Integrating ContextPush

Follow this step-by-step process to integrate ContextPush with your iOS app.

ContextPush currently is only supported for iOS. If you’re interested in using ContextPush in other platforms or languages, contact us at [email protected].

1

Create a License Key & Install the SDK

Check out Getting Started for details on how to create your license key and install the SDK.

2

Import ContextSDK

AppDelegate.swift

import ContextSDK

3

Ensure Necessary Entitlement

In your Xcode project, go to Signing & Capabilities and enable the Background fetch, Background processing and Remote notifications capabilities in the Background Modes section.

4

Ensure Tasks are Registered

In your Xcode project, go to Info and add the com.contextsdk.push.refresh-task and com.contextsdk.push.processing-task to the list of Permitted background task scheduler identifiers.

5

Enable ContextPush

In your AppDelegate or similar in the applicationDidFinishLaunchingWithOptions or equivalent call ContextPush.applicationDidFinishLaunchingWithOptions(). If everything worked you should see "[ContextSDK] Successfully scheduled next check for ContextPush."

AppDelegate.swift

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    // Your existing app startup code

    ContextPush.applicationDidFinishLaunchingWithOptions()
}

6

Understanding Background Wake-Up Behavior

Important: ContextPush uses background processing and silent push notifications to wake your app periodically in the background. This allows the SDK to assess the user's real-world context for optimal notification timing.

When ContextPush wakes your app in the background, iOS may call application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) while your app is not in the foreground. This can have side effects if your app logic assumes this method only runs when the app is being launched by the user.

Recommended Approach: Use Lifecycle Notifications

The recommended way to handle foreground-specific logic is to use UIScene lifecycle methods or lifecycle notifications instead of checking the application state manually:

UISceneDelegate (Recommended)

For apps using UIScene, implement sceneDidBecomeActive(_:) in your UISceneDelegate:

SceneDelegate.swift

func sceneDidBecomeActive(_ scene: UIScene) {
    // This is called when your app enters the foreground
    // Place foreground-specific initialization code here
}

UIApplication Notifications

Manual State Check (Alternative)

Best Practices

• Move foreground-specific initialization logic (e.g., presenting onboarding screens, tracking app launches, or showing promotional content) to lifecycle methods that are specifically called when the app enters the foreground.

• Keep your application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) implementation lightweight and suitable for both foreground and background launches.

• Test your app's behavior when woken up in the background to ensure no unexpected UI presentations or crashes occur.

7

Provide User ID and Push Token

You need to register the user's device with a unique user ID and the device's push token. The user-id may be whatever you use to identify each user in your existing push notification system, e.g. an email address or a user ID from your database.

Set Device Token and User ID Together

AppDelegate.swift

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken deviceToken: Data) {
    // Your existing code for handling device token registration

    // Set the device token and user ID with ContextSDK to enable push notifications
    ContextPush.setDeviceToken(deviceToken).setUserId(userId)
}

Set Device Token Separately

Set User ID Separately

8

Handle Background Notifications

Ensure that your app can handle push notifications received while in the background by implementing the following method:

AppDelegate.swift

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable : Any],fetchCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping (UIBackgroundFetchResult) -> Void) {
    // ContextSDK will process the notification if it is a valid ContextPush notification
    // The completion handler will be automatically called if processed
    if ContextPush.applicationDidReceiveRemoteNotification(userInfo, fetchCompletionHandler: completionHandler) {
        return
    }
    // Handle other types of background notifications with your existing code, if needed
}

9

Handle Notification Opens

Track when users open notifications to gather engagement metrics and improve user experience:

AppDelegate.swift

func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter, didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse, withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {
    // Process the notification with ContextSDK to track open rates and user interactions
    ContextPush.userNotificationCenterDidReceiveResponse(response)

    // Your existing code
    // Ensure completion handler is called to finalize notification handling
    completionHandler()
}

10

Test Your Setup

1. Visit your dashboard

2. Select Integrate Push in the menu

   • If this option is still not available to you, request access in Products Info → ContextPush

3. Upload your push certificate and fill in the necessary information

   • This will grant you access to your API token, which will be used later on.

   • You can either create a new push certificate for ContextPush, or use your existing one.

4. Test your push setup by using the Test Push Integration feature

11

Integrate With Your Push Notification Provider

You're now done integrating with the iOS app. Next, integrate with your existing push provider:

OneSignal

Customer.io

Simple Web Request

If you can't find your provider in this list, don't worry: you can integrate ContextPush with any provider, as long as it supports webhooks. Reach out to us to let us know which provider you use and we'll guide you through the integration steps.