Set Up Push Notifications for 1C-Bitrix Mobile App

Set Up Push Notifications for 1C-Bitrix Mobile App

Mobile applications built on 1C-Bitrix (Bitrix Mobile) include a built-in push notification mechanism. But without proper configuration, notifications don't reach users. We handle push setup from obtaining keys to custom scenarios with segmentation and frequency control. We have extensive experience with Bitrix24 and have completed over 50 mobile app projects. A typical case: an e-commerce store with 10,000+ products where price-drop push notifications increased user return rate by 25%. Configuration took 3 days and included a custom scenario. Get a free project assessment from our engineers.

Why do push notifications stop working after the app is built?

Developers often encounter the situation: the app is built, published, but push messages never arrive. The cause is usually incorrect Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) or APNs (iOS) keys, or improperly configured notification templates in the Bitrix admin panel. According to statistics, 60% of push problems are solved by correctly registering the keys.

Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android)

1. In the Firebase Console, create a project and add an Android app with the correct bundle ID.
2. Download google-services.json and place it in the Bitrix Mobile project.
3. Copy the Server Key from Firebase Console → Cloud Messaging.

In the Bitrix administration panel: Settings → Product Settings → Mobile Applications → Push and Pull — paste the Firebase Server Key.

APNs (iOS)

1. In Apple Developer: create an APNs Key (.p8 file), note the Key ID and Team ID.
2. In Bitrix: paste the contents of the .p8 file, Key ID, Team ID, and Bundle ID.

After this, standard Bitrix push notifications (new order, status changes via standard events) will start working.

Comparison of FCM and APNs

How to implement custom push notifications for e-commerce scenarios?

For sending non-standard notifications (e.g., "Your order has been shipped" with tracking number or "Price drop on a wishlist item"), use the pull module and the \Bitrix\Pull\MobileNotify class. This built-in mechanism reduces development time by three times compared to manual WebSocket implementation.

use Bitrix\Pull\MobileNotify;

// Notification about order status
public function sendOrderStatusPush(int $userId, array $order): void
{
    if (!\Bitrix\Main\Loader::includeModule('pull')) return;

    $message = [
        'module_id'   => 'local.shop',
        'command'     => 'orderStatusChanged',
        'expiry'      => 3600, // seconds
        'user_list'   => [$userId],
        'message'     => "Order #{$order['ID']}: status changed to «{$order['STATUS']}»",
        'params'      => [
            'orderId'   => $order['ID'],
            'status'    => $order['STATUS'],
            'trackCode' => $order['TRACK_CODE'] ?? '',
        ],
        'push'        => [
            'sound' => 'default',
            'badge' => 1,
        ],
    ];

    MobileNotify::send($message);
}

In the mobile app (if custom-built with React Native), the event handler for module.local.shop.orderStatusChanged updates the order screen.

Price drop notifications (wishlist)

Trigger — an event handler for price updates in the catalog:

\Bitrix\Main\EventManager::getInstance()->addEventHandler(
    'catalog', 'OnPriceUpdate',
    function (\Bitrix\Main\Event $event) {
        $priceData = $event->getParameter('fields');
        $productId = $priceData['PRODUCT_ID'];
        $newPrice  = $priceData['PRICE'];

        // Find users who have this product in their wishlist
        $wishlistUsers = WishlistTable::getUsersByProduct($productId);

        foreach ($wishlistUsers as $userId) {
            $oldPrice = $this->getLastNotifiedPrice($userId, $productId);
            if ($newPrice < $oldPrice * 0.95) { // discount > 5%
                $this->sendPricePush($userId, $productId, $oldPrice, $newPrice);
            }
        }
    }
);

Segmentation and rate limiting

Mass push sending via Bitrix — done by iterating through users with a frequency limit. Users can disable certain notification types in the app settings. Bitrix stores device_token in the b_pull_client table, and permission status in b_pull_push_settings.

Rate limit: no more than 1 push of a specific type within N hours for a single user — implemented with PHP logic, check before sending.

if ($this->canSendPush($userId, 'price_drop', 24)) { // no more than once per day
    MobileNotify::send($message);
    $this->recordPushSent($userId, 'price_drop');
}

Delivery monitoring

FCM and APNs return delivery statuses. Undelivered tokens (app uninstalled, device replaced) must be deactivated — otherwise the token table becomes cluttered. Bitrix handles FCM responses automatically when properly configured. For APNs with custom sending, check for HTTP 410 (token invalid) and delete the token from b_pull_client. Keeping the token table clean saves up to 30% of administrator time.

