[GH-ISSUE #1546] Register UNNotificationCategory for native iOS notification actions + Apple Watch support #1089

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opened 2026-05-07 00:30:11 +02:00 by BreizhHardware · 0 comments

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:30:11 +02:00

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Originally created by @madshn on GitHub (Jan 13, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1546

Summary

Action buttons currently only appear inside the ntfy app. By registering UNNotificationCategory with UNNotificationAction, buttons would appear as native iOS notification actions AND automatically mirror to Apple Watch.

Current Behavior

Action buttons: ✅ Visible in ntfy app message detail view
Action buttons: ❌ NOT visible in iOS Notification Center (swipe/long-press)
Action buttons: ❌ NOT visible on Apple Watch (only "Dismiss" shown)

Expected Behavior

When a notification with actions arrives:

Swiping/long-pressing the notification in iOS shows action buttons
Apple Watch shows action buttons (up to 4, first 2 in compact view)
Tapping an action triggers the HTTP request directly from notification

Technical Approach

Register UNNotificationCategory for notifications containing actions
Create UNNotificationAction instances for each action (view, http)
Include the category identifier in the push payload
iOS will display actions in Notification Center
watchOS will automatically mirror actions without needing a watchOS app

Why This Matters

Speed: Respond to notifications without opening the app
Apple Watch: Huge UX improvement - respond from wrist
Consistency: Match Android behavior where actions appear in notification shade

References

Apple: Declaring actionable notification types
Apple: Adding actions to notifications on watchOS
Related: #1156 (action button clear not working - may be connected)

Originally created by @madshn on GitHub (Jan 13, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1546 ### Summary Action buttons currently only appear inside the ntfy app. By registering `UNNotificationCategory` with `UNNotificationAction`, buttons would appear as native iOS notification actions AND automatically mirror to Apple Watch. ### Current Behavior - Action buttons: ✅ Visible in ntfy app message detail view - Action buttons: ❌ NOT visible in iOS Notification Center (swipe/long-press) - Action buttons: ❌ NOT visible on Apple Watch (only "Dismiss" shown) ### Expected Behavior When a notification with actions arrives: 1. Swiping/long-pressing the notification in iOS shows action buttons 2. Apple Watch shows action buttons (up to 4, first 2 in compact view) 3. Tapping an action triggers the HTTP request directly from notification ### Technical Approach 1. Register `UNNotificationCategory` for notifications containing actions 2. Create `UNNotificationAction` instances for each action (view, http) 3. Include the `category` identifier in the push payload 4. iOS will display actions in Notification Center 5. watchOS will automatically mirror actions without needing a watchOS app ### Why This Matters - **Speed**: Respond to notifications without opening the app - **Apple Watch**: Huge UX improvement - respond from wrist - **Consistency**: Match Android behavior where actions appear in notification shade ### References - [Apple: Declaring actionable notification types](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/declaring-your-actionable-notification-types) - [Apple: Adding actions to notifications on watchOS](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/watchos-apps/adding-actions-to-notifications-on-watchos) - Related: #1156 (action button clear not working - may be connected)