Support for incoming iOS web push notifications

On January 27, 2022, Apple launched the first beta of iOS 15.4 with several updates, including one we've been looking forward to for a long time.
iOS 15.4 is expected to introduce many new features, including support for Face ID with a mask, new emojis, and updates to built-in apps like Notes and AppleTV.
However, the most exciting addition is the experimental support for iOS web push notifications!

The setting to enable web notifications support in Safari (WebKit) preferences can be viewed on an iOS 15.4 device running in Xcode Device Simulator

Web push notifications are a popular communication channel used by beyond 8% of the major websites . They provide an essential mechanism for sites Web to send timely and personalized messages to users.

Nearly all operating systems support this valuable communication channel. Unfortunately, until recently, Apple was a significant outlier and showed little interest in enabling web push on iOS devices. In the past, Apple has faced pushback for lagging behind in supporting modern web APIs, including web push.

Apple holds a 52% share of the mobile market in the United States and an equally large market share worldwide. This has slowed the adoption and usefulness of web push notifications. Websites have resorted to pressuring users to download apps or provide an email or SMS number to receive messages.

iOS 15.4 Beta will enable web push support in Safari on iOS and allow it to be used in other iOS browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

This beta feature in iOS 15.4 disabled web push by default, and unfortunately, enabling it doesn't work yet. The introduction of this option and the iOS web push API are strong signs that Apple is actively working on introducing full web push support.

Web push support likely won't be available until later, possibly in iOS 16. If this prediction is correct, we'll see iOS web push introduced with the public launch of iOS 16 in September 2022.

It may take a while to get there, but we're incredibly excited about the opportunities this will unlock for better, easier-to-use mobile web experiences. The OneSignal team is closely monitoring this news and will ensure all OneSignal customers are prepared to seamlessly take advantage of web push on iOS when it becomes available.