How to Push Notification in Android?
Last Updated : 04 Feb, 2025
A notification is a message that appears outside of our Application's normal UI. A notification can appear in different formats and locations such as an icon in the status bar, a more detailed entry in the notification drawer, etc. Through the notification, we can notify users about any important updates, events of our application. By clicking the notification user can open any activity of our application or can do some action like opening any webpage etc.
How Does Notification Look?
Let's see the basic design of a notification template that appears in the navigation drawer.
Part of a Notification | Method for defining contents | Type of argument needs to pass into the method |
|---|
| Small Icon | setSmallIcon() | Drawable file |
| App Name | By default, App Name is provided by the System and we can't override it. | |
| Timestamp | By default, timeStamp is provided by the System but we can override it by setWhen() method. | Long (in milliseconds) |
| Title | setContentTitle() | String |
| Text | setContentText() | String |
| Large Icon | setLargeIcon() | Bitmap image |
Understand Some Important Concepts of Push a Notification
We shall discuss all the concepts mentioned below step by step,
- Creating a basic notification
- Creating notification channel
- Adding large icon
- Making notification expandable
- Making notification clickable
- Adding an action button to our notification
1. Creating a basic notification
Tocreate a basic notification at first we need to build a notification. Now to build notification, we must use NotificationCompat.Builder() class where we need to pass a context of activity and a channel id as an argument while making an instance of the class. Please note here we are not using Notification.Builder(). NotificationCompat gives compatibility to upper versions (Android 8.0 and above) with lower versions (below Android 8.0).
Java // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) // Notification icon .setContentTitle("Hello") // Title displayed in the notification .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") // Text displayed in the notification .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH); // Notification priority for better visibility // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) // Notification icon .setContentTitle("Hello") // Title displayed in the notification .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") // Text displayed in the notification .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Notification priority for better visibility Please note, here we need to set the priority of the notification accordingly by the setPriority() method.
Now to deliver the notification we need an object of NotificationManagerCompat class and then we notify it.
Java // Display the notification NotificationManagerCompat notificationManager = NotificationManagerCompat.from(this); notificationManager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, builder.build());
// Display the notification with(NotificationManagerCompat.from(this)) { notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, builder.build()) } Please note that, in this method, we can deliver notification only in the android versions below 8.0 but in the android versions 8.0 and upper, no notification will appear by only this block of code.
2. Creating a notification channel
Now to deliver notifications on android version 8.0 and above versions, we need to create a notification channel. This Notification Channel concept comes from android 8.0. Here every application may have multiple channels for different types of notifications and each channel has some type of notification. Before you can deliver the notification on Android 8.0 and above versions, you must register your app's notification channel with the system by passing an instance of NotificationChannel to createNotificationChannel().
Java /** * Create a notification channel for devices running Android 8.0 or higher. * A channel groups notifications with similar behavior. */ private void creatingNotificationChannel() { if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) { NotificationChannel notificationChannel = new NotificationChannel( channelId, description, NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_HIGH ); notificationChannel.enableLights(true); // Turn on notification light notificationChannel.setLightColor(Color.GREEN); notificationChannel.enableVibration(true); // Allow vibration for notifications NotificationManager notificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE); notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(notificationChannel); } } /** * Create a notification channel for devices running Android 8.0 or higher. * A channel groups notifications with similar behavior. */ private fun creatingNotificationChannel() { if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) { val notificationChannel = NotificationChannel( channelId, description, NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_HIGH ).apply { enableLights(true) // Turn on notification light lightColor = Color.GREEN enableVibration(true) // Allow vibration for notifications } val notificationManager = getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(notificationChannel) } } Please note that here we must provide a unique CHANNEL_ID for each channel and also we must give a CHANNEL_NAME and CHANNEL_DESCRIPTION, and channel importance level.
