Developers of web-based apps in Apple’s ecosystem have not been able to send push notifications to iPhone users. This has limited the efficacy of their web apps. However, recently added experimental settings for Safari suggest that could change soon.

Web-based notifications are commonplace on macOS, but Apple still prohibits developers from using the feature on iOS. Apple recently released the first beta build of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. The software updates bring a new toggle called “Push API” on the Experimental Settings page, which suggests web push notifications could soon come to iPhone. For the unversed, a web app is different from anything you download from the App Store because they are designed entirely on the web and can be accessed using a URL in a web browser.

Developer Maximiliano Firtman explains that the API toggle has been added, but Apple hasn’t implemented it yet. So, Safari on iPhone won’t start asking you for permissions to display push notifications just yet. The “Push API” toggle could be the foundation for a significant change that allows web apps to send notifications like natively installed iOS apps.

Besides this, another related toggle has been spotted in the latest beta versions of iOS and iPadOS. The “Built-In Web Notifications” toggle is also a cosmetic toggle that’s not yet active. The developer deduces that there could be several reasons why the API is unavailable:

• Apple could be finishing the API, and subsequent beta builds could carry a permission dialog box for web app notifications.
• There could be some unknown requirements, such as site engagement, that the users must fulfill to enable the API.

The most significant advantage of web app notifications on iPhone would be that developers, their platforms, and small businesses would be able to reach a large set of untapped iPhone users.

What are your thoughts about the potential for web app push notifications on iPhone? Let us know in the comments section below.