P8 Key or P12 Cert Setup

Instructions for creating the required credentials to enable iOS notifications

Prerequisites

In order to begin subscribing users to notifications you must have either a P8 Key (recommended) or a P12 Certificate; Either of these can be generated via the Apple Developers portal.

  • An Apple Developer Account that has Admin privileges

  • Your application's App Bundle ID (e.g., com.pushly.example)

  • An iOS application or XCode project with the Push Notifications capability added

P8 Key Setup (Recommended)

Step 1: Generate the Key

If you are not renewing an existing P12 certificate we recommend using the newer P8 Key to provide authorization to send notifications. The P8 key will work across all of your applications and environments. You do not need a separate P8 file for developer vs production or for each of your applications.

To create a new P8 key navigate to your Apple Developer Account and click the Keys link.

On the next page click the + button next to the Keys header

Enter a name for your P8 key; This can be your company name, the name of your application, or any text that will help you identify it later.

Check the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) box and click the Continue button.

On the next page, copy the value provided for Key ID and then click the Download button to download the P8 Key.

The last piece of information we need is the Team ID associated to your membership and can be found in the top right of the screen underneath your name.

Step 2: Enable Integration in Pushly

Now that you have the Team ID, Key ID , and the P8 Key you can log into the Pushly platform, navigate to the Settings page, and locate the Send Integrations section.

For here, click the Edit button in the Send Integration header, enable the Native switch under the Apple heading and:

  1. Choose P8 Cert from the pill selection

  2. Click the certificate area to upload your P8 Key

  3. Enter the Team ID

  4. Enter the Key ID

  5. Click the Submit button

If everything was entered correctly you should now see a section underneath Send Integrations that shows an active Apple Native integration.

P12 Certificate Setup

We do not recommend creating new P12 Certificates in favor of using P8 Keys. If you have an existing P12 Certificate follow the steps below to renew it and add it to the platform.

Step 1: Create a Certificate Request (CSR)

  1. On a Mac computer Open the Keychain Access application

  2. Within the Keychain Access primary application menu, select Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Request a Certificate from a Certificate Authority

  3. In the Certificate Information window, enter the following information:

    • In the User Email Address field, enter your email address.

    • In the Common Name field, create a name for your private key (e.g. Company Name Web Push).

    • The CA Email Address field should be left empty.

    • In the Request group, select the Saved to disk option.

  4. Click Continue within Keychain Access and save the CSR to disk to complete this step.

Step 2: Create an Identifier for Your App

If you are renewing an existing certificate you can skip this step and move to Step 3 since the App Identifier should already exist within your Apple developer account.

  1. Login to your company's Apple Developer Console account.

  2. Click on the Identifiers link under Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles

  3. In the top-right dropdown ensure App IDs is selected and click the + button next to the Identifiers header.

  4. Choose App IDs from the list of options and press the Continue button.

  5. Choose App as the identifier type and click the Continue button

  6. Enter a description. Eg: YOUR_APP_NAME Push Notifications

  7. Enter the Bundle ID for your app. Eg: com.YOUR_APP_NAME.app-push

  8. Under the Capabilities tab scroll down and check the Push Notifications capability

  9. Click the Continue and then Register button.

Step 3: Generate a Web Push Certificate

  1. Click on Certificates in the left nav and press the + sign next to the Certificates header

  2. Choose Apple Push Notification service SSL (Sandbox & Production) from the list of Services and then click Continue.

  3. Select the App Identifier that corresponds to the application for which you are generating the certificate and click the Continue button.

  4. Click the Choose File button, browse for the CSR file that we created in the first step, and click Continue.

  5. The next screen informs you that your certificate is ready. Click Download to store the certificate on your computer.

Step 4: Generate the .p12 Certificate

  • Navigate to the certificate you saved on your computer and double click it to install it to the Keychain Access application.

  • Open the Keychain Access application and click on My Certificates tab with the Login keychain selected in the left navigation section.

  • Right click on the installed Apple Push Services certificate and choose Export.

  • In the save dialog, choose a filename (or leave the default), choose the .p12 file format, and click the Save button.

  • You will be prompted to enter a password - leave both boxes empty and click OK.

  • Click Allow to save the p12 certificate to your computer.

Step 5: Upload the Certificate via the Platform

Now that you have the Bundle ID and the P12 Certificate you can log into the Pushly platform, navigate to the Settings page, and locate the Send Integrations section.

For here, click the Edit button in the Send Integration header, enable the Native switch under the Apple heading and:

  1. Enter the application's Bundle ID

  2. Choose P12 Cert from the pill selection

  3. Click the area to upload your P12 Certificate

  4. If you entered a passphrase when generating the certificate enable the switch and add it

  5. Click the Submit button

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