register with the Notification Server and request a Notification ID. This Notification ID uniquely identifies both the end user and the target client application and is used by the Notification Server to route notifications.
2. The client application then shares this Notification ID with its respective service; the server now knows where to send the notification.
3. When a notification is ready to be sent, the service sends it to the Notification Server using the Service API, providing the notification data (also called payload) and the Notification ID.
4. The Notification Server sends the notification to the client application.

---

Get started: Create your first service and application

1Registeryour service

2Add notificationsto your service

3Add notificationsto your client application

4Testyour service

5Publishyour service

Step 1: Register your new service

Before you start developing your service and application, you need to register your new service in the Nokia hosted infrastructure. When you register your service, you receive service credentials—that is, a Service ID and a Service Secret—as well as an Application ID.

The Service ID uniquely identifies your service with the Notification Server, while the Service Secret is a secret password generated by Nokia. Your service must use these credentials to register and authenticate against the Notification Server and start sending notifications.

The Application ID uniquely identifies the application with the Notification Server.

Register your service now!

Step 2: Add notification support to your service

You can create your new service with the scripting or programming language of your choice. You then add notification support by using the Notifications REST API to push the notifications to the Notification Server. To get you started quickly, this documentation includes a example service; you can use it to start writing your own.

Add notification support to your service now!

Step 3: Add notification support to your client application

To add notification support to your client application, you use the Notifications Qt API. Through this API, your client application can retrieve the Notification ID and receive notifications from the Notification Server. To get you started quickly, this documentation includes an example application; you can use it to start writing your own.

Add notification support to your client application now!

Step 4: Test your service and application

Now that you have added notification support to your service and your client application, you are ready to send notifications!

Nokia provides three environments for running your service and application:

• Sandbox environment: You use the Nokia-hosted sandbox environment to develop and test your application. In this environment, a service can send notifications to client applications as if in a production environment.
• Production environment: When your service is tested and ready to be launched commercially,it needs to use the production environment.
• Chinese production environment: When your service is tested and ready to be launched commercially in Chinese market, it needs to be configured to use the Chinese production environment.

When you register your application (in step 1), you receive service credentials and an Application ID for the sandbox environment. You can use these to start testing your application right now.

Test your service and application now!

Step 5: Publish your service

If your service is fully tested and ready to be launched commercially, it can be moved to use the production or Chinese production environment. Publishing your service means that its Service ID is registered in the production or Chinese production environment, and that your service connects to the production or the Chinese production server address. The server address is included in the e-mail which is sent to you when your production access request is granted.

Note that a service must have been tested in the sandbox environment for at least five days before you can request it to be moved to the production environment or Chinese production environment.

Publish your service now!

---

Glossary

Term	Description
API	Application Programming Interface
Application ID	A unique identifier for the application. The Application ID is the reverse of the Service ID; for example, if com.ovi.nnapi.ovireader is the Service ID, then ovireader.nnapi.ovi.com is the Application ID.
Application wake-up	Parameter specifying whether an application that is not already running on the device should be started when a notification is received.
Developer console	Online web tools for managing Notification services and for sending notifications from the web to a sandbox environment.
JID	Identity of a Notifications user. The JID consists of a username and a domain; for example, zacharias.topelius@ovi.com. The username is the same as the Nokia account name.
NID	See Notification ID.
Nokia account (also called Ovi account)	Account needed to access Ovi services. You can create your own Nokia account ​here if you don't already have one.
Notification ID	A client application identifier that a service can use to determine the recipient of a notification. The Notification ID is unique to the application, user, and device. NID is typically between 100 and 200 Bytes in length, but it may be longer in some cases and you should reserve at least 512B for storing it.
Notifications Enabler	Component running on the device and responsible for establishing an active connection to the Notification Server. A single Notifications Enabler can handle multiple client applications.
Notifications UI application	The Notifications UI application shows the list of applications that have received notifications. An end user can select which application to launch by clicking on the application name in the list.
Payload	Notification content for the client. Maximum size is 1.5 kB
Production environment	When a notification service is tested and ready for deployment, it can be moved to the production environment. You can manage your production environment related access credentials with the Developer console.
Chinese production environment	When a notification service targeted for people living in China is tested and ready for commercial use, it needs to have access to the Chinese production environment. You can manage your Chinese production environment related access credentials with the Developer console.
Sandbox environment	Development environment where service and client applications can be developed and executed. In the sandbox environment, a service can send notifications to client applications as if in a production environment. You can manage your sandbox environment related access credentials with the Developer console.
Service Account	The Service ID and Service Secret are used when the service is authenticated against the Notifications infrastructure. Note that the Application ID is constructed from the Service ID.
Service ID	A unique identifier for the service; the Service ID can be selected by the developer.
Service Secret	Password for authenticating requests on the Notifications REST API.

---

Requirements

API	Requirements
Service-side development	Your service can be written in the language of your choice. There are no requirements in terms of tools and operating systems. Nokia recommends that you run your service on a server platform (e.g., Linux, Windows) with a stable network connection.
Client-side development	The Qt API requires the Nokia Qt SDK 1.1 or 1.2, which installs the Notifications API component automatically. Notification Qt applications are already running on millions of devices. See the list of supported devices for more information. Qt applications can be tested with the Qt Simulator.

---

Supported devices

Notification applications can run on many devices delivered by Nokia. Notification Qt applications can also be run with the Qt Simulator.

List of supported devices

---

Limitations

Nokia-hosted environments

When using the Notifications API Developer Package and/or the Notification Server, you hereby agree that your application or any other application or service using the Notifications API will not exceed any transaction volume limits (if any) set by Nokia. The transaction volume limit is as set forth in the documentation included in the Notifications API or support websites. Nokia may change the limit from time to time at its sole discretion. Any programmatic methods or other actions intended to circumvent the transaction volume limits shall be considered a material breach of these Terms.

Nokia-hosted sandbox environment

The sandbox environment is meant for development and testing purposes only; many client applications are not supposed to be connected to one service. The sandbox environment should not be used to send a large number of notifications. The number of active services for each developer is limited to 20.

Nokia-hosted production environment

The production environment is used for services and client applications that are commercially released. Only tested services shall be moved to the production environment.

APIs and SDK packages for Notifications API

We offer a Qt API for developing push notification client applications and a REST API for push notification services development.

---

Security and privacy

Security and user privacy have been a very high priority for Nokia when designing the Notifications system. All communications are done over encrypted channels and no user data is exposed outside of the system.

---

Publication history

See our What's New section for the latest information.