BlackBerry Push Service

Create Applications BlackBerry Smartphone Users Will Love

The BlackBerry® Push Service is an essential component of the real-time, always-on experience of BlackBerry smartphones. It offers an incredibly efficient and reliable way of sending information to your users. It also allows your application to process information in the background and alert users.

Use the BlackBerry Push Service to incorporate the characteristics smartphone customers love into your applications, including improved battery life, applications that run in the background and the ability to get instant information.

Available to all developers

The BlackBerry Push Service is available to all developers and web content providers. By using push technology, you can make your app more engaging and help turn it into a Super App. Learn more about BlackBerry smartphone Super Apps.

Getting started with the BlackBerry Push Service
It’s easy to implement the BlackBerry Push Service into your application:

• Learn how the BlackBerry Push Service works.
• View the BlackBerry Push Service SDK Development Guide for additional information.
• Download the BlackBerry Push Service SDK v1.0 (Windows version or Linux version) to develop the server-side components. Use the Java application development tools or BlackBerry Widget SDK to develop the client portion of the BlackBerry Push Service.
• Register to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service. This registration will allow you to test your application or service in a test environment.
• Register to launch your application in production.

Note: if you’re implementing the BlackBerry Push Service on an application that communicates exclusively through the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, registration isn’t required.

Build with BlackBerry Push Power

Immediate information

Smartphone customers have come to expect to have information at their fingertips when they’re notified of something new. The key ingredient which gives the BlackBerry® smartphone this capability is push technology.

The BlackBerry® Push Service allows you to easily develop Java® applications or BlackBerry Widgets that leverage push technology through the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® Internet Service infrastructure. You can securely and reliably push images, text or audio content to millions of BlackBerry smartphones at once.

With the BlackBerry Push Service, full content (up to an industry-leading 8 KB in size) is pushed to the BlackBerry smartphone and made immediately available for use. Because of push message size limitations, alternative push solutions can only provide simple notifications that new content is available to download.

Efficient

Pushing data to a BlackBerry smartphone provides users with instant access to desired updates as they happen, such as news and weather, sports scores, stock prices and other time-sensitive content. The BlackBerry Push Service provides an efficient way to quickly push timely information updates to many BlackBerry smartphones at once, in a centrally managed and controlled manner.

Using the BlackBerry Push Service SDK, you can select exactly how the push functionality is implemented in your app. The BlackBerry Push Plus option allows your application to store or cancel push requests, eliminating automated retries. You can also be very selective in who you send information to, including individual customers (point-to-point), many customers (multicast) or all of your user base (broadcast).

Longer battery life

The BlackBerry Push Service minimizes the impact on the BlackBerry smartphone battery life. Instead of actively checking for new data, your application listens in the background for the server to push data to it. Once the data is delivered, the application can process it as needed.

This process is different from alternative methods, such as polling, where a device regularly polls an application server to see if new content is available. This happens even if new content isn’t available. Each poll reduces battery life through activation of the antenna and access to the wireless network.

With the BlackBerry Push Service, your app receives the necessary information when it’s needed, without draining your users’ battery life with unnecessary polling requests or multiple poke and pull steps to download new content.

Reduced waiting times and increased data efficiency for customers

With the BlackBerry Push Service, data is automatically delivered to BlackBerry smartphones in the background. When they see the alert, users can immediately review the information, without waiting for downloads.

Other experiences simulate the BlackBerry Push Service by repeatedly transmitting data back and forth between the device application and related server. The BlackBerry Push Service transmits information only when it’s actually available, so data traffic is generated only when needed.

End-to-end visibility

Users can send confidential corporate information with the assurance they’ll know exactly where and when it’s been received. The BlackBerry smartphone architecture supports dedicated smartphone ports per application, so you don’t have worry about the BlackBerry smartphone dropping pushes.

With the BlackBerry Push Plus option, you can receive up to three status reports on your push request: a server acknowledgement, transport acknowledgements and app level acknowledgements. Real-time status allows you to query the status of a push request down to a specific BlackBerry smartphone.

Easy to get started

The BlackBerry Push Service SDK and the client and server sample applications and code available provide a jumpstart in building a push-based data delivery service. Using the BlackBerry Push Service means you’re using the same BlackBerry® Infrastructure that handles the proven, core services of the BlackBerry smartphone, which provides a wealth of experience at your service.