3. Adding a large icon
To set a large icon we use the setLargeIcon() method which is applied to the instance of the NotificationCompat.Builder() class. In this method, we need to pass a Icon or Bitmap form of an image. Now to convert an image file (e.g. jpg, jpeg, png, etc.) of the drawable folder into a Bitmap or an Icon, we use the following code in Kotlin
Java // Converting resource file to icon Icon icon = Icon.createWithResource(this, R.drawable.gfg_logo); // Converting resource file to bitmap image Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(), R.drawable.gfg_logo); // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Pass the icon or bitmap image .setLargeIcon(bitmap); // or use .setLargeIcon(icon) depending on your requirement // converting resource file to icon val icon: Icon = Icon.createWithResource(this, R.drawable.gfg_logo) // converting resource file to bitmap image val bitmap: Bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(resources, R.drawable.gfg_logo) // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // pass the icon or bitmap image .setLargeIcon(icon)
4. Making notification expandable
In the short template of the notification, large information can't be shown. Therefore we need to make the notification expandable like this:
to make such an expandable notification we use the setStyle() method on the notification builder (nBuilder) object. In this expanded area we can display an image, any text, different messages, etc. In our Application, we have added an image by passing the instance of the NotificationCompat.BigPictureStyle class to setStyle() method.
Java // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setLargeIcon(bitmap) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Expandable notification .setStyle(new NotificationCompat.BigPictureStyle() .bigPicture(bitmap) // Set the big image for the expanded view .bigLargeIcon(null) // Set null for bigLargeIcon to hide the large icon in the expanded view ); // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setLargeIcon(bitmap) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Expandable notification .setStyle( NotificationCompat.BigPictureStyle() .bigPicture(bitmap) // as we pass null in bigLargeIcon() so the large icon // will goes away when the notification will be expanded. .bigLargeIcon(null as Bitmap?) ) 5. Making notification clickable
We need to make our notification clickable to perform some action by clicking the notification such as open an activity or system setting or any webpage etc. Now to perform such actions intent is needed (e.g. explicit or implicit intent). In our Application, we are making an Implicit intent to open the GFG official home page.
Java // Creating the Implicit Intent to // open the home page of GFG Intent intent = new Intent(); intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW); intent.setData(Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/")); // Creating the Implicit Intent to // open the home page of GFG val intent= Intent() intent.action=Intent.ACTION_VIEW intent.data=Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/")
Now it is not necessary that whenever the notification will appear then the user will click it instantly, user can click it whenever he /she wants and therefore we also need to make an instance of PendingIntent which basically makes the intent action pending for future purpose.
Java // Here the four parameters are context of activity, // requestCode, Intent and flag of the pendingIntent respectively // The request code is used to trigger a // particular action in application activity PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent .getActivity( this, // context 5, // request code intent, // intent PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE // flags ); // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true); // Dismiss notification when tapped // Here the four parameters are context of activity, // requestCode,Intent and flag of the pendingIntent respectively // The request code is used to trigger a // particular action in application activity val pendingIntent = PendingIntent .getActivity( this, // context 5, // request code intent, // intent PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE // flags ) // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true) // Dismiss notification when tapped 6. Adding an action button to our notification
Sometimes there exists some action button at our notification template that is used to perform some action.
Here we also need an Intent and a PendingIntent. Then we need to pass the instance of the PendingIntent to addAction() method at the time of building the notification.
Java // Creating the Implicit Intent // to open the GFG contribution page Intent intent = new Intent(); intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW); intent.setData(Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/contribute/")); PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 6, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE); // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true) // Dismiss notification when tapped // Here we need to pass 3 arguments which are // icon id, title, pendingIntent respectively // Here we pass 0 as icon id which means no icon .addAction(0, "Let's Contribute", pendingIntent); // Creating the Implicit Intent // to open the GFG contribution page val intent = Intent() intent.action = Intent.ACTION_VIEW intent.data = Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/contribute/") val pendingIntent= PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 6, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE) // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.gfg_logo) .setContentTitle("Hello") .setContentText("Welcome to GeeksforGeeks!!") .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true) // Dismiss notification when tapped // Here we need to pass 3 arguments which are // icon id, title, pendingIntent respectively // Here we pass 0 as icon id which means no icon .addAction(0,"Let's Contribute", pendingIntent) Example
Let discuss all the concepts by making an basic application. A sample GIF is given below to get an idea about what we are going to do in this article. Note that we are going to implement this project using the Kotlin/Java language.
