Fix Push Notifications in Loveable: iOS & Android Guide

8/11/2025

Not Getting Your Pings? A Troubleshooting Guide for When Push Notifications Go Silent in Loveable

Hey everyone, so you've built this awesome app with Loveable. It looks great, it's running smoothly, but there's one BIG problem: your push notifications are on a coffee break. And by coffee break, I mean they're not showing up at all. Honestly, it's one of the most frustrating things to deal with. You've got important updates, messages, or community events you want to tell your users about, but they're just not getting the memo.

Turns out, you're not alone in this. A lot of developers hit this snag. The good news is that it's almost always fixable. You just have to know where to look. Think of yourself as a detective for a minute; we're going to follow the clues from the user's device all the way back to the server.

This guide is your new best friend for figuring out what's going wrong with your push notifications in your Loveable project. We'll cover everything from the basic checks to the nitty-gritty of platform-specific settings & backend configurations.

First Things First: The Basic Checklist

Before we dive deep into the technical stuff, let's start with the simple things. You'd be surprised how often it's one of these that's the culprit.

Did the User Actually Give You Permission? This is the most common reason for notifications not working. When a user first opens your app, they get that little pop-up asking for permission to send notifications. If they tapped "Don't Allow," then that's that. You can't send them anything.
Check the Device's "Do Not Disturb" or Focus Mode. On both iOS & Android, users can set up "Do Not Disturb" or different Focus Modes (like "Work" or "Sleep") that silence notifications. Ask your user to check if they have one of these modes active.
Is the App Running in the Background? Some devices, especially on Android, have pretty aggressive battery-saving features that can kill background apps. If your app isn't running in the background, it might not be able to receive notifications.
Good Old-Fashioned Restart. It sounds cliché, but a simple restart of the phone can sometimes fix weird connectivity issues. It's always worth a shot.
Are You on a Stable Network? Push notifications need a solid internet connection to be delivered. If the user is on a spotty Wi-Fi or has a weak cellular signal, the notification might get lost in transit.

The Loveable Side of Things

Now, let's get a little more specific to your Loveable project. Loveable is fantastic for getting things up & running quickly, but it's still built on top of other technologies.

Check Your Loveable Project for Errors. The Loveable documentation suggests that if you're seeing unexpected behavior, the first step is to use the "Try to Fix" button if there's an error message. It's also a good idea to review your original prompts to make sure you've instructed Loveable correctly on how you want notifications to work.
Using Chat Mode for Help. Don't forget that you can use Loveable's Chat Mode to ask for help. You can ask it to analyze your project's state & suggest solutions for persistent problems.

It's important to remember that when you're building with a tool like Loveable, you're often integrating with other services. For push notifications, a popular choice is Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). A Reddit thread on the Loveable subreddit mentioned using Firebase for this very purpose. So, a lot of our troubleshooting will focus on making sure that connection is solid.

Going Deeper: iOS Troubleshooting

Apple's push notification service (APNs) is pretty robust, but it has its own set of rules. If your iOS users aren't getting notifications, here's what to check.

Certificates & Provisioning Profiles: The Gatekeepers of iOS Notifications

This is where things can get a little tricky. To send push notifications to an iOS app, you need a special APNs certificate.

Is Your APNs Certificate Valid? These certificates expire every year. If it's expired, APNs will reject your notifications. You'll need to generate a new one in your Apple Developer account.
Did You Upload the Right Certificate? There are separate certificates for development (testing on your own device) & production (for the App Store). Make sure you've uploaded the correct one to your push notification service (like Firebase).
Bundle ID Mismatch. The Bundle ID of your app MUST exactly match the one associated with your APNs certificate. If there's a typo or a mismatch, the notifications won't be delivered.

Common iOS Issues

"BadDeviceToken" Error. This usually means the device token you're trying to send a notification to is no longer valid. This can happen if the user has uninstalled & reinstalled the app. Your app should be getting the latest device token every time it launches & sending it to your server.
"DeviceTokenNotForTopic" Error. This is a classic sign of a Bundle ID mismatch between your app & your APNs certificate.
Focus Mode on iOS 15 & Later. As we mentioned earlier, Focus Modes can be a real pain for notifications. It's worth reminding your users to check their settings.
Reinstalling the App. Sometimes, the permissions can get a bit wonky. A Reddit thread for iOS 18 issues suggested that uninstalling & reinstalling the affected app can sometimes fix notification problems.

