Messaging basics
How messaging works, what you can send, and how you can send it
Throughout our documentation, you will see underlined terms. Hover over a term to see its definition. Most terms also function as links. We also have a full Glossary.
How messaging works
Before you can send messages, you need:
An app or website integrated with the Airship software developer kit (SDK).
The SDK enables communication with mobile devices and web browsers. If you are only sending SMS or email notifications, SDK integration is not required. Notifications sent to Open Channels also do not require SDK integration, but your webhook server must be able to process and interpret a JSON payload.
An audience of your app’s or website’s opted-in users. An exception to this is Apple NewsA news aggregator for iOS and MacOS. An Apple News notification is a push notification that links to an Apple News story. Apple News notifications are available to select publishers. If you are interested in sending Apple News notifications, please contact your Airship Account Manager. notifications, which are sent to Apple News subscribers. Apple News audience management is not handled via Airship.
A container for your messages. In Airship, this container is a project.
You will create a project in the DashboardThe Airship web interface located at go.airship.com or go.airship.eu. for each app or website you want to communicate with. Almost everything you do with Airship, including creating messages, happens inside a project. A project is essentially Airship’s representation of your app or website. A project:
- Is a record for your app, website, and any other channels you use to communicate with your audience
- Stores your message history, message templates, audience and analytic data, channel configuration, default message configuration settings, and more
- Contains the keys required to talk to various notification services — More about keys: The SDKs and APIs: Authentication
With the above in place, then:
You create a message using a ComposerA tool for creating messages in the dashboard. Composers are defined by what you can include and control: message types, delivery, and automation. or the API. Our user guide walks you through features and usage.
Your app or website interprets the message via the Airship SDK, displaying or delivering it to users. SMS, email, and Apple News notifications are instead interpreted by a native client.
Users see your message. When and where they see the message depends on message type, delivery settings, and automation.
Channels
When you read “channel,” it could mean one of three things:
Engagement channel — A communication medium supported by the Airship Service. Supported channels include app, web, email, SMS, and Open Channels.
Development channel — An instance representing an entity addressable via the Airship Service, e.g., an iOS device, email address, SMS number, or web browser.
Channel ID — An Airship-specific unique identifier for a development channel instance, e.g., a mobile device, web browser, or email address.
We specify Channel ID as such in our documentation. Engagement and development are generally implied by context. For more information, see Intro to Channels.
Message types — What you can send
Message type availability varies per engagement channel. Being able to send from the DashboardThe Airship web interface located at go.airship.com or go.airship.eu. or API varies per message type. The next sections describe both. See also Live ActivityDisplays current data from your app on the iPhone Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. and Live UpdateDisplays current data from your Android app in a push notification, home screen widget, or custom app view..
App
Supported message types for the App channel and whether they can be sent from the DashboardThe Airship web interface located at go.airship.com or go.airship.eu. or API:
| Message type | Description | Dashboard or API support |
|---|---|---|
| Push notification | A push notification is a message that can appear on any screen on a mobile device. Push notifications appear as banners. Learn more | Dashboard, API |
| Message Center | Message Center is both a place in your app where you can display persistent rich messages, including HTML, video, etc., and a message type. Similar to email, Message Center represents both the medium (the in-app inbox) and the message type (the messages you send to the inbox). Learn more | Dashboard, API |
| In-app message | An in-app message is a message that appears inside of your app. You can send in-app messages to your entire app audience, not just users who have opted-in to push notifications. The standard format, as opposed to In-App Automation, is a banner that slides downward or upward from the top or bottom of a device screen. Learn more | Dashboard, API |
| In-App Automation | In-App Automation refers to messages cached on users’ devices and displayed when users meet certain conditions within your app, such as viewing a particular screen or opening the app a certain number of times. Learn more | Dashboard |
| Scene | A Scene is a single or multi-screen in-app experience cached on users’ devices and displayed when users meet certain conditions in your app or website, such as viewing a particular screen or when a Custom Event occurs. They can be presented in fullscreen, modal, or embedded format using the default swipe/click mode or as a Story. Scenes can also contain survey questions. Learn more | Dashboard |
