Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android Development

1. What is Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)?

• FCM (Firebase Cloud Message) is a new version of GCM (Google Cloud Message).
• With the help of FCM, easily deliver messages at no cost.
• It is supported by Android, iOs, and Web platforms.
• Firebase messaging is a lightweight, serverless messaging solution built on Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• Send push notifications to all your users anywhere in the whole world using firebase messaging.

2. Android listener service:

• InstanceIDListenerService is required only to access the FCM token.
• Manage the device token to send messages to a single device directly.
• send messages to a device group, subscribe devices to the topic with the server.

3. Additional features of FCM:

• Topic messaging:
  • Using Topic Messaging users get a notification in common topics.
  • FCM delivers your message to all the devices subscribed to this topic.
  • There is no limit on topic messaging.
  • The single topic has as many subscribers, or users can subscribe across different topics.
• Firebase Remote Config:
  • You change the appearance and behavior of your app without requiring users to download an app update using Firebase Remote Config, and it is a cloud service.
• Analytics:
  • Firebase Analytics works with other Firebase features.
  • Thus, the user can take action on everything from click-through rates to app crashes.
• Easy Implementation:
  • Firebase is quick and easy.
  • APIs packaged into a single SDK, you can solve customer’s problems without wasting time building complex infrastructure using intuitively.
• Cross-platform support:
  • APIs packaged into single SDKs for iOS, Android, JavaScriptand C++ using Cross-platform support.
  • Expand to different platforms without modifying your infrastructure.

4. Firebase Cloud Messaging / FCM Sender ID:

• The equivalent of Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) Sender ID. The path of this id is Firebase > Project > Settings > Cloud Messaging tab.

5. What are the benefits of upgrading to Firebase Cloud Messaging SDK?

• Simpler client development. Users can’t write your own registration or subscription retry logic.
• An out-of-the-box notification solution.
• Anyone sends notifications to target specific audiences based on Firebase Analytics insights using Firebase Notifications, and it is a serverless notifications solution with a web console.

6. What’s new with Firebase Cloud Messaging Service (FCM)?

• New FCM libraries:
  • FCM libraries use manifest merging, so you don’t have to worry about permissions.
  •  It automatically adds any permission, needed to reduce the amount of effort you put in.
• Simplified registration flow:
  • Using “Registration Token” as an address, FCM delivers the message to the device.
  •  This process is now asynchronous.
  •  On your behalf google library takes token automatically.
  •  So, when you request to ‘get token’, you get a registered token.
  • Send registered token to your servers, and start sending messages.
  •  All these new improvements apply to both Android and iOS SDKs.

7. Key capability:

• Notification or data messages
• Versatile targeting
• Upstream messages

8. Token problem:

• Where to store the token
• More than one token per user
• What happens when the user logs out
• Keep sending email

9. Notification Payload:

“notification”:{

“title”: “Test Notification”,

“body”: “Hello!!! Notification”

},

• “icon”: Android & iOS
• “sound”: only Android
• “badge”: only iOS
• “click_action”: Android & iOS

10. Data payload:

“data”:{

“title”: “Test Notification”,

“body”: “Hello!! Notification”,

“user_id”: “GVDHDHJ12653,

“user_avatar”: “user  image”,

“notification_type”: “private_message”

},