7 surprising facts about open rates for push notifications

Tapjoy, the mobile marketing company, has come up with seven surprising facts about the open rates for push notifications.

Push notifications are a common way to get users to pay attention to an app. Marketers love push notifications because users can’t help but see them as they flash across the screen of their smartphones. It’s like tapping a user on the shoulder, Tapjoy says. But just as in real life, a notification risks interrupting or annoying users if not done right. Every misstep reduces open rates, and, in turn, retention and engagement. Notifications, in short, are both a powerful tool and a minefield for app developers, according to San Francisco-based Tapjoy.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.