Ultimate Guide to Messaging
Native – Published to the Apple App Store and/or Google Play
Requirements to make live:
1. Apple and/or Google Developer Accounts
2. Minimum 10 features of which a maximum of 2 ‘info’ style features and 2 ‘website link’ features can be present (Features can be freely amended after the app is published).
3. Publishing section completed in CMS with screenshots
4. Publishing form completed https://eaziapps.wufoo.com/forms/app-publish-request/
Push Message functionality:
1. Send free and unlimited push notifications to user devices (user must accept permissions upon app installation). Messages pop up even on locked devices when the app is closed.
2. Push Message Title, description, and cover image
3. Target Devices to iOS / Android / Both
4. Target Users
a. Send to all users
b. Send to individual users
c. Send to user groups (setup in app manager feature by admin)
d. Send to user subscription groups (requires topics feature). User selects what topics they want to subscribe to in the feature then the topics will be available to send to in the Push Notifications feature).
5. Send it as a scheduled push message using the date and time.
6. Can be sent out via CMS feature or through the app using the App Manager feature (watch App Manager partner session).
Enterprise – Published to the private (enterprise) app store of Apple and/or Android
The requirement to make it live:
1. Publishing Form completed https://eaziapps.wufoo.com/forms/app-publish-request/
2. Users need to ‘trust’ Eazi-Apps as a developer before using
Push Message functionality:
All functionality is available as per the native list above.
PWA – Published as a Progressive Web App
Requirements to make live:
1. PWA Activation form completed https://eaziapps.wufoo.com/forms/pwa-activation-request/ (link is on the published form)
2. Complete the PWA creator module in CMS
PWA Push Message features:
1. PWA Push Notifications (Source Code) – Added by our publishing team when you publish your PWA to allow the messaging facility through a web-based app.
2. PWA Push List - This feature can be added by you if you would like to app users to see a history of sent PWA push messages.
3. PWA Push Sender – This is the module (found in the custom modules section, not the features) that sends the PWA push message. Screenshot below.
Important Points to Note on PWA Push Messaging
1. iOS devices do not ‘ping’ a message to the phone outside of the app. They would only be seen within the PUSH LIST feature.
2. PWA Push messages cannot link to an internal feature like native push messages but they can link to a url. You can copy the URL of your PWA feature and link it to a feature that way.
3. If you are testing PWA Push Messaging, the PWA Push List feature only displays the message list when viewing via a PWA (or web app). It will not show through the preview app.
Additional Messaging features within The CMS
In-App Messages
A great feature that allows a message to be shown front and center on your app. The message pops up on the Home screen.
In-App Message functionality:
1. Message Title, description & cover image
2. Target all users, specific users and topics
3. Send now or schedule with date and time
4. Set an automatic expiration date for the message to stop popping up.
Global Push Notifications
Allows you to send a push message to all of your apps or a selection of the apps on your dashboard in one hit for example you may notify them of a scheduled downtime.
Watch a video on sending a global push message
CMS Messaging
This is a messaging system that allows multiple developers, designers, or staff members to collaborate on one project. For example:
Hi guys, I have completed the following on 13/01/22:
- updated logo to high res version and added to unified home image
- updated colors to match the logo
- added an additional category 'sides' to the XDelivery menu
Topics
This feature allows you to set up an unlimited subscription group title called topics. Once your topics are created in the feature, the user selects what topics they want to subscribe to in the app. These topics will then be available for the admin to send in Push Notifications to, for example, a user of a local sports team app can select if they want to hear information via push on scores, fixtures, injuries, or ticket offers.
Watch a helpdesk video on Topics
Marketing Funnel
The Marketing Funnel feature is an incredibly powerful feature that can allow your customer to automate an unlimited series of push messages to their users, set off by certain triggers within the app.
See a helpdesk article on setting up a Marketing Funnel
Watch a partner session on the Marketing Funnel
App Manager
The App Manager feature allows your customers to send all of their native or enterprise push messages directly from their app. You can also put users into groups for bulk messaging eg Staff.
Only the business owner(s) can access the feature and users can be set to ‘business owner’ status in the CMS.
This feature also allows them to manage the Gallery, News, Events, and Discounts within their app.