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    Get started with Firebase Cloud Messaging in Android apps

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    This guide describes how to get started with Firebase Cloud Messaging in your Android client apps so that you can reliably send messages.

    FCM clients require devices running Android 6.0 or higher that also have the Google Play Store app installed, or an emulator running Android 6.0 with Google APIs. Note that you are not limited to deploying your Android apps through Google Play Store.

    Set up the SDK

    If you haven't already, add Firebase to your Android project .

    For an optimal experience with FCM , we strongly recommend enabling Google Analytics in your project. Google Analytics is a requirement for message delivery reporting for FCM .

    Edit your app manifest

    Add the following to your app's manifest:

    • A service that extends FirebaseMessagingService . This is required if you want to do any message handling beyond receiving notifications on apps in the background. To receive notifications in foreground apps, to receive data payload, and more, you must extend this service.
      • < service 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 ".java.MyFirebaseMessagingService" 
  
 android 
 : 
 exported 
 = 
 "false" 
>  
< intent 
 - 
 filter 
>  
< action 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" 
  
 / 
>  
< / 
 intent 
 - 
 filter 
>
< / 
 service>  
 
 . 
 xml
  • (Optional) Within the application component, metadata elements to set a default notification icon and color. Android uses these values whenever incoming messages don't explicitly set icon or color.
    • < ! 
 -- Set custom default icon. This is used when no icon is set for incoming notification messages. 
  
 See 
  
 README 
 ( 
 https 
 : 
 // 
 goo 
 . 
 gl 
 / 
 l4GJaQ 
 ) 
  
 for 
  
 more 
 . 
  
 -- 
>
< meta 
 - 
 data 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_icon" 
  
 android 
 : 
 resource 
 = 
 "@drawable/ic_stat_ic_notification" 
  
 / 
>
< ! 
 -- Set color used with incoming notification messages. This is used when no color is set for the incoming 
  
 notification 
  
 message 
 . 
  
 See 
  
 README 
 ( 
 https 
 : 
 // 
 goo 
 . 
 gl 
 / 
 6 
 BKBk7 
 ) 
  
 for 
  
 more 
 . 
  
 -- 
>
< meta 
 - 
 data 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_color" 
  
 android 
 : 
 resource 
 = 
 "@color/colorAccent" 
  
 / 
>
  • (Optional) From Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher, notification channels are supported and recommended. FCM provides a default notification channel with basic settings. If you prefer to create and use your own default channel, set default_notification_channel_id to the ID of your notification channel object as shown; FCM will use this value whenever incoming messages don't explicitly set a notification channel. To learn more, see Manage notification channels .
    • < meta 
 - 
 data 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_channel_id" 
  
 android 
 : 
 value 
 = 
 "@string/default_notification_channel_id" 
  
 / 
>

    Request runtime notification permission on Android 13+

    Android 13 introduces a new runtime permission for showing notifications. This affects all apps running on Android 13 or higher that use FCM notifications.

    By default, the FCM SDK (version 23.0.6 or higher) includes the POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission defined in the manifest. However, your app will also need to request the runtime version of this permission using the constant, android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS . Your app won't be allowed to show notifications until the user has granted this permission.

    To request the new runtime permission:

    Kotlin 

     // Declare the launcher at the top of your Activity/Fragment: 
 private 
  
 val 
  
 requestPermissionLauncher 
  
 = 
  
 registerForActivityResult 
 ( 
  
 ActivityResultContracts 
 . 
 RequestPermission 
 (), 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 isGranted 
 : 
  
 Boolean 
  
 - 
>  
 if 
  
 ( 
 isGranted 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // FCM SDK (and your app) can post notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // TODO: Inform user that that your app will not show notifications. 
  