Step by Step Implementation
Step 1: Create a New Project
To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio. Note that select Kotlin/Java as the programming language. Choose the API level according to your choice( Here we have chosen API Level 26).
Note: After creating the project successfully, please paste some pictures into the drawable folder in the res directory. Please follow this article if you don't know how to add image assets in your android project: How to add images in the android project?
This is what the folder structure should look like:
Step 2:Adding Permission for notification
Android 13 (API level 33) and higher need a permission for posting notifications from an app. For this, declare permission in the manifest file. Please manually make sure that the permission for notifications is provided for this app on phone.
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"/>
Step 3: Working with the activity_main.xml file
Go to the activity_main.xml file and refer to the following code.
activity_main.xml:
XML <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools" android:id="@+id/main" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" android:background="@color/white" tools:context=".MainActivity"> <ImageView android:id="@+id/imageView" android:layout_width="200dp" android:layout_height="200dp" android:layout_marginTop="70dp" android:src="@drawable/gfg_logo" android:layout_margin="20dp" app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/editText1" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" app:layout_constraintVertical_chainStyle="packed" /> <!-- EditText for entering the title--> <EditText android:id="@+id/editText1" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:background="#d7ffd9" android:hint="Enter The Title" android:padding="10dp" android:layout_margin="20dp" android:textSize="20sp" android:textStyle="bold" app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/editText2" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/imageView" /> <!-- EditText for entering the text--> <EditText android:id="@+id/editText2" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_marginTop="30dp" android:background="#d7ffd9" android:hint="Enter The Text" android:padding="10dp" android:layout_margin="20dp" android:textSize="20sp" android:textStyle="bold" app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/button" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/editText1" /> <!-- Button for sending notification--> <Button android:id="@+id/button" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_marginTop="30dp" android:backgroundTint="@color/green" android:text="Send Notification" android:textSize="24sp" app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent" app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent" app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/editText2" /> </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
Layout:
Step 4: Insert a vector asset into the drawable folder in the res directory
Right-click on the drawable folder → New → Vector Asset → select appropriate Clip Art → give appropriate Name and adjust Size accordingly→ Next then click on the finish button as shown in the below image.
Step 5: Working with the MainActivity.kt file
Go to the MainActivity.kt file and refer to the following code. Below is the code for the MainActivity.kt file. Comments are added inside the code to understand the code in more detail.
MainActivity File:
Java package org.geeksforgeeks.demo; import android.Manifest; import android.annotation.SuppressLint; import android.app.NotificationChannel; import android.app.NotificationManager; import android.app.PendingIntent; import android.content.Context; import android.content.Intent; import android.content.pm.PackageManager; import android.graphics.Bitmap; import android.graphics.BitmapFactory; import android.graphics.Color; import android.graphics.drawable.Icon; import android.net.Uri; import android.os.Build; import android.os.Bundle; import android.widget.Button; import android.widget.EditText; import android.widget.Toast; import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity; import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat; import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat; import androidx.core.app.NotificationManagerCompat; public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity { private EditText editText1; private EditText editText2; private Button button; // Unique channel ID for notifications public static final String CHANNEL_ID = "i.apps.notifications"; // Unique identifier for the notification public static final int NOTIFICATION_ID = 1234; // Description for the notification channel public static final String DESCRIPTION = "Test notification"; @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); button = findViewById(R.id.button); editText1 = findViewById(R.id.editText1); editText2 = findViewById(R.id.editText2); // Create a notification channel (required for Android 8.0 and higher) createNotificationChannel(); button.setOnClickListener(v -> { // Request runtime permission for notifications on Android 13 and higher if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) { if (ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(MainActivity.this, Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) { ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(MainActivity.this, new String[] {Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS}, 101); return; } } // Trigger the notification sendNotification(); }); } /** * Create a notification channel for devices running Android 8.0 or higher. * A channel groups notifications with similar behavior. */ private void createNotificationChannel() { if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) { NotificationChannel notificationChannel = new NotificationChannel( CHANNEL_ID, DESCRIPTION, NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_HIGH ); // Turn on notification light notificationChannel.enableLights(true); notificationChannel.setLightColor(Color.GREEN); // Allow