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I have not found a good use case for browser notifications, to the point that I have turned them off completely due to endless prompts for permission from every

I have not found a good use case for browser notifications, to the point that I have turned them off completely due to endless prompts for permission from every website to push them.

kemayo 1y ago
Apple's approach of only allowing sites that you've pulled out onto your home screen to request them is actually not bad for balancing this. It means I'm not being constantly nagged while browsing normally, but when I decide I want to treat something "like an app" it gets access to richer features. (I very rarely do this. I think the only thing I have pulled out like that currently is Puzzmo, which doesn't even do notifications.)
- Rohansi 1y ago
  It's a decent way to handle permission but it's never "like an app" with iOS. Web push is missing basic features on iOS, such as notification sound/vibration. Many will say that's a good thing but there is no restriction for actual apps. I would love to rewrite a React Native app I work on as a PWA but silent notifications are totally useless for it.
  - om2 1y ago
    Web Push does have the sound option now.
cosmic_cheese 1y ago
There are some legitimate use cases for them, but generally I think web push permissions are best defaulted to “no” so sites can’t harass users with fake, “we need to maintain the ability to harass the users again” in app prompts.
- madeofpalk 1y ago
  Every request for notification permission is best defaulted to No. It shocks me how eager people are to opt-into getting spam and other junk alerting on their phone.
  - Rohansi 1y ago
    Many people don't even read pop ups and just click the button that stands out to them. It's pretty wild to see.
shiomiru 1y ago
Among less technologically literate acquaintances, getting a gazillion browser notifications on startup seems to be the modern equivalent of accidentally installing tons of useless toolbars.
Jaxan 1y ago
Another thing that drives me nuts is the choice “yes / yes always / ask again next time”. I want “no never”!
- tyushk 1y ago
  How will they ever get you to accidentally click "yes" if it doesn't pop up again?
l72 1y ago
My company has a product that allows you to chat with tech support. The end user (our customer's customer), is just someone who went to one of our customers' help portals and requested help via chat. These chats are going to last < 1 hour typically. There are times when the custom support agent needs to confer with someone else, and then will respond back. The end user, in that case, does not want to sit there with their phone open for 15 minutes, waiting for a response. While we have an app those end users could download and get notifications on, no one wants to do that for a one off session (not even an App Clip). Trying to get iOS users to add it to their home screen, is basically a no-go too. So, it would be really nice if we had a way to send push notifications, even if it was time limited (allow notifications for the next 1 hour). Don't get me wrong, Push Notification can and are abused. But there are valid use cases.
postalrat 1y ago
A rational person would avoid websites that flood with you things you don't want.
yencabulator 1y ago
I currently have a browser tab open somewhere that is beeping and probably changing its title text, and I have no clue which tab it is. I for sure would prefer having a way to ask my browser for a list of recent notifications and the tabs involved, regardless of whether they deserved a pop-up window on my screen or not.

I have not found a good use case for browser notifications, to the point that I have turned them off completely due to endless prompts for permission from every website to push them.

kemayo 1y ago

Apple's approach of only allowing sites that you've pulled out onto your home screen to request them is actually not bad for balancing this. It means I'm not being constantly nagged while browsing normally, but when I decide I want to treat something "like an app" it gets access to richer features. (I very rarely do this. I think the only thing I have pulled out like that currently is Puzzmo, which doesn't even do notifications.)

Rohansi 1y ago
It's a decent way to handle permission but it's never "like an app" with iOS. Web push is missing basic features on iOS, such as notification sound/vibration. Many will say that's a good thing but there is no restriction for actual apps. I would love to rewrite a React Native app I work on as a PWA but silent notifications are totally useless for it.
- om2 1y ago
  Web Push does have the sound option now.

cosmic_cheese 1y ago

There are some legitimate use cases for them, but generally I think web push permissions are best defaulted to “no” so sites can’t harass users with fake, “we need to maintain the ability to harass the users again” in app prompts.

madeofpalk 1y ago
Every request for notification permission is best defaulted to No. It shocks me how eager people are to opt-into getting spam and other junk alerting on their phone.
- Rohansi 1y ago
  Many people don't even read pop ups and just click the button that stands out to them. It's pretty wild to see.

shiomiru 1y ago

Among less technologically literate acquaintances, getting a gazillion browser notifications on startup seems to be the modern equivalent of accidentally installing tons of useless toolbars.

Jaxan 1y ago

Another thing that drives me nuts is the choice “yes / yes always / ask again next time”. I want “no never”!

tyushk 1y ago
How will they ever get you to accidentally click "yes" if it doesn't pop up again?

l72 1y ago

My company has a product that allows you to chat with tech support. The end user (our customer's customer), is just someone who went to one of our customers' help portals and requested help via chat. These chats are going to last < 1 hour typically. There are times when the custom support agent needs to confer with someone else, and then will respond back. The end user, in that case, does not want to sit there with their phone open for 15 minutes, waiting for a response. While we have an app those end users could download and get notifications on, no one wants to do that for a one off session (not even an App Clip). Trying to get iOS users to add it to their home screen, is basically a no-go too. So, it would be really nice if we had a way to send push notifications, even if it was time limited (allow notifications for the next 1 hour). Don't get me wrong, Push Notification can and are abused. But there are valid use cases.

postalrat 1y ago

A rational person would avoid websites that flood with you things you don't want.

yencabulator 1y ago

I currently have a browser tab open somewhere that is beeping and probably changing its title text, and I have no clue which tab it is. I for sure would prefer having a way to ask my browser for a list of recent notifications and the tabs involved, regardless of whether they deserved a pop-up window on my screen or not.