Push Notifications in Canary Mail

In the digital age, staying connected and informed is crucial. Push notifications, a powerful tool in modern communication, play a significant role in this connectivity. Canary Mail, a popular email client, has harnessed this feature to enhance user experience and engagement.

What are Push Notifications?

Push notifications are clickable pop-up messages that appear on your device. They serve to deliver timely and relevant information, even when you’re not actively using the app. Here’s a breakdown of their components:

• Title: The header of the notification.
• Message: The body text containing the main information.
• Image: A visual element to attract attention.
• URL: A link directing users to a specific webpage.

There are various types of push notifications, including Web, Desktop, Mobile app, and Wearables. Opt-in messages are also a crucial part of this kind of feature, giving users control over what notifications they receive.

Push Notifications in Canary Mail

Canary Mail has innovatively implemented this feature to keep users updated with their emails. On mobile devices, maintaining an open IDLE connection to the email server is challenging. Canary Mail overcomes this by offering two methods for checking new mail:

• On-device Fetch: Canary periodically queries the email server to check for new mail. The advantage is that new mail is fetched directly by the user’s own device, and all data, including account credentials, is stored locally only. However, this method can lead to some delays in receiving notifications.
• Push Notifications Server: This method relies on a server that maintains an IDLE connection to the email server, notifying users of new incoming mail instantly and reliably, regardless of the app’s state.

The Impact of Push Notifications on User Engagement

Push notifications significantly enhance user engagement and retention. They increase return traffic and save time for marketers. The effectiveness of this feature hinges on two factors:

• Timing: Notifications should be sent when users are most likely to engage.
• Personalization: Notifications should be relevant to the user’s interests and behavior.

Privacy and Security in Canary Mail’s Push Notifications

Canary Mail prioritizes user privacy and security in its push notification system. Here’s how:

• Canary’s Push notifications server leverages OAuth tokens instead of credentials for obtaining account access.
• New mail metadata and content such as subject, sender name, and the first line of the message is only retained in encrypted form for as long as necessary to deliver the new mail notification to the user and is immediately cleared thereafter.

Conclusion

Push notifications in Canary Mail significantly enhance the user experience by providing timely and relevant information. Users are encouraged to leverage the power of this feature in their Canary Mail experience to stay connected and informed.

References

• VWO
• Canary Mail

Why does Canary Mail offer Push notifications?

FAQ