iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 Betas Add Support for Web Push Notifications - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 Betas Add Support for Web Push Notifications

The iOS and iPadOS 16.4 betas that were seeded to developers today add support for web push notifications, a feature that Apple promised would be coming to iOS 16 back in June.

ios 16 4 web push notifications
Websites that are saved as web apps to the Home Screen can send iPhone and iPad users Web Push notifications through the Push API, Notifications API, and Service Workers. A web app added to the ‌Home Screen‌ can ask the user permission to send push notifications, as described by Apple's WebKit team.

A web app that has been added to the Home Screen can request permission to receive push notifications as long as that request is in response to direct user interaction -- such as tapping on a 'subscribe' button provided by the web app. iOS or iPadOS will prompt the user to give the web app permission to send notifications. The user can then manage those permissions per web app in Notifications Settings -- just like any other app on iPhone and iPad.

Notifications from websites are designed to work exactly like notifications from other apps, showing up on the Lock Screen in Notification Center and on a paired Apple Watch.

Other new Safari 16.4 features include support for Focus for managing Safari Push Notifications, badge counts for website push notifications, third-party browser support for Add to ‌Home Screen‌, and more.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...

Top Rated Comments

40 months ago
Never have I ever wanted a notification from a website.

Hopefully Apple makes it easy and obvious on how to fully disable web notification requests.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
If anyone wants to know why, it’s not because it was a highly requested feature.
It’s because a part of the investigations under Apple for anti-trust involving the App Store are the claims that they treat web apps worse, and don’t give them the same functionalitie as AppStore apps.
This would include functionality like… Oh, I don’t know… Push notifications maybe?
“Third-party app stores should be permitted and users should not be prevented from sideloading apps outside a gatekeeper’s own app store. Legislative and regulatory measures should prohibit restrictions on sideloading, alternative app stores, and web apps.
Requirements that ban developers from using alternative in-app payment systems should be banned.
Third-party web browser apps should be able to offer full functionality and not face browser engine restrictions .
Pre-installed apps, default options, and anticompetitive self-preferencing should be limited, including in search results.
Users should be able to choose their own apps as defaults and delete or hide pre-installed apps.
App store review processes should be more transparent.”
From:
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/03/biden-report-recommends-apple-ecosystem-changes/
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
So now Safari on iOS will have the same annoying "do you want notifications for this website" popups as you get on desktop browsers?

No thanks.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
40 months ago

Macrumors notifications when?
I'm not sure if you are ready for those. Are you? 📵🔕



Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
WOW!

I never thought they would do this. Seriously it's one of the only reason most apps are apps. Almost everything else an app does, a mobile website can do... except get notifications.

Now there is literally no reason to have a Twitter app or a Facebook app or any messaging app. You can just save the mobile website to the homescreen and still get your notifs.

My assumption was that Apple was dragging their feet on this because they knew they would lose App Store revenue if a website could do all the things a native app could do.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redbeard331 Avatar
40 months ago
Macrumors notifications when?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Ipad | Politics | Culture | Local News | Lifestyle