How can a web application send push notifications to iOS devices?
I'm working on a web app. How can I send push notifications to iOS users when there is new content?
Answer
To be more specific, in order for a web application to send push notifications to a mobile device, such as the iPhone, the mobile device must have registered to receive push notifications for a particular application. The registration for push notification is done through a native app and can only be performed through a native app. Once the native app is registered for push notification, it can send the authorization token to the server, which can be used in conjunction with the certificate used to provision the native client, to send the push notifications to the mobile device.
As specified in another answer, one option is to 'wrap' your web application in a native application. Meaning that you would create a native application that basically presents a UIWebView (for iPhone dev) to the user showing your web application. While this pretty much functions in the same manner as the native browser, you would be able to add the ability to register for push notifications using the native controls.
It would be beneficial to you to review the Apple's push notification document as it provides some pretty good information on how push messaging functions on the iPhone.
See these links provided by Peter Hosey: