iOS push primer

A push primer is a soft opt-in dialog you show before the iOS system push permission prompt. iOS shows the system prompt only once per install — if the user taps Don’t Allow, push is lost until they re-enable it in Settings. The primer lets you explain the value first and ask at the right moment, so you spend the one-shot system prompt on users who already said yes.

Available since version 7.1.1. The primer is part of PushwooshFramework; no extra module is required.

Push primer shown before the iOS system permission prompt

How it works

The primer is fully state-aware. It reads the current notification authorization status and decides what to do, so it is safe to call on every launch:

• Not determined — shows the primer; on accept it triggers the system permission prompt.
• Authorized or provisional — silently suppresses the primer (nothing is shown).
• Denied — shows the primer; on accept it routes the user to the app’s notification settings (when fallbackToSettings is enabled).

You decide when to call the primer (for example after onboarding or after a key action). The SDK does not impose any timing of its own, except for the optional minInterval throttle described below.

Basic usage

Configure the primer with a fluent builder and call present. The minimum setup needs a title, a message, and the two button titles.

Swift

import PushwooshFramework

Pushwoosh.configure.pushPrimer
    .title("Stay in the loop")
    .message("Get notified about deals and order updates first")
    .acceptButton("Enable notifications")
    .declineButton("Not now")
    .present()

Nota

Call the primer after the app UI is on screen (for example a short moment after launch, or at a deliberate step in your flow), so it can present over your interface.

Styles and positions

Use style to choose between a system alert and a custom sheet, and position to place the custom sheet. Each position has its own default design.

Value	Description
.alert	System UIAlertController. Position is ignored.
.sheet + .bottom	Bottom sheet that slides up, with a grabber and full-width buttons (default).
.sheet + .top	Compact banner that drops in from the top, like a notification.
.sheet + .center	Centered dialog that scales and fades in.

Swift

Pushwoosh.configure.pushPrimer
    .style(.sheet)
    .position(.top)
    .title("Stay in the loop")
    .message("Get notified about deals and order updates first")
    .acceptButton("Enable notifications")
    .declineButton("Not now")
    .present()

Customization

All visual settings are optional — omit them to use the native defaults that adapt to light and dark mode.

Swift

Pushwoosh.configure.pushPrimer
    .style(.sheet)
    .position(.center)
    .title("Stay in the loop")
    .message("Get notified about deals and order updates first")
    .acceptButton("Enable notifications")
    .declineButton("Not now")
    .image(UIImage(named: "PrimerHero"))          // local image, or .imageURL("https://…")
    .backgroundColor(.systemBackground)
    .titleColor(.label)
    .messageColor(.secondaryLabel)
    .acceptButtonColor(.systemBlue)
    .acceptButtonTextColor(.white)
    .declineButtonColor(.clear)
    .declineButtonTextColor(.secondaryLabel)
    .cornerRadius(24)
    .buttonCornerRadius(14)
    .buttonBorderColor(.separator)
    .present()

Customization reference:

Setter	Description
image / imageURL	A local UIImage or a remote URL. Rendered as a circle on the center and bottom layouts, and as the icon on the top banner. A local image takes precedence over a URL.
backgroundColor	Solid background color of the card.
backgroundGradient	An array of colors rendered as a soft multi-color gradient. Overrides backgroundColor.
titleColor / messageColor	Title and message text colors.
acceptButtonColor / acceptButtonTextColor	Accept button background and text colors. The accept color also tints the default icon.
declineButtonColor / declineButtonTextColor	Decline button background and text colors.
cornerRadius	Corner radius of the card.
buttonCornerRadius / buttonBorderColor	Corner radius and border color of both buttons.

Nota

The primer shows exactly the strings you pass. For multiple languages, pass localized strings (for example with NSLocalizedString).

Behavior settings

Settings fallback

By default, when notifications are already denied the primer is shown and the accept button takes the user to the app’s notification settings. Pass false to suppress the primer entirely in the denied state instead.

.fallbackToSettings(false)

Display frequency

By default the primer has no built-in throttling — it shows whenever you call present (and is auto-suppressed once notifications are authorized). Use minInterval to cap how often the primer reappears. The last shown time is persisted across launches.

.minInterval(7 * 24 * 60 * 60)   // show at most once a week

Handling the result

Pass a completion to present to react to the outcome.

Swift

Pushwoosh.configure.pushPrimer
    .title("Stay in the loop")
    .message("Get notified about deals and order updates first")
    .acceptButton("Enable notifications")
    .declineButton("Not now")
    .present { outcome in
        switch outcome {
        case .accepted:            break   // shown, user accepted, system prompt requested
        case .declined:            break   // shown, user declined
        case .suppressed:          break   // not shown (already authorized, or throttled)
        case .redirectedToSettings: break  // denied state, user sent to Settings
        @unknown default:          break
        }
    }

The final system-prompt result (the granted/denied state and the device token) arrives through the regular registration callbacks — the primer reuses registerForPushNotifications on accept and does not duplicate that chain.

References

iOS SDK API Reference Complete technical documentation covering all public classes, methods, and properties.

Customizing iOS SDK Other ways to tailor the Pushwoosh iOS SDK to your app.