Create an iOS push certificate - Mobile Platform as a Service

To send push notifications to iOS devices, you must first configure an iOS push certificate in the Message Push console. This topic describes the certificate types that Message Push supports and explains how to create an iOS push certificate.

Certificate types

Message Push only supports Apple Push Service certificates. For more information about Apple certificate types, see Apple Certificate Types.

Do not confuse Apple Push Service certificates with iOS Development certificates. Using an iOS Development certificate causes push notifications to fail. This section describes how to differentiate between these two certificate types in the macOS Keychain Access app and the Message Push console.

Certificate type	Purpose
Apple Push Service	A push certificate for the production environment. It establishes a connection between your notification service and the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) to send remote notifications to your app.
iOS Development	A development certificate used for debugging on a physical device and for release testing.

MAC Key Store

Double-click an existing .p12 certificate to import it into Keychain Access. You can then view the certificate name and other information.

lQLPJxmZqrAh0D_NAqLNBEywqCdKOFvvtB0JTBNdbtiyAA_1100_674

Details:

iPhone Developer: An Apple development certificate. Message Push does not support this type.
Apple Push Service: A production Apple push certificate. Message Push supports this type.
Apple Development iOS Push Services: A development Apple push certificate. Message Push supports this type.

Message Push console

After you import a certificate in the Message Push console, you can view the certificate information.

As shown in the preceding figure, check the subjectDN property:

Apple Development iOS Push Services: A development Apple push certificate. Message Push supports this type.
Apple Push Service: A production Apple push certificate. Message Push supports this type.

As shown in the preceding figure, a subjectDN property of iPhone Developer indicates an Apple development certificate. Message Push does not support this type.

Create a certificate

Create an Apple App ID

In the Apple Developer portal, click App IDs in the navigation pane on the left, and then click the + button.
Enter the basic information.
- App ID Description > Name
- For App ID Suffix, enter a unique Bundle ID.
Select the Push Notifications capability.
Click Continue, and then click Register.

Create a .certSigningRequest file

Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
From the menu bar, go to Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority….
In the Certificate Information window, enter your email address and a common name.
The .certSigningRequest file has been successfully created.

Create the certificate

On the App IDs page in the Apple Developer portal, select your iOS App ID and click Edit.
In the Development SSL Certificate or Production SSL Certificate section, click Create Certificate to create a certificate for the development or production environment.
Upload the .certSigningRequest file that you previously created.
After the certificate is created, the following page is displayed. Click Download to obtain the .cer file.
Convert the .cer file to a .p12 file.
1. Double-click the .cer file to import it into the Key Store.
2. Find the certificate that you just imported. Right-click the certificate and select Export to create the .p12 file.
After you obtain the .p12 certificate, navigate to the Settings > Channel Configuration page in the Message Push console to configure the iOS push certificate.