Not all information carries the same importance, so constant message alerts can be a nuisance for the end user of an application. With silent messages, applications can deliver information subtly without demanding immediate attention from the receiver.
What Is a Silent Message?
Silent messages are push notifications that are delivered to a user's device without pinging them using an audio/visual alert.
They operate in the background and update app data or trigger certain actions. This is useful when informing users about a change isn't necessary or the information has already been conveyed.
For example, when a package is delivered through a courier app, the user is often already expecting the delivery and may have even seen it arrive. A subtle update is more suitable than a loud interruption, keeping the experience smooth and non-intrusive.
How Do Silent Messages Work?
Silent messages use the same underlying systems as push notifications with visible alerts. However, they carry a data-only payload and a special flag that informs the operating system to wake the app quietly and bypass banners, sounds, and badge counts.
Two major push services dominate the developer side: Apple Push Notification service (APNs) for iOS and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Android.
APNs (iOS)
Terminology and Flags
This technology marks a background-only push by adding "content-available":1 inside the aps dictionary and by sending the frame with a priority of 5 (which represents background) instead of 10 (which shows an immediate alert). When this packet arrives, iOS launches the app in the background and calls application(_:didReceiveRemoteNotification: fetchCompletionHandler:), giving the app up to 30 seconds to sync data or finish a task before the process is suspended again.
Example payload (HTTPS/2):
POST /3/device/{device-token}
{
"aps": { "content-available": 1 },
"ride_id": "1234",
"status": "completed"
}
FCM (Android)
Terminology and Flags
FCM uses the same concept as APNs through the "content_available": true and recommends "priority": "high" tags. This allows the device's Doze mode to deliver the message on time. The data lands in onMessageReceived() of FirebaseMessagingService, where it can trigger a background job or update local storage. All this is done with no visible changes on the user's end.
Example payload (HTTP v1):
POST https://fcm.googleapis.com/v1/projects/{project}/messages:send
{
"message": {
"token": "{device-token}",
"android": { "priority": "high" },
"data": {
"order_id": "9876",
"status": "delivered"
},
"content_available": true
}
}
Working at the SDK Layer
Most mobile and server SDKs abstract the details discussed above behind a builder pattern or a boolean flag with a syntax similar to the following:
PushMessage()
.data("status", "completed")
.silent(true)
.send(to: token)
Or:
val msg = RemoteMessage.Builder(token)
.setData(mapOf("status" to "delivered"))
.setPriority(RemoteMessage.PRIORITY_HIGH)
.setTtl(30_000)
.setSilent(true)
.build()
Using a lightweight payload with OS-level background execution via silent messages allows developers to keep ride states, delivery trackers, telemedicine vitals, and chat threads fresh more discreetly.
Silent Messaging on Consumer Platforms
End users can use an @silent tag (or an equivalent toggle) for silent messages on some communication platforms. Discord and Messenger are two applications that have this feature for direct messaging and group chats.
Why Silent Messages Are Important
Silent messages benefit end users by allowing for the delivery of background updates without alert fatigue and user notification overload.
This helps reduce the likelihood of users disabling notifications entirely, since only critical alerts break through. Developers can prioritize urgent updates while batching or scheduling non-urgent ones to save battery life and bandwidth.
Silent messages also give developers more control, so they can decide what information should be kept discreet. For instance, a developer might want to deliver low-priority updates like a non-urgent direct message or message read receipts silently.
Beyond user convenience, silent messages improve overall app performance and retention. By syncing data in the background, they ensure that content, transactions, or status changes are instantly visible when the app is opened, without requiring the user to wait for a refresh. This keeps the experience smooth and responsive.
Use Cases for Silent Messages
Healthcare
HIPAA compliant apps in the telehealthspace can utilize silent messaging to stream non-urgent updates like appointment confirmations, healthy vital sign alerts, or refill reminders directly into the app interface. This ensures that clinicians and patients have access to the latest information when they choose to check it.
Financial Services
A banking or brokerage app can confirm bill payments or nudge users about price triggers, creating a calm UX for high-stakes data.
Education
LMS and edtech utilize silent messaging to sync grade books, update course material, or update student information.
Ride‑Share and Delivery
In delivery and mobility apps, these services can utilize leg-by-leg status like "driver nearby" or "your delivery is five stops away," so the map is current while phones stay silent and nonintrusive.
E‑commerce and Marketplaces
Notifications about shipping updates, payment confirmations, or marketing promotion reminders can be delivered silently, which keeps E-commerce and marketplace interfaces informative and relatively bloat-free.
Live Streaming and VOD
Quiet updates can prep users for an upcoming livestream or drop content into a homepage queue.
Social and Dating
Quiet nudges for unread likes or friend requests let users manage relationships on their schedule in dating apps, avoiding notification fatigue while keeping engagement strong. In social apps, silent messages can update the status of a direct message, only pinging the recipient if it's time-sensitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Use a Silent Message Instead of a Regular One?
Developers should choose silent messages instead of standard ones whenever the information is important for the state but not urgent for attention. Things like syncing content, logging a background event, or prepping the UI before launch are ideal use cases.
Do Silent Messages Increase Unread Counts?
Silent messages do not increase unread counts because they carry data-only payloads and skip the alert/banner channel. They also do not alter badge numbers or unread tallies unless your app explicitly increments them after processing.
How Do I Send Messages in Silent Mode?
If the application you’re using has a silent mode, you can usually trigger it with an @silent tag within the message you want to send. If this doesn’t work, there should be a toggle within the app settings.
What Is a Silent SMS?
A silent SMS is a message sent to a mobile device without a user’s knowledge or consent. It is similar to silent messages in applications in that it doesn’t trigger any notifications that’d make the receiver aware of it. However, silent SMSes are completely invisible to the recipient.
They have harmless uses, like mobile phone carriers checking device or SIM card statuses, but they can also be used for location tracking by law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and threat actors.
What Does It Mean If You Silence Someone’s Messages?
Depending on the application, you may be able to silence all incoming messages or only those of specific users. This means the silenced party can still send messages, but the app won’t notify the recipient about them like a standard message.