When creating a mobile application for CMS PrestaShop, it’s important to understand the necessity of integrating Firebase—a powerful service by Google that offers push notifications and other essential tools for your app. Many clients often struggle to grasp why this is needed, so in this article, we will explain what Firebase is, why you need to grant access to us as developers, and which files are required to make push notifications work on both Android and iOS devices.
What is Firebase?
Firebase is a cloud platform developed by Google, providing a wide range of services for mobile and web applications. One of the key features of Firebase is Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), which enables you to send push notifications to your users. These notifications help keep your users informed about news, promotions, and updates directly on their mobile devices.
Introduction: Why Do You Need Firebase for PrestaShop?
We develop ready-made mobile applications for CMS PrestaShop, allowing you to expand your eCommerce functionality and reach your customers directly. You can learn more about our solution here: Native Mobile App for iOS and Android for CMS PrestaShop.
Push notifications are a vital part of engaging with your app users. They allow you to send instant messages about new products, special offers, and cart reminders, bringing customers back to your store. To enable push notifications, Firebase must be integrated into the app, and this requires specific settings and files.
Why Are Push Notifications Important?
Push notifications keep your business connected with your customers by reminding them of new products, discounts, special deals, or even reminding them of items left in their shopping cart. To ensure push notifications work properly, Firebase services must be integrated into the mobile app, and this requires the setup of certain files.
Registering and Setting Up Firebase
To enable push notifications, you'll need to sign up for Firebase Console:
- Go to Firebase and create a new project.
- Once your project is set up, add your mobile app (for both Android and iOS).
- Our developers will generate the necessary configuration files for Android and iOS:
- google-services.json for Android.
- GoogleService-Info.plist for iOS.
These files are essential for push notifications to work correctly and must be included in the app build. Your role will be to provide us with access to your Firebase account so that we can generate and set up everything.
Why Do Developers Need Access?
In order for developers to properly integrate Firebase into your mobile app, they need access to your Firebase project. This access is required to configure push notifications, generate the necessary configuration files, and complete other integration tasks. Additionally, during the final app build, developers include these files in the app code, allowing notifications to be delivered to your users' devices.
How We Build Your Mobile App and Include Firebase?
When you order a mobile app from us, we not only create the app but also handle all the necessary integrations, including Firebase. We generate the configuration files, include them in the app build, and ensure that push notifications work seamlessly on both Google Play and App Store platforms. This means you don’t have to worry about any technical details—everything is handled for you!
You can check out our complete mobile app solution for PrestaShop here: Native Mobile App for iOS and Android for CMS PrestaShop.
How to Provide Access for Firebase?
- Log in to your Firebase account.
- Open the project that will be used for your mobile app.
- Go to Project settings, then in the Users and permissions section, add our developer by email and assign the necessary permissions.
What Is Required for Push Notifications to Work?
For push notifications to function properly, developers create specific configuration files:
- google-services.json for Android.
- GoogleService-Info.plist for iOS.
These files contain information about your Firebase project and allow your app to communicate with Firebase servers to send notifications. We create and add these files to the app to ensure everything works smoothly.
Should We Write a Separate Article on How to Create These Files Yourself?
If you’re interested in a detailed guide on how to generate these files yourself for Android and iOS and then provide them to us for integration, let us know in the comments! We’ll create an article that explains the process step by step. This could be helpful for those who want a deeper understanding of setting up mobile apps and integrating Firebase.
Integrating Firebase for your mobile app on PrestaShop is a crucial step to keeping your business connected with your customers through push notifications. We handle all the technical work involved in integrating and setting up Firebase, so your app will be ready for publication on Google Play and App Store, with push notifications working flawlessly.