 } 
 } 
 private 
  
 fun 
  
 askNotificationPermission 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 // This is only necessary for API level >= 33 (TIRAMISU) 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 Build 
 . 
 VERSION 
 . 
 SDK_INT 
  
> = 
  
 Build 
 . 
 VERSION_CODES 
 . 
 TIRAMISU 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ContextCompat 
 . 
 checkSelfPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 ) 
  
 == 
  
 PackageManager 
 . 
 PERMISSION_GRANTED 
  
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // FCM SDK (and your app) can post notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale 
 ( 
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 // TODO: display an educational UI explaining to the user the features that will be enabled 
  
 //       by them granting the POST_NOTIFICATION permission. This UI should provide the user 
  
 //       "OK" and "No thanks" buttons. If the user selects "OK," directly request the permission. 
  
 //       If the user selects "No thanks," allow the user to continue without notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // Directly ask for the permission 
  
 requestPermissionLauncher 
 . 
 launch 
 ( 
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 ) 
  
 } 
  
 } 
 }

    Java 

     // Declare the launcher at the top of your Activity/Fragment: 
 private 
  
 final 
  
 ActivityResultLauncher<String> 
  
 requestPermissionLauncher 
  
 = 
  
 registerForActivityResult 
 ( 
 new 
  
 ActivityResultContracts 
 . 
 RequestPermission 
 (), 
  
 isGranted 
  
 - 
>  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 isGranted 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // FCM SDK (and your app) can post notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // TODO: Inform user that that your app will not show notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 }); 
 private 
  
 void 
  
 askNotificationPermission 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 // This is only necessary for API level >= 33 (TIRAMISU) 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 Build 
 . 
 VERSION 
 . 
 SDK_INT 
  
> = 
  
 Build 
 . 
 VERSION_CODES 
 . 
 TIRAMISU 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ContextCompat 
 . 
 checkSelfPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 ) 
  
 == 
  
 PackageManager 
 . 
 PERMISSION_GRANTED 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // FCM SDK (and your app) can post notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale 
 ( 
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 // TODO: display an educational UI explaining to the user the features that will be enabled 
  
 //       by them granting the POST_NOTIFICATION permission. This UI should provide the user 
  
 //       "OK" and "No thanks" buttons. If the user selects "OK," directly request the permission. 
  
 //       If the user selects "No thanks," allow the user to continue without notifications. 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // Directly ask for the permission 
  
 requestPermissionLauncher 
 . 
 launch 
 ( 
 Manifest 
 . 
 permission 
 . 
 POST_NOTIFICATIONS 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 } 
 }

    Generally, you should display a UI explaining to the user the features that will be enabled if they grant permissions for the app to post notifications. This UI should provide the user options to agree or deny, such as OKand No thanksbuttons. If the user selects OK, directly request the permission. If the user selects No thanks, allow the user to continue without notifications.

    See Notification runtime permission for more best practices on when your app should request the POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission from the user.

    Notification permissions for apps targeting Android 12L (API level 32) or lower

    Android automatically asks the user for permission the first time your app creates a notification channel, as long as the app is in the foreground. However, there are important caveats regarding the timing of channel creation and permission requests:

    • If your app creates its first notification channel when it is running in the background, which the FCM SDK does when receiving an FCM notification, Android won't allow the notification to be displayed and won't prompt the user for the notification permission until the next time your app is opened. This means that any notifications received before your app is opened and the user accepts the permission will be lost.
    • We strongly recommend that you update your app to target Android 13+ to take advantage of the platform's APIs to request permission. If that isn't possible, your app should create notification channels before you send any notifications to the app in order to trigger the notification permission dialog and make sure no notifications are lost. See notification permission best practices for more information.

    Optional: remove POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission

    By default, the FCM SDK includes the POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission. If your app does not use notification messages (whether through FCM notifications, through another SDK, or directly posted by your app) and you don't want your app to include the permission, you can remove it using the manifest merger's remove marker. Keep in mind that removing this permission prevents the display of all notifications, not just FCM notifications. Add the following to your app's manifest file:

     <uses-permission  
android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS"  
tools:node="remove"/>

    Access the Firebase Installation ID

    On initial startup of your app, the FCM SDK registers the app instance with FCM and returns an identifier for the app instance. If you want to target individual app instances, you'll need to access this identifier by extending FirebaseMessagingService and overriding onRegistered() . As a best practice, retrieve the latest updated identifier since the identifier can rotate after the initial startup.