vibration for notifications notificationChannel.enableVibration(true); NotificationManager notificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE); notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(notificationChannel); } } /** * Build and send a notification with a custom layout and action. */ private void sendNotification() { // Intent that triggers when the notification is tapped Intent intent = new Intent(); intent.setAction(Intent.ACTION_VIEW); intent.setData(Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/")); PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity( this, 6, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT | PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE ); // Converting resource file to icon Icon icon = Icon.createWithResource(this, R.drawable.gfg_logo); // Converting resource file to bitmap image Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getResources(), R.drawable.gfg_logo); // Build the notification NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.baseline_notification) // Notification icon .setLargeIcon(bitmap) .setContentTitle(editText1.getText().toString()) // Title displayed in the notification .setContentText(editText2.getText().toString()) // Text displayed in the notification .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true) // Dismiss notification when tapped .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Notification priority for better visibility .setStyle(new NotificationCompat.BigPictureStyle() .bigPicture(bitmap) .bigLargeIcon(null)) .addAction(0, "Let's Contribute", pendingIntent); // Display the notification NotificationManagerCompat.from(this).notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, builder.build()); } } package org.geeksforgeeks.demo import android.Manifest import android.annotation.SuppressLint import android.app.NotificationChannel import android.app.NotificationManager import android.app.PendingIntent import android.content.Context import android.content.Intent import android.content.pm.PackageManager import android.graphics.Bitmap import android.graphics.BitmapFactory import android.graphics.Color import android.graphics.drawable.Icon import android.net.Uri import android.os.Build import android.os.Bundle import android.widget.Button import android.widget.EditText import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat import androidx.core.app.NotificationManagerCompat class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() { private lateinit var editText1: EditText private lateinit var editText2: EditText private lateinit var button: Button override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) setContentView(R.layout.activity_main) button = findViewById(R.id.button) editText1 = findViewById(R.id.editText1) editText2 = findViewById(R.id.editText2) // Create a notification channel (required for Android 8.0 and higher) createNotificationChannel() button.setOnClickListener { // Request runtime permission for notifications on Android 13 and higher if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) { if (ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission( this, Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS ) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED ) { ActivityCompat.requestPermissions( this, arrayOf(Manifest.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS), 101 ) return@setOnClickListener } } sendNotification() // Trigger the notification } } /** * Create a notification channel for devices running Android 8.0 or higher. * A channel groups notifications with similar behavior. */ private fun createNotificationChannel() { if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) { val notificationChannel = NotificationChannel( CHANNEL_ID, DESCRIPTION, NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_HIGH ).apply { enableLights(true) // Turn on notification light lightColor = Color.GREEN enableVibration(true) // Allow vibration for notifications } val notificationManager = getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(notificationChannel) } } /** * Build and send a notification with a custom layout and action. */ @SuppressLint("MissingPermission") private fun sendNotification() { // Intent that triggers when the notification is tapped val intent= Intent() intent.action=Intent.ACTION_VIEW intent.data= Uri.parse("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/") val pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity( this, 6, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT or PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE ) // converting resource file to icon val icon: Icon = Icon.createWithResource(this, R.drawable.gfg_logo) // converting resource file to bitmap image val bitmap: Bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(resources, R.drawable.gfg_logo) // Build the notification val builder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, CHANNEL_ID) .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.baseline_notification) // Notification icon .setLargeIcon(bitmap) .setContentTitle(editText1.text.toString()) // Title displayed in the notification .setContentText(editText2.text.toString()) // Text displayed in the notification .setContentIntent(pendingIntent) // Pending intent triggered when tapped .setAutoCancel(true) // Dismiss notification when tapped .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH) // Notification priority for better visibility .setStyle( NotificationCompat.BigPictureStyle() .bigPicture(bitmap) .bigLargeIcon(null as Bitmap?) ) .addAction(0,"Let's Contribute", pendingIntent) // Display the notification with(NotificationManagerCompat.from(this)) { notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, builder.build()) } } companion object { // Unique channel ID for notifications const val CHANNEL_ID = "i.apps.notifications" // Unique identifier for the notification const val NOTIFICATION_ID = 1234 // Description for the notification channel const val DESCRIPTION = "Test notification" } } Output: