How to Track Push Notifications

Tracking users who have enabled push notifications and accept alerts

Within your application delegate’s application: didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: Below the initialization of the KissmetricsAPI…

// Check push notification alerts enabled/disabled
UIRemoteNotificationType enabledTypes = [[UIApplication sharedApplication] enabledRemoteNotificationTypes];
if (enabledTypes & UIRemoteNotificationTypeAlert) {
    [[KISSMetricsAPI sharedAPI] setProperties:@{@"Accepts push alerts" : 1}];
} else {
    [[KISSMetricsAPI sharedAPI] setProperties:@{@"Accepts push alerts" : 0}];
}

Tracking notifications

iOS apps will receive notifications differently depending on the state of the application

A. When your app is running:

In your application delegate’s application: (UIApplication *)application didReceiveRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)userInfo

Capture any valuable data from the userInfo remote notification dictionary:

NSDictionary *aps = [userInfo objectForKey:@"aps"];
if (aps) {
NSString *alertMsg;
id alert = [aps objectForKey:@"alert"];
if ([alert isKindOfClass:[NSDictionary class]]) {
        // alert Dictionary
        alertMsg = [alert objectForKey:@"body"];
} else {
        // alert String
        alertMsg = alert;
}
    [[KISSMetricsAPI sharedAPI] recordEvent:@"Received Remote Notification" withProperties:@{@"alertMsg" : alertMsg}];
}

and/or capture any additional data that you’ve supplied in the push notification’s JSON payload.

B. When your app is not running:

In your application delegate’s application: (UIApplcation *)application: didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions

Capture any valuable data from the userInfo remote notification dictionary:

NSDictionary *userInfo = [launchOptions objectForKey:UIApplicationLaunchOptionsRemoteNotificationKey];
if (userInfo) {
    NSDictionary *aps = [userInfo objectForKey:@"aps"];
  if (aps) {
      NSString *alertMsg;
      id alert = [aps objectForKey:@"alert"];
      if ([alert isKindOfClass:[NSDictionary class]]) {
              // alert Dictionary
              alertMsg = [alert objectForKey:@"body"];
      } else {
              // alert String
              alertMsg = alert;
      }
      [[KISSMetricsAPI sharedAPI] recordEvent:@"Received Remote Notification" withProperties:@{@"alertMsg" : alertMsg}];
  }
}

and/or capture any additional data that you’ve supplied in the push notification’s JSON payload.

Or, in iOS7, if your app delegate is using application: didReceiveRemoteNotification: fetchCompletionHandler: You’ll want to capture your notification data there.

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Notes:

  • “If the app is not running when a push notification arrives, the method launches the app and provides the appropriate information in the launch options dictionary. The app does not call this method to handle that push notification. Instead, your implementation of the application:willFinishLaunchingWithOptions: or application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: method needs to get the push notification payload data and respond appropriately.”
  • “If your delegate also implements the application:didReceiveRemoteNotification:fetchCompletionHandler: method, the app object calls that method instead of this one.” Link for more