Abusive or Disruptive Notifications Policy - Staying Compliant and Respectful

Abusive or Disruptive Notifications Policy - Staying Compliant and Respectful

Push notifications are regulated in various ways, and platforms like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari take abusive practices seriously. Violating their guidelines can get your domain restricted from sending notifications.

a) Avoid clickbait or misleading content

Don’t trick users with:

  • Misleading opt-in prompts, that do not relate to your website content
  • Sensationalized or false headlines
  • Misrepresenting what the notification will lead to
  • Pretending a notification is a system alert or message
  • Pretending a notification is coming from another app (using other app logos etc.)

b) Don’t spam

Repeatedly sending the same message, sending multiple irrelevant alerts in a short span, or pushing aggressive advertising will lead to opt-outs and may trigger browser-level spam detection.

c) Keep your domain reputation healthy

Browsers use site engagement signals to detect spammy patterns. High block rates, low interaction rates, or frequent misleading messages can lead to warnings in the permission prompt or get your website notification permissions revoked.

d) Adhere to content guidelines

Avoid:

  • Adult or explicit material without proper consent
  • Violent or harmful content
  • Misleading political or health-related claims

How to Check If Your Site is Safe

If a website is suspected of using abusive or deceptive notifications, a warning will appear in its Google Search Console account, and an email notification will be sent—provided the site is registered with Search Console. This alert is typically issued about 30 days before any strict enforcement begins. During this time, site owners can resolve the issue and request a review to avoid penalties.

After the 30-day warning period, websites that remain non-compliant will be penalized. They will no longer be able to request notification permissions from users or send messages to existing subscribers using the Chrome browser. Google will revoke existing notification permissions from the website once enforcement begins.

Google has provided more information on their blog post about these changes.

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