Overview

Enhance your iOS push notification opt-in rate and improve user experience by using a soft prompt—an in-app message that provides context before showing the native iOS permission dialog. This approach increases user trust and allows for better timing in your onboarding or engagement flow.

Why Use a Soft Prompt?

iOS only allows the native push notification prompt to appear once. If a user declines, you cannot prompt again without requiring them to manually update settings. To address this, OneSignal recommends using an In-App Message as a soft prompt before triggering the system-level permission.

With a soft prompt, you can:

• Explain the value of enabling notifications
• Set expectations around frequency and content
• Defer the official system prompt until the user is ready

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Example Use Case

After sign-up or post-purchase, show a soft prompt explaining why push notifications are helpful. If the user selects "Allow", trigger the iOS native prompt. If they select "Maybe Later", you can retry later without penalty.

Configure a Soft Prompt

You can configure an iOS soft prompt in the OneSignal dashboard or via API. This allows you to customize the messaging, visuals, and timing of your in-app message.

📖 Learn more in the official OneSignal guide: iOS Push Opt-In Prompt