2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
# Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Isn't this like ...?
|
|
|
|
|
Who knows. I didn't do a lot of research before making this. It was fun making it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Can I use this in my app? Will it stay free?
|
|
|
|
|
Yes. As long as you don't abuse it, it'll be available and free of charge. I do not plan on monetizing
|
|
|
|
|
the service.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What are the uptime guarantees?
|
|
|
|
|
Best effort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What happens if there are multiple subscribers to the same topic?
|
|
|
|
|
As per usual with pub-sub, all subscribers receive notifications if they are
|
|
|
|
|
subscribed to a topic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Will you know what topics exist, can you spy on me?
|
|
|
|
|
If you don't trust me or your messages are sensitive, run your own server. It's <a href="https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy">open source</a>.
|
|
|
|
|
That said, the logs do not contain any topic names or other details about you.
|
2021-12-19 06:02:36 +03:00
|
|
|
Messages are cached for the duration configured in `server.yml` (12h by default) to facilitate service restarts, message polling and to overcome
|
2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
client network disruptions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Can I self-host it?
|
|
|
|
|
Yes. The server (including this Web UI) can be self-hosted, and the Android app supports adding topics from
|
2021-12-05 23:57:37 +03:00
|
|
|
your own server as well. Check out the [install instructions](install.md).
|
2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Why is Firebase used?
|
|
|
|
|
In addition to caching messages locally and delivering them to long-polling subscribers, all messages are also
|
|
|
|
|
published to Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) (if `FirebaseKeyFile` is set, which it is on ntfy.sh). This
|
2021-12-05 23:57:37 +03:00
|
|
|
is to facilitate notifications on Android.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you do not care for Firebase, I suggest you install the [F-Droid version](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.heckel.ntfy/)
|
|
|
|
|
of the app and [self-host your own ntfy server](install.md).
|
2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## How much battery does the Android app use?
|
2022-03-15 15:27:17 +03:00
|
|
|
If you use the ntfy.sh server, and you don't use the [instant delivery](subscribe/phone.md#instant-delivery) feature,
|
2021-12-05 23:57:37 +03:00
|
|
|
the Android app uses no additional battery, since Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is used. If you use your own server,
|
2022-03-15 15:27:17 +03:00
|
|
|
or you use *instant delivery*, the app has to maintain a constant connection to the server, which consumes about 0-1% of
|
|
|
|
|
battery in 17h of use (on my phone). There has been a ton of testing and improvement around this. I think it's pretty
|
|
|
|
|
decent now.
|
2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## What is instant delivery?
|
2021-12-05 23:57:37 +03:00
|
|
|
[Instant delivery](subscribe/phone.md#instant-delivery) is a feature in the Android app. If turned on, the app maintains a constant connection to the
|
2021-12-02 07:08:12 +03:00
|
|
|
server and listens for incoming notifications. This consumes <a href="#battery-usage">additional battery</a>,
|
|
|
|
|
but delivers notifications instantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Why is there no iOS app (yet)?
|
|
|
|
|
I don't have an iPhone or a Mac, so I didn't make an iOS app yet. It'd be awesome if
|
|
|
|
|
<a href="https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/4">someone else could help out</a>.
|
