Notification Channels (Android)

Android requires notification channels since version 8.0 (Oreo).

Creating Channels

import * as Notifications from 'expo-notifications';
import { Platform } from 'react-native';

async function setupNotificationChannels() {
  if (Platform.OS !== 'android') return;

  // Channel for important notifications
  await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('urgent', {
    name: 'Urgent notifications',
    importance: Notifications.AndroidImportance.MAX,
    vibrationPattern: [0, 250, 250, 250],
    lightColor: '#FF0000',
    sound: 'alarm.wav',
    enableVibrate: true,
    enableLights: true,
  });

  // Channel for messages
  await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('messages', {
    name: 'Messages',
    importance: Notifications.AndroidImportance.HIGH,
    sound: 'message.wav',
  });

  // Channel for reminders
  await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('reminders', {
    name: 'Reminders',
    importance: Notifications.AndroidImportance.DEFAULT,
  });

  // Channel for marketing (low priority)
  await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('marketing', {
    name: 'Promotions and news',
    importance: Notifications.AndroidImportance.LOW,
  });
}

Using Channels

// Sending to a specific channel
await Notifications.scheduleNotificationAsync({
  content: {
    title: 'Urgent message!',
    body: 'The Atlantis security system has been breached!',
  },
  trigger: null,
  // Specify channel for Android
  ...(Platform.OS === 'android' && {
    channelId: 'urgent',
  }),
});

Managing Channels

// Get all channels
const channels = await Notifications.getNotificationChannelsAsync();

// Get specific channel
const channel = await Notifications.getNotificationChannelAsync('urgent');

// Delete channel
await Notifications.deleteNotificationChannelAsync('old-channel');

Channels allow users to control different types of notifications!

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { View, Text, StyleSheet, Platform } from 'react-native';
import * as Notifications from 'expo-notifications';

// Configure notification channels for Android (since Android 8.0 Oreo)
async function setupNotificationChannels() {
  if (Platform.OS !== 'android') return;

  // TODO: create the 'urgent' channel with MAX importance
  // use Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('urgent', { name, importance })
  await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('urgent', {
    name: 'Urgent notifications',
    // TODO: set importance to Notifications.AndroidImportance.MAX
    importance: Notifications.AndroidImportance.DEFAULT,
  });

  // TODO: create the 'reminders' channel with HIGH importance
  // await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('reminders', { ... });

  // TODO: create the 'marketing' channel with LOW importance
  // await Notifications.setNotificationChannelAsync('marketing', { ... });
}

export default function App() {
  useEffect(() => {
    setupNotificationChannels();
  }, []);

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Android Channels</Text>
      <Text style={styles.info}>urgent • reminders • marketing</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: { flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', backgroundColor: '#1a5276' },
  title: { fontSize: 24, color: '#fff', marginBottom: 12 },
  info: { fontSize: 14, color: '#aed6f1' },
});