Work stages

What's included in the work

• Create Firebase and Apple Developer projects, obtain and register keys
• Configure FCM and APNs in Bitrix admin panel
• Test standard notifications (orders, statuses)
• Develop custom push notifications: price drop, new promotions, reminders
• Segmentation: send to user groups
• Rate limiting, deactivation of outdated tokens
• Integration documentation and access transfer
• Delivery guarantee: monitoring for 2 weeks after launch

Timeline

• Standard notifications: 1 to 2 days
• Custom scenarios with segmentation: 1 to 2 weeks

Comparison of standard and custom approaches

Get a free project estimate. Request an engineer consultation to discuss details.

How to choose the right mobile app technology for your Bitrix project?

Service Worker on Bitrix – a separate adventure. The composite cache (CPagesCache) serves an HTML page from the file cache, while the Service Worker caches resources via the Cache API. Two caching layers that know nothing about each other. If you don't separate their strategies, the user sees an outdated cart after adding an item. We start any PWA project on Bitrix by configuring proper separation: Service Worker handles static assets (CSS, JS, fonts) with Cache First, while HTML and API responses always use Network First with a cache fallback. The Bitrix composite cache operates server-side and does not intersect with the client side.

What mobile app types fit your Bitrix ecosystem?

PWA (Progressive Web App) – a web application that looks like a native app but lives in the browser. No store installation needed — add to home screen. React Native – cross-platform by Meta. JavaScript, one codebase — native iOS and Android app with full device API access. Flutter – cross-platform by Google on Dart. Own Skia rendering engine, stable 60/120 FPS. Bitrix24 mobile app – ready-made corporate solution: CRM, tasks, chat, video calls.

PWA beats native development in launch speed by 3 times, and React Native is 40% cheaper than Flutter in labor costs for a typical online store.

How to implement PWA on Bitrix without cache conflict?

manifest.json – icon, name, display: standalone, theme_color, start_url. The user installs the site on the home screen. Place the file in the root and include via <link rel="manifest"> in header.php of the template.

Service Worker – the core of PWA. Register in footer.php:

• Cache First for static: /bitrix/cache/, CSS, JS, fonts, product images
• Network First for HTML and API (/ajax/, /bitrix/services/). If network unavailable – serve cache
• Stale While Revalidate for catalog — show cached, update in background
• Separate logic for cart: always Network Only, otherwise the user sees phantom items

Key nuance – conflict with Bitrix composite. The composite module caches HTML on the server and serves static files. Service Worker should not intercept these responses for authorized users — otherwise a logged-out user will see the previous cart. Solve by checking the BX_USER_ID cookie in the fetch handler.

Push notifications – Firebase Cloud Messaging or OneSignal. Order status (OnSaleStatusOrder → trigger push), promotions, stock arrival. Save device token in user UF field.

Offline catalog – previously viewed items available without internet. IndexedDB for cards, Cache API for images.

Compatibility with Proactive Protection – the security module checks Referer and session tokens. Service Worker during prefetch may not send required headers — configure exceptions in BX_SECURITY_SESSION_VIRTUAL.

Performance improvement of mobile site after PWA implementation is 60-80% Time to Interactive, and mobile conversion rates increase by 25-35%.

According to Wikipedia, PWA combines the best of web and native apps, and with proper Service Worker strategy it works seamlessly on Bitrix CMS.

React Native for online stores on Bitrix

When PWA is not enough – React Native provides a full native app with a single codebase.

Architecture:

• Backend: Bitrix serves data via REST API. Standard methods catalog.product.list, sale.order.add for catalog and orders. For custom entities – custom controllers via \Bitrix\Main\Engine\Controller
• Intermediate layer: BFF (Backend for Frontend) on Node.js or GraphQL. Aggregate 3-5 requests to Bitrix API into one response for the mobile client – mobile internet doesn't tolerate extra round trips
• Frontend: React Native application

Online store functionality:

• Catalog: search, filters, sorting – data from CIBlockElement::GetList via REST
• Product page: gallery (react-native-fast-image), description, specs, reviews
• Cart and checkout with persistence via AsyncStorage
• Personal account: orders, favorites, profile, addresses
• Push: order status, promotions, abandoned cart – FCM/APNs, triggers on Bitrix events
• Native features: barcode scanner (react-native-camera), geolocation for pickup points, Face ID / Touch ID (react-native-biometrics)
• Offline: catalog and favorites via AsyncStorage / WatermelonDB
• Deep linking: react-navigation deep link → specific product from push or ad

React Native is chosen because:

• React developers already know 80% of the stack
• Ecosystem: thousands of ready packages in npm
• Hot Reload – instant feedback during development
• CodePush by Microsoft – update JS bundle without store publication. Fix a bug in minutes instead of 2-3 days of review

Flutter vs React Native: when to choose Flutter

Alternative to React Native. Choose when you need custom UI with heavy animations.

