Android Push Notification Setup Guide

Push notifications on Android are managed through Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — a service provided by Firebase to send notifications and messages to Android devices.

To enable push notifications in your Android app, you need to connect your app to a Firebase project and configure FCM accordingly.

Set Up a Firebase Project

Follow the official setup guide to create or configure your Firebase project:

Firebase Setup Guide

This guide will walk you through:

• Creating a Firebase project.
• Registering your Android app in the Firebase Console.
• Adding the google-services.json file to your Android project.
• Integrating Firebase SDKs in your app.

Once setup is complete, you can proceed with configuring Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for push notifications.

To set up push notifications for your Android app using Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) with Userpilot you need the following:

Item	Description
Firebase Project ID	Unique identifier for your Firebase project. Used to identify your app on FCM servers.
Service Account File (.json )	A JSON file containing credentials (private key, project info) used to authenticate server-side requests to FCM.

What is the Firebase Project ID?

The Firebase Project ID is a globally unique identifier for your Firebase project. It is used in API requests, FCM configurations, and when integrating your backend with Firebase.

Example: userpilot-app-12345

How to Get the Firebase Project ID

1. Go to Firebase Console.
2. Select your existing project or click “Add Project” to create a new one.
3. Once your project is open, click the Settings icon (⚙️) in the left sidebar (next to “Project Overview”).
4. Click “Project Settings”.
5. In the General tab, locate the Project ID field under Your Project section.

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What is the Service Account File?

The Service Account File is a JSON file that contains credentials used by your server to send messages to Firebase. It includes:

• Private key
• Project ID
• Client email
• Token URI
• Authentication info

Instructions for how to setup your Firebase Cloud Messaging service and download the json file needed in order to configure Android push notifications.

From your project’s Firebase console go to Cloud Messaging and tap on the Manage Service Accounts link.

You should be redirected to a different page (login may be required again), once you land on the 
Google Cloud page, click on CREATE SERVICE ACCOUNT under the Service Accounts tab.

Add a name and description (optional)

Add the Role “Firebase Cloud Messaging API Admin”

Complete the creation by tapping DONE

You should see a new line added on the list of services. TAP ON IT or select it and tap on Manage Access

Then ADD KEY → Create new key.
Select JSON and create to complete.

This process will generate a new key entry and download a json file to your local machine, this json file is required to properly setup Android push notifications. 

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