    Enable registration via Firebase Installation ID

    To enable registering your app instance with FCM using the Firebase Installation ID (FID) , add the following metadata flag to your AndroidManifest.xml file: 
    <meta-data  
android:name="firebase_messaging_installation_id_enabled"  
android:value="true"  
/>

    Implement the onRegistered() callback

    App instances are targeted using the Firebase Installation ID (FID) once they are registered with FCM . To retrieve the FID upon registration, implement the onRegistered() callback. Once an app instance is registered, the FCM SDK automatically monitors FID changes and invokes the callback when a change is detected. When auto-initialization is enabled, the FCM SDK automatically syncs with the FCM backend to keep the registration fresh and invokes the callback to ensure your app server has the current identifier. To protect against FID loss or outdated FIDs, you should send the FID to your app server whenever this callback triggers.

    Kotlin

      
 /** 
 * There are three scenarios when `onRegistered` is called: 
 * 1) Every time a manual `register()` call finishes successfully 
 * 2) Whenever the FID is changed and the app is re-registered with FCM via the new FID. 
 * 3) Automatically on app startup or routine sync when auto-initialization is enabled. 
 * Under #2, there are three scenarios when the existing FID is changed: 
 * A) App is restored to a new device 
 * B) User uninstalls/reinstalls the app 
 * C) User clears app data 
 */ 
  
 override 
  
 fun 
  
 onRegistered 
 ( 
 installationId 
 : 
  
 String 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Registered installation ID: 
 $ 
 installationId 
 " 
 ) 
  
 // Send the Firebase Installation ID to your app server. 
  
 sendRegistrationToServer 
 ( 
 installationId 
 ) 
  
 }

    Java

      
 /** 
 * There are three scenarios when `onRegistered` is called: 
 * 1) Every time a manual `register()` call finishes successfully 
 * 2) Whenever the FID is changed and the app is re-registered with FCM via the new FID 
 * 3) Automatically on app startup or routine sync when auto-initialization is enabled. 
 * Under #2, there are three scenarios when the existing FID is changed: 
 * A) App is restored to a new device 
 * B) User uninstalls/reinstalls the app 
 * C) User clears app data 
 */ 
  
 @Override 
  
 public 
  
 void 
  
 onRegistered 
 ( 
 @NonNull 
  
 String 
  
 installationId 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Registered installation ID: " 
  
 + 
  
 installationId 
 ); 
  
 // Send the Firebase Installation ID to your app server. 
  
 sendRegistrationToServer 
 ( 
 installationId 
 ); 
  
 }

    Manually register when auto initialization is disabled

    If you must disable auto-initialization, the FCM SDK will not automatically sync or trigger the onRegistered() callback at startup. It is strongly recommended to re-enable auto initialization after notification permissions are granted. To learn more, see Re-enable auto-initialization .

    If auto-initialization must remain disabled, call FirebaseMessaging.getInstance().register() on app startup to trigger registration and FID delivery through the onRegistered() callback. You can execute this call is within the onCreate() method of your main Activity .

    Kotlin

      
 // Trigger manual registration if auto-initialization is turned off. 
  
 // Consider calling this every time the app starts to guarantee sync status. 
  
 FirebaseMessaging 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 register 
 () 
  
 . 
 addOnCompleteListener 
 ( 
 this 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 task 
  
 -> 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 task 
 . 
 isSuccessful 
 ()) 
  
 { 
  
 // Registration failed. Consider retrying the registration with exponential backoff. 
  