| Story | A Story is a Scene set to automatically transition to the next screen without swiping or clicking. Learn more | Dashboard |
| Embedded Content | Embedded Content is an alternative Scene format that can be displayed on any app or web screen in a view defined by a developer. It can also be presented in Story format. Learn more | Dashboard |
Web
Supported message types for the Web channel and whether they can be sent from the DashboardThe Airship web interface located at go.airship.com or go.airship.eu. or API:
| Message type | Description | API support |
|---|---|---|
| Web push notification | A web push notification is a message that appears in the top or bottom right corner of a web browser or in a notification center. On mobile devices, web push notifications appear similar to push notifications. Learn more | Dashboard, API |
| Scene | A Scene is a single or multi-screen in-app experience cached on users’ devices and displayed when users meet certain conditions in your app or website, such as viewing a particular screen or when a Custom Event occurs. They can be presented in fullscreen, modal, or embedded format using the default swipe/click mode or as a Story. Scenes can also contain survey questions. Learn more | Dashboard |
| Story | A Story is a Scene set to automatically transition to the next screen without swiping or clicking. Learn more | Dashboard |
| Embedded Content | Embedded Content is an alternative Scene format that can be displayed on any app or web screen in a view defined by a developer. It can also be presented in Story format. Learn more | Dashboard |
Email, SMS, and Open channels
Supported message types for the Email, SMS, and Open channels and whether they can be sent from the DashboardThe Airship web interface located at go.airship.com or go.airship.eu. or API:
| Message type | Description | Dashboard or API support |
|---|---|---|
| Email is an HTML or plain-text message that you send to registered users. Email notifications appear in recipients' email inboxes. Learn more | Dashboard, API | |
| SMS | An SMS is a message that you can send to an MSISDN (phone number) over the SMMP protocol to devices that have opted in for a specific sender ID (long or short code). SMS messages appear in recipients’ native SMS clients. Generally speaking, SMS is inclusive of MMS. Learn more | Dashboard, API |
| Open channel | An Open channel message can be sent to any medium that can accept a JSON payload. Learn more | Dashboard, API |
Composers — How you can send
You can create a message of any type in the dashboard using a composer. Composers are defined by what you can include and control: message types, delivery, and automation. The following sections describe the composers you can use per channel and which message types are supported for each.
See Message types above for API support per message type.
App
These composers support the app channel only and are for sending the single message type they are named for:
- Apple NewsA news aggregator for iOS and MacOS. An Apple News notification is a push notification that links to an Apple News story. Apple News notifications are available to select publishers. If you are interested in sending Apple News notifications, please contact your Airship Account Manager.
- In-App AutomationMessages cached on users’ devices and displayed when users meet certain conditions within your app, such as viewing a particular screen or opening the app a certain number of times.
App and Web
The Scene composer supports the app and web channels for these message types:
- Scene
- Story
- Embedded Content
Learn more about Scenes, Stories, and Embedded Content.
All channels
The composers listed in the following table support all channels for these message types:
- Push notification
- In-app message
- Message Center
- Web push notification
- SMS
- Open channel
They also support combining message types in a single send.
| Composer | Description |
|---|---|
| Message | Send a single message. Learn more |
| A/B Test | Experiment with different variations of a message. Message Center not supported. Learn more |
| Automation | Automatically send a message to users when they meet certain conditions. Learn more |
| Sequence | Automatically send a series of messages to users when they meet certain conditions. Learn more |
Reporting
So you’ve established an audience and sent your messages. Now what? Dig into reporting at every level:
Message Reports evaluate the performance of individual messages. Messages created with the A/B Test higher-level statistical report along with a message report for each variant. For Sequences, the Performance report shows audience behavior compared to the Sequence’s goal and a message report for each message in the Sequence.
Engagement Reports explain aggregate user engagement activity, response rates, and important high-level statistics such as opt-in/opt-out and uninstall levels by platform.
Performance AnalyticsA customizable marketing intelligence tool that provides access to reports and graphs based on engagement data. provides customizable dashboard-style reports using advanced analytics to show and interpret engagement with your app, website, and across multiple apps.
You can also set up integrations with Airship partners and use Real-Time Data StreamingA service that delivers engagement events in real time via the Data Streaming API or an Airship partner integration. to send you Airship events to an outside system.
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