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Update 2020-06-02: This has been resolved. We were able to recover our account, renew certificates, and push notifications should be working as expected.

Push notifications will be down on the iOS SE mobile app from 5/25 - 6/4.

Our iOS certificate for the SE mobile app is set to expire on May 25th and the team is working through some account recovery issues that are preventing us from updating the certificate. Until we resolve this, we cannot renew the certificate. The implication is a roughly two week downtime on push notifications for users of the iOS SE mobile app. This does not affect normal usage of the iOS app, just push notifications. This also does not affect users of the Android app and it does not affect notifications on the website.

Our apologies for the inconvenience this might cause. If you’re concerned about missing notifications, you can also change your inbox notification settings so that you continue to receive notifications by email.

Inbox settings

We’re actively working with our Apple rep to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We want to keep you informed as we work through this issue, and we’ll continue posting updates here for those of you that rely on iOS push notifications to participate on the network.

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    Does this mean you are deviating from the apps are no longer supported stance?
    – Luuklag
    May 22, 2020 at 19:16
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    @Luuklag Nah. There's a difference between updating the app itself and getting these certificates working. We’re still not supporting the mobile apps by making any changes to the application code, even to fix breaking bugs. However, this is an issue with an expiring certificate that we are unable to renew, not with application itself. This takes a couple of hours. From what I understand at this point, fixing the app to work on current devices would take weeks of work.
    – Catija StaffMod
    May 22, 2020 at 22:21
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    @Catija In this case, I would argue against making this post featured. Even though it is a controversial suggestion.
    – Anton Menshov
    May 22, 2020 at 22:43
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    A good example of why system administration tasks should not be left until the last minute, eh? ;)
    – Asteroids With Wings
    May 23, 2020 at 17:48
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    Notifications haven't worked on Android for a while. I've uninstalled the app since that's all I ever used it for, and various users have mentioned this. I don't think it's worth reporting since the apps aren't actively maintained, but since you mention the notifications should work on Android, I thought I'd point it out.
    – terdon on strike
    May 23, 2020 at 17:55
  • "This does not affect normal usage of the iOS app, just push notifications." Does this mean that I can still check my notifications in the app manually?
    – Sweeper
    May 24, 2020 at 7:50
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    @Sweeper you don't get push notifications (the ones on your lock screen) and the app icon on the home screen won't have a red badge with a number; you will be able to access your inbox in the app (and it will show the number of unread items) since that only uses the Stack Exchange API.
    – Glorfindel Mod
    May 24, 2020 at 9:46
  • @terdon it depends on your device/OS version I guess. I have a Moto G7 Play running Android 9 and the notifications still work.
    – Glorfindel Mod
    May 24, 2020 at 10:20
  • @Glorfindel yeah, I think mine stopped when I upgraded to android 10. Maybe 11.
    – terdon on strike
    May 24, 2020 at 10:41
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    BTW, it's May 26th and I'm still receiving push notifications...
    – Glorfindel Mod
    May 26, 2020 at 14:54
  • Why don't you just pull it from the Apple App Store instead of bothering to update the certificate to make it work? It's been so long since the apps have been updated and they've just been attracting bugs.
    – S.S. Anne
    May 28, 2020 at 1:43
  • @Glorfindel Was it for chat? I got one for chat but not for a comment.
    – Catija StaffMod
    May 28, 2020 at 16:05
  • @Catija I read your very comment as a push notification on my Apple Watch. For me it's still working as it should.
    – Glorfindel Mod
    May 28, 2020 at 16:06
  • @Glorfindel Yup, just got yours, too. I'll check with Jon. I'd... ignored my phone most of the day yesterday, so I hadn't noticed that I was still getting them until I saw your comment.
    – Catija StaffMod
    May 28, 2020 at 16:07

2 Answers 2

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Kudos for keeping the iOS app alive while technically speaking the apps aren't supported anymore!

While you're at it, please switch to using token-based connections which use keys, which don't expire, unlike the traditional .p12 certificates. Speaking as the resident iOS developer in my company, this switch saves me a lot of tedious work. Most push notification libraries support this authentication method nowadays.

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    Unfortunately, the .Net mobile push library we use hasn't been actively maintained since mid-2016, a little before Apple announced the feature. So far, it's been more effective to have someone spend a couple hours a year renewing the certificate than spend the time to invest in a new library.
    – Brian Nickel
    May 22, 2020 at 19:32
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    @BrianNickel The amount of time and energy invested by SE staff explaining why the mobile apps have been abandoned and by the community discussing this odd decision could have been put to much better use. It's been three years of complaints, and since the "responsive website" is not currently a viable alternative, it will be another three years of annoyed users and staff in an endless cycle of frustration.
    – Boaz
    May 24, 2020 at 13:35
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This has been resolved. We were able to work with Apple to recover our account, renew certificates, and get push notifications working as expected. Thank you everyone for your patience as we addressed this.

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