Question

Is it possible to send push notifications to an android application without using Google server: C2DM?

So, I would like to have my own server which sends notifications directly to the app, but I’m not sure how are the notifications perceived by the device, because the device needs to receive notifications even if the app is not running and the notifications should appear in the notification center.

I think that the guys from http://www.airpush.com have managed to this, but I’m not sure how.

Can anyone help me with this please?

UPDATE:

Also I would like to know how to display the notifications in the notification center if I don’t use C2DM? And if it is possible to configure the notification center to receive notifications from my server even if the user deletes the application developed by us, application which registered that device to receive notifications.

I want to send 3-4 notifications a day, but these notifications need to appear in the notification center and they should go only through our server. How can I configure the notification center within the app to make requests on my server for push notifications.

Thank You!

Answer 1

According to the FAQ on airpush.com, they’re not using real push notifications but rather polling the server a few times per day. One reason I think this is a viable solution for you as well is that Android’s C2DM apparently makes use of the Google Play Store, so it won’t work on devices distributed outside of the Google eco-system. With over 5 Million Kindle Fires having sold already, that is worth thinking about.

From Airpush FAQ:

When executed once from the main activity of an Android™ application, the Airpush client utilizes Android™ OS’s AlarmManager framework to schedule ongoing server polling events a few times per day. If an ad is polled from the server it is cached until optimal display time, which is algorithmically determined by the server.