 Log 
 . 
 w 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Failed to register with Firebase Cloud Messaging" 
 , 
  
 task 
 . 
 exception 
 ) 
  
 } 
  
 // Success! The Firebase Installation ID can be used to target messages to this app 
  
 // instance and will be delivered asynchronously to your `onRegistered()` callback. 
  
 }

    Java

      
 // Trigger manual registration if auto-initialization is turned off. 
  
 // Consider calling this every time the app starts to guarantee sync status. 
  
 FirebaseMessaging 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 register 
 () 
  
 . 
 addOnCompleteListener 
 ( 
 task 
  
 -> 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 task 
 . 
 isSuccessful 
 ()) 
  
 { 
  
 // Registration failed. Consider retrying the registration with exponential backoff. 
  
 Log 
 . 
 w 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Failed to register with Firebase Cloud Messaging" 
 , 
  
 task 
 . 
 exception 
 ) 
  
 } 
  
 // Success! The Firebase Installation ID can be used to target messages to this app 
  
 // instance and will be delivered asynchronously to your `onRegistered()` callback. 
  
 });

    Access the FCM registration token (deprecated)

    On initial startup of your app, the FCM SDK generates a registration token for the client app instance. If you want to target single app instances or create device groups, you'll need to access this token by extending FirebaseMessagingService and overriding onNewToken . Because the token could be rotated after initial startup, you are strongly recommended to retrieve the latest updated registration token.

    The registration token may change when:

    • The app is restored on a new device
    • The user uninstalls/reinstall the app
    • The user clears app data.

    Retrieve the current registration token

    When you need to retrieve the current token, call FirebaseMessaging.getInstance().getToken() :

    Kotlin 

     FirebaseMessaging 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 token 
 . 
 addOnCompleteListener 
 ( 
 OnCompleteListener 
  
 { 
  
 task 
  
 - 
>  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 task 
 . 
 isSuccessful 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 w 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Fetching FCM registration token failed" 
 , 
  
 task 
 . 
 exception 
 ) 
  
 return 
 @OnCompleteListener 
  
 } 
  
 // Get new FCM registration token 
  
 val 
  
 token 
  
 = 
  
 task 
 . 
 result 
  
 // Log and toast 
  
 val 
  
 msg 
  
 = 
  
 getString 
 ( 
 R 
 . 
 string 
 . 
 msg_token_fmt 
 , 
  
 token 
 ) 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 msg 
 ) 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 baseContext 
 , 
  
 msg 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_SHORT 
 ). 
 show 
 () 
 })

    Java 

     FirebaseMessaging 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 getToken 
 () 
  
 . 
 addOnCompleteListener 
 ( 
 new 
  
 OnCompleteListener<String> 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 @Override 
  
 public 
  
 void 
  
 onComplete 
 ( 
 @NonNull 
  
 Task<String> 
  
 task 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 task 
 . 
 isSuccessful 
 ()) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 w 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Fetching FCM registration token failed" 
 , 
  
 task 
 . 
 getException 
 ()); 
  
 return 
 ; 
  
 } 
  
 // Get new FCM registration token 
  
 String 
  
 token 
  
 = 
  
 task 
 . 
 getResult 
 (); 
  
 // Log and toast 
  
 String 
  
 msg 
  
 = 
  
 getString 
 ( 
 R 
 . 
 string 
 . 
 msg_token_fmt 
 , 
  
 token 
 ); 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 msg 
 ); 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 MainActivity 
 . 
 this 
 , 
  
 msg 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_SHORT 
 ). 
 show 
 (); 
  
 } 
  
 });

    Monitor token generation

    The onNewToken callback fires whenever a new token is generated.

