The previous chapter introduced you to App Extensions. You learned that App Extensions enables you to tightly integrate your app with iOS. In iOS 10, Apple added extension possibilities for notifications while also completely revamping how notifications work. In this chapter, we're going to explore how notifications work and how you can implement extensions that will have a tremendous positive impact on the user experience of receiving notifications.
First, we will look at notifications from a broad perspective and how they manifest throughout iOS. Even though we won't go into a lot of detail straight away, you'll gain a deep understanding of notifications by looking at the different types of notification and the different ways of scheduling notifications that are available. Next, we'll have a detailed look at how your app can schedule and handle notifications. Finally, we'll look at the extension points that have been added by Apple in order to implement richer and more engaging notifications.
By the end of this chapter you'll know everything there is to know about notifications and how they can be used to create a unique, engaging user experience. People receive lots of notifications throughout the day, so providing a great experience that stands out will ensure that people don't get annoyed with your notifications to the point of wanting to disable them entirely.
This chapter is divided into the following topics:
- Gaining a deep understanding of notifications
- Scheduling and handling notifications
- Implementing notification extensions
Ready? Let's take dive head-first into notifications.