Troubleshooting Push Notifications
There can be multiple reasons preventing your customers from receiving push notifications. This guide walks you through the most common causes and how to resolve them — from certificate issues to device-level settings.
In this article:
Step 1: Check your push certificates
Step 2: Use debug mode to check device status
Step 3: Verify device-level notification settings
Step 4: Check for known platform issues
How to report the issue to our team
Step 1: Check Your Push Configurations (APNs)
Apple requires a valid Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificate or auth key for your app to send push notifications to iOS users. The certificates expire but we're transitioning all apps to use APNs auth keys instead as they don't expire. APNs Auth Keys are tied to a Team ID, not a specific app so one key can cover multiple apps.
How to check:
Log in to Apple Developer
Navigate to Keys
Look for a key listed as Tapcart Push or something similar
If there isn't a key there, navigate to Certificates on the left side
Look for the Apple Push Services certificate associated with your app
Check the Expiration date on the right-hand side
If the certificate has expired, doesn't exist or you can't confirm a key has been created, contact us immediately at [email protected] so we can verify that push has been setup correctly.
For Android: Push notifications use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). FCM credentials are configured during your initial app setup. If Android push notifications stop working, contact our team to verify the FCM configuration.
Step 2: Use Debug Mode to Check Device Status
The debug mode on your device helps determine whether a specific device is registered for push notifications.
Open your app on the device experiencing the issue
Long-press the app logo in the top center of the screen for approximately 10 seconds
If your home screen doesn't have a logo in the center of the header, head to the Account page and hold the center title instead.
The debug overlay will appear showing the Device ID, Push Token, and App Version
Interpreting the results:
Push Token is present: The device is registered for push notifications. The issue is likely on the sending/certificate side — see Steps 1 and 4.
Push Token = Unknown: The device has NOT opted into push notifications. See Step 3 below.
Take a screenshot or select to Copy on the debug overlay and share this information with our Support Team when reporting an issue.
Step 3: Verify Device-Level Notification Settings
If a customer's Push Token shows as "Unknown," they haven't opted into push notifications on their device. Here's how to enable them:
iOS:
Go to Settings → Notifications on the device
Find your app in the list
Toggle Allow Notifications to on
Force quit the app, reopen it, and check the debug overlay again — a Push Token should now appear
Android:
Go to Settings → Apps → [Your App] → Notifications
Ensure notifications are enabled
Check that the notification channel isn't muted or set to silent
Note: Some Android devices (Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus) have aggressive battery optimization that can block background notifications. Users may need to disable battery optimization for the app under device settings.
Step 4: Check for Known Platform Issues
If push notifications suddenly stop working for many customers at once, it may be a platform-level issue rather than a device issue.
Common causes of bulk push delivery failure:
Expired APNs certificate: Affects all iOS users simultaneously. Check Step 1.
Third-party push integration changes: If you use Klaviyo, Attentive, or another push provider alongside Tapcart, changes to their integration (API keys, webhooks) can disrupt delivery. Verify your integration settings in both platforms.
Recent app update: If a new app version was recently released, some users may need to update before push delivery resumes. Older builds may have outdated push configurations.
Push analytics dropping to zero: If your push open rates suddenly drop to 0%, this may indicate a tracking or attribution issue rather than an actual delivery failure. Contact our team to investigate.
Reporting the Issue to Our Team
When contacting Support about push notification issues, include:
Scope: Is this one customer or many? All platforms or just iOS/Android?
Timeline: When did the issue start? Did anything change around that time (app update, integration change)?
Debug info: Device ID, Push Token, and App Version from the debug overlay
Push provider: Are you using Tapcart's built-in push, or a third-party provider (Klaviyo, Attentive, etc.)?
Reach out through LiveChat in your Tapcart dashboard or email [email protected].