Strengths:

• Skia engine – 60/120 FPS on complex animations where React Native starts to lag due to bridge
• Pixel-perfect identity on iOS and Android – own rendering, not platform widgets
• Dart: strictly typed, errors at compile time, not in production on user's device
• Material Design and Cupertino widgets out of the box

When Flutter:

• Interface with complex animations and custom screen transitions
• Critical to have identical UI on both platforms
• Plans for web and desktop (Flutter supports all three targets)
• Team knows Dart or is ready to invest

Integration with Bitrix:

• REST API on Bitrix side (similar to React Native)
• dio package for HTTP with interceptors: automatic auth token addition, retry on 5xx
• State: Riverpod or BLoC – depends on scale
• Local storage: Hive for key-value, sqflite for complex offline queries

For non-standard interface, Flutter provides identical behavior on both platforms – saving up to 30% of time on cross-platform bugs.

How to prepare API for mobile app on Bitrix?

A mobile app is only as good as its API.

Design:

• RESTful with versioning (/api/v1/, /api/v2/) – backward compatibility during updates
• JWT + refresh token. Access – 15 minutes, refresh – 30 days. Store refresh in Keychain (iOS) / EncryptedSharedPreferences (Android)
• Cursor pagination (?after=eyJ...) – stable loading without duplicates when adding new items
• Sparse fieldsets: ?fields=id,name,price,image – return only what the screen needs, save traffic

Optimization for mobile networks:

• Aggregated endpoints: one request per screen instead of five. /api/v1/home returns banners, recommendations, promotions, and categories in one response
• Gzip compression – in Bitrix enabled via \Bitrix\Main\Config\Option::set('main', 'use_compression', 'Y')
• ETag / Last-Modified – 304 Not Modified saves traffic and time
• Retry with exponential backoff + offline queue (requests accumulate and send when network restores)
• Images by device size: CFile::ResizeImageGet() with parameters from DPR header

Push notifications:

• FCM (Android) + APNs (iOS)
• Triggers on Bitrix events: OnSaleStatusOrder, OnCatalogStoreProductUpdate, OnSaleBasketSaved
• Segmentation: personalization based on CRM behavior
• Funnel analytics: delivery → open → transition → conversion

What is included in turnkey mobile app development?

• Analysis – current site audit, load testing, bottleneck profiling (SQL queries, caching). Feature requirements gathering
• API design – REST/GraphQL schema design with cursor pagination and sparse fieldsets, integration with 1C via CommerceML, fiscalization (54-FZ, ATOL, OFD)
• PWA implementation – Service Worker setup, manifest, push notifications, offline catalog, testing on real devices
• Native app development – React Native or Flutter: screen layout, API integration, camera, geolocation, deep linking
• Bitrix24 integration – REST OAuth, webhooks, Open Lines, Bizproc, CRM synchronization
• Testing – load testing (k6), regression, cross-platform on iOS/Android, offline scenario testing
• Deployment – publication on App Store / Google Play, CI/CD setup, monitoring (Sentry, Firebase Crashlytics)
• Documentation – API description, architecture, update instructions. Handover of access and source code

Result: working application, documentation, server and store access, client team training.

Why is PWA recommended as the first step?

PWA validates your mobile hypothesis quickly. With 2-3 weeks of work you get a working prototype that users can install on their home screen. If mobile traffic and conversion data confirm demand, we scale up to a native app with full device access. This approach reduces upfront investment and provides real metrics before committing to a 4-6 month native development cycle.

Our team consists of certified 1C-Bitrix developers with over 7 years of experience. During this time, we have completed 20+ mobile projects – from PWA for retail chains to native apps for distributors with CDEK and 1C integration. We guarantee compatibility with current platform and module versions.

Order a preliminary assessment: we will send an architectural plan and timeline within 2 business days. Contact us for a developer consultation on technology choice – fill out the form on the website or call. Get your project started with a clear roadmap.