    Kotlin 

     /** 
 * Called if the FCM registration token is updated. This may occur if the security of 
 * the previous token had been compromised. Note that this is called when the 
 * FCM registration token is initially generated so this is where you would retrieve the token. 
 */ 
 override 
  
 fun 
  
 onNewToken 
 ( 
 token 
 : 
  
 String 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Refreshed token: 
 $ 
 token 
 " 
 ) 
  
 // If you want to send messages to this application instance or 
  
 // manage this apps subscriptions on the server side, send the 
  
 // FCM registration token to your app server. 
  
 sendRegistrationToServer 
 ( 
 token 
 ) 
 }

    Java 

     /** 
 * There are two scenarios when onNewToken is called: 
 * 1) When a new token is generated on initial app startup 
 * 2) Whenever an existing token is changed 
 * Under #2, there are three scenarios when the existing token is changed: 
 * A) App is restored to a new device 
 * B) User uninstalls/reinstalls the app 
 * C) User clears app data 
 */ 
 @Override 
 public 
  
 void 
  
 onNewToken 
 ( 
 @NonNull 
  
 String 
  
 token 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 Log 
 . 
 d 
 ( 
 TAG 
 , 
  
 "Refreshed token: " 
  
 + 
  
 token 
 ); 
  
 // If you want to send messages to this application instance or 
  
 // manage this apps subscriptions on the server side, send the 
  
 // FCM registration token to your app server. 
  
 sendRegistrationToServer 
 ( 
 token 
 ); 
 }

    After you've obtained the token, you can send it to your app server and store it using your preferred method.

    Check for Google Play services

    Apps that rely on the Play Services SDK should always check the device for a compatible Google Play services APK before accessing Google Play services features. To learn more, see set up Google Play services . It is recommended to do this in two places: in the main activity's onCreate() method, and in its onResume() method. The check in onCreate() makes sure that the app can't be used without a successful check. The check in onResume() makes sure that if the user returns to the running app through some other means, such as through the back button, the check is still performed.

    If the device doesn't have a compatible version of Google Play services, your app can call GoogleApiAvailability.makeGooglePlayServicesAvailable() to allow users to download Google Play services from the Play Store.

    Prevent auto initialization

    When a FCM registration is generated, the library uploads the identifier and configuration data to Firebase. If you prefer to prevent auto registration, disable Analytics collection and FCM auto initialization (you must disable both) by adding these metadata values to your AndroidManifest.xml :

    < meta-data 
 android:name="firebase_messaging_auto_init_enabled" 
 android:value="false" / 
>
< meta-data 
 android:name="firebase_analytics_collection_enabled" 
 android:value="false" />

    Re-enable auto initialization

    To re-enable FCM auto-init, make a runtime call:

    Kotlin 

     Firebase 
 . 
 messaging 
 . 
 isAutoInitEnabled 
  
 = 
  
 true  
 
 . 
 kt

    Java 

     FirebaseMessaging 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 setAutoInitEnabled 
 ( 
 true 
 );

    To re-enable Analytics collection, call the setAnalyticsCollectionEnabled() method of the FirebaseAnalytics class. For example:

     setAnalyticsCollectionEnabled(true);

    These values persist across app restarts once set.

    Send a notification message

    To make sure that your Android client is setup correctly, you can send a test notification message using the following instructions:

    1. Install and run the app on the target device.

    2. Make sure the app is in the background on the device.

    3. In the Firebase console, go to DevOps & Engagement> Messaging

    4. Create a campaign.

      • If this is your first message:

        1. Select Create your first campaign.

        2. Select Firebase Notification messagesand select Create.

      • If you have previously created campaigns:

        1. On the Campaignstab, select New campaign.

        2. Click Notifications.

    5. Enter the message text. All other fields are optional.

    6. Select Send test messagefrom the right pane.

    7. In the field labeled Add an FCM registration token, enter the registration token you obtained in a previous section of this guide.

    8. Select Test.

    The targeted client device, with the app in the background, should receive the notification.

    For insight into message delivery to your app, go to the DevOps & Engagement> Messaging> Reportsdashboard in the Firebase console. This dashboard records the number of messages sent and opened on Apple and Android devices, along with data for "impressions" (notifications seen by users) for Android apps.

    Next steps

    After you have completed the setup steps, here are a few options for moving forward with FCM for Android:

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