Diving into the World of Android

Android is a bit more of a wild west when it comes to push notifications. Different manufacturers (like Samsung, Huawei, etc.) have their own custom versions of Android, & they all handle background processes & notifications a little differently.

Battery Optimization: The Silent Killer of Notifications

This is, without a doubt, the BIGGEST cause of push notification problems on Android.

Check Battery Saver Mode. Most Android phones have a "Battery Saver" or "Power Saving" mode. When this is on, it can severely restrict what apps can do in the background, including receiving notifications.
App-Specific Battery Restrictions. On many Android versions, you can go into the settings for a specific app & see if its battery usage is being optimized. You'll want to set your app to "Unrestricted" or "No restrictions" to ensure it can always receive notifications.

Other Common Android Quirks

Autostart Permissions. Some Android versions require you to give an app "autostart" permission. This allows the app to start up on its own when the phone boots up, which is often necessary for it to receive notifications.
Clear App Cache & Data. Corrupted cache or data can sometimes cause an app to behave strangely. While it's a bit of a "nuclear option" because it will reset the app's settings, clearing the cache & data for your app can sometimes resolve notification issues.
Check for App Updates. An outdated version of your app might have a bug that's preventing notifications from working correctly. Make sure your users are on the latest version.

Let's Talk About the Backend: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

Since many Loveable projects use Firebase for push notifications, it's crucial to make sure everything is set up correctly on that end.

Check Your FCM Server Key. In your Firebase project, you'll have a "Server key." This is what your backend uses to authenticate with FCM. Make sure you're using the correct key.
Is Your Package Name Correct? For Android apps, the package name in your Firebase project MUST match the package name of your app.
Firebase Service Status. It's rare, but sometimes Firebase itself can have issues. You can check the Firebase Status Dashboard to see if there are any ongoing problems with Cloud Messaging.
FCM Diagnostics. On Android, there's a handy diagnostics tool you can access by dialing
1*#*#426#*#*
in the phone app. This will show you if the device is connected to FCM's servers.

When You're Juggling Customer Questions

Now, here's the thing. While you're busy being a detective & figuring out what's wrong with your push notifications, your users might be getting frustrated. They're missing out on important updates, & they might be reaching out to you for help. This is where having a solid customer support system in place is a lifesaver.

For businesses that are starting to get a lot of these kinds of questions, it can be a real challenge to keep up. This is actually a pretty cool use case for AI. Imagine having a chatbot on your website or in your app that can handle these common troubleshooting questions for you. That's where a platform like Arsturn comes in. You can build a no-code AI chatbot & train it on your own data—like this very troubleshooting guide! So, when a user asks, "Why am I not getting notifications?", your Arsturn-powered chatbot can provide instant, helpful answers 24/7. It frees you up to focus on the trickier, more technical aspects of running your app.

A Quick Word on Web Push Notifications

A Reddit user in the Loveable community asked about implementing web push notifications for their website built with Loveable. The advice given was to use Firebase & get the

firebaseConfig

values & a VAPID key. This is a great starting point, but web push notifications have their own set of challenges.

Browser Permissions. Just like with mobile apps, users have to grant permission for a website to send them notifications.
Service Workers. Web push notifications rely on a technology called service workers. These are scripts that run in the background, separate from your website, & they're what listen for incoming notifications. If the service worker isn't registered correctly, web push won't work.

If you're looking to engage with your website visitors in a more conversational way, beyond just push notifications, this is another area where AI can really shine. With Arsturn, you can create a custom AI chatbot that not only answers questions but also engages with visitors, helps them find what they're looking for, & can even help with lead generation. It’s a great way to provide a personalized experience & boost conversions.

Wrapping It All Up

So, there you have it. A pretty extensive guide to troubleshooting push notifications in your Loveable app. It can definitely be a bit of a headache, but if you work through it methodically—from the user's device settings to your backend configuration—you'll almost always find the culprit.

Remember to start with the basics, then move on to the platform-specific stuff for iOS & Android. And don't forget to check your Firebase (or other backend service) settings.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any other tips or tricks for getting push notifications to work. We're all in this together, right?