Local notification while app not running

Question

Is it possible to show some kind of a local notification from an app, even if the app isn't running(also not in background)?

For example a daily reminder or something like that. I know that it is possible with push-notifications, but it doesn't fit for my app.

Push notifications require payments to work. I think the best options is a background runnable thread — Enrique Quero, Jan 01 '15 at 17:03
Well but if the user stops the app the background thread will also be killed right? — Christian, Jan 01 '15 at 17:06

score 19 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 01 '15 at 17:27

You can easily schedule local notifications, and they will be presented at the scheduled date and time regardless of the app's state.

First you need to get permission from the user to present notifications, like this:

func application(application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [NSObject: AnyObject]?) -> Bool {
    application.registerUserNotificationSettings(UIUserNotificationSettings(forTypes: UIUserNotificationType.Sound|UIUserNotificationType.Alert | UIUserNotificationType.Badge, categories: nil))
    return true
}

Then you create the notification like this:

var localNotification:UILocalNotification = UILocalNotification()
localNotification.alertAction = "This is"
localNotification.alertBody = "A notification"
localNotification.fireDate = NSDate(timeIntervalSinceNow: 15)
UIApplication.sharedApplication().scheduleLocalNotification(localNotification)

Have a look at the Local and Remote Notification Programming Guide.

This is an awesome answer and resolved my problem. Works like a charm. — Christian, Jan 01 '15 at 17:35
[UILocalNotification](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uilocalnotification) has been deprecated. Take a look at [this Swift 3 example](https://stackoverflow.com/a/45247943/4754881) for local notifications with [UNUserNotificationCenter](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/unusernotificationcenter). — Derek Soike, Jul 21 '17 at 23:13

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 21 '15 at 14:56

In AppDelegate, use this function instead

func application(application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [NSObject: AnyObject]?) -> Bool {
    let settings = UIUserNotificationSettings(forTypes: [.Alert, .Badge, .Sound], categories: nil)
    application.registerUserNotificationSettings(settings)
    return true;
}

io_user_io · Answer 3 · 2022-10-17T18:45:59.113

Most of the solutions outlined above have all been deprecated. Use this UNUserNotification APIs instead

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
       registerForLocalNotification()
       return true
   }

func registerForLocalNotification() {
       UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
           .requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]) { [weak self] granted, _ in
               print("Permission: \(granted)")
           }
   }

Local notification while app not running

3 Answers3

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