Push notification setup
Connect OneSignal to Apple’s push service and Firebase Cloud Messaging, then add the OneSignal App ID to your app.
Prerequisites
- The app setup completed
- A OneSignal account
- An Apple Developer account for iOS
- A Firebase project for Android
- A device with a development build; OneSignal does not run in Expo Go
Configure your platforms
Use one OneSignal app for both platforms. NativeExpress reads a single App ID.
iOS
Create an APNs key
In your Apple Developer account, create a key for Apple Push Notifications service (APNs). OneSignal requires a team-scoped key for Sandbox & Production. Follow its APNs key guide .
Download the .p8 file and store it securely; Apple permits one download.
Record the Key ID and your Team ID too.
Configure OneSignal for iOS
Create an app in the OneSignal dashboard , or open the app you already created for Android. Enable Apple iOS (APNs).
Select .p8 authentication and provide the file, Key ID, Team ID and bundle
identifier. The bundle identifier must match
config.js → general.iosBundleIdentifier.
Verify
Confirm that OneSignal accepts the APNs credentials for your app, then add the App ID below and test delivery on an iOS device.
Connect the app
Add the OneSignal App ID
Copy the App ID from your OneSignal app’s Keys & IDs settings. Set it in
.env.local:
EXPO_PUBLIC_ONE_SIGNAL_APP_ID="<your-onesignal-app-id>"For cloud builds, add the same variable to the EAS environment used by your build profile.
Build and grant permission
Create a new development build with the updated configuration. On a fresh install, choose to enable notifications on the last onboarding screen and accept the system prompt. If onboarding is already complete, enable notifications in device settings or run your app’s permission action.
The OneSignal SDK and config plugin are already installed. The vendor’s Expo setup guide provides additional platform troubleshooting.
Verify
Find the device’s subscribed push subscription in OneSignal, then send it a test notification. Check delivery with the app in the background on each platform you support.