A world of opportunity

The BlackBerry Push Service can help your app become stickier and drive more traffic back to revenue generators such as transactions, subscriptions and advertising. Frequent push requests can also bring your application to the forefront of your users’ attention. Because users are alerted, they’re given a reason to open your app. This can help prevent your app from getting lost among the other content on a BlackBerry smartphone.

Learn how the BlackBerry Push Service works
Register now to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service

How the BlackBerry Push Service Works

BlackBerry Push Plus

1. Content provider sends a push request.
2. BlackBerry® Infrastructure returns a response.
3. BlackBerry Infrastructure pushes the data to the BlackBerry smartphone.
4. BlackBerry smartphone returns a response to the BlackBerry Infrastructure.
5. BlackBerry Infrastructure forwards acknowledgement to content provider.
6. Read notification is returned to the BlackBerry Infrastructure.

BlackBerry Push Essentials

The BlackBerry Push Essentials option only pushes information one-way to the end user (Steps 1 and 3).

Learn more about the BlackBerry Push Plus and BlackBerry Push Essentials options
Register now to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service

Technical Features of the BlackBerry Push Service

• Allows up to 8 KB payload
• Uses standard push protocols (WAP PAP 2.2)
• Supports the following requests via HTTP XML:
  • Submit Push (to PIN)
  • Cancel Push
  • Query for Status
  • Query for Device Capabilities
• Provides result notification responses
• Provides different submission modes:
  • Point-to-point (submit push to single PIN)
  • Multicast (submit push to list of PINs)
  • Broadcast (submit to all PINs for a registered application)
• Allows developers to control the expiry time (push system will automatically retry pushing requests until expiry time)
• Supports delivery notifications
• Provides a unique port per application, which helps avoid loss of user information
• Allows applications to run in the background and process the push information, so users can be notified without a disruption in their current state (this feature is enabled by the multitasking and multiple process BlackBerry smartphone OS)
• Allows developers to set the quality of service:
  • Application (“message reached application” acknowledgement returned to server)
  • Transport (“message reached port on device” acknowledgement)
  • Fire and Forget (no acknowledgements)

View sample applications using the BlackBerry Push Service
Register now to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service

BlackBerry Push Service Options

BlackBerry Push Essentials

• Free service at all tiers
• Support for BlackBerry® Internet Service Browsing Data Transport

BlackBerry Push Plus

• Annual service fee, tiered based on the number of pushes sent per day
• No yearly fee for services with less than 100,000 pushes per day
• Annual subscription includes BlackBerry Internet Service Browsing Data Transport
  

Learn more about how each BlackBerry Push Service option works
Register now to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service

BlackBerry Push Service in Action

TIME

BlackBerry® smartphone users get up-to-the-minute breaking news stories covering a variety of topics pushed immediately to their BlackBerry smartphone.

• Learn more about the BlackBerry smartphone app for TIME

CNNMoney

In-depth financial news, including real-time stock quotes, market charts and video clips, is pushed immediately to BlackBerry smartphones.

• Learn about CNNMoney.com mobile

The Hockey News

With all the latest NHL news pushed right to their BlackBerry smartphone, NHL fans can keep up with their favorite teams, player stats and team standings.

• Find out how to download The Hockey News app

MobileCare

With the MobileCare application, doctors and hospital staff can remotely access critical information virtually anytime and anywhere. Doctors can receive immediate access to their schedules, patient status, test results, surgery room availability and digital images.

• Find out about MTM Tecnologia

WIC Pager

Designed with the BlackBerry smartphone user in mind, WIC Pager replaces older paging technology, overcomes the shortcomings of basic email and SMS notification, and aims to improve existing workflows and overall communication throughout the organization.

• Read more about WIC Pager

WeatherBug Elite

WeatherBug Elite provides up-to-the-minute forecasts and weather conditions, pushed directly to BlackBerry smartphones. The current temperature is displayed next to the time on the home screen and updated as weather changes.

• Learn about WeatherBug’s mobile weather solutions

Pocket Express

Pocket Express gives BlackBerry smartphone users up-to-the-minute news, sports, weather, stocks, travel, entertainment news and more, all in one place, without the need for a browser.

• Find out more about Pocket Express

7digital

BlackBerry smartphone users can browse, search, discover and purchase high quality, DRM-free MP3 music from their smartphones. Wi-Fi® Auto-Sync using the BlackBerry® Push Service ensures any purchases made on 7digitial.com are delivered to the BlackBerry smartphone without any further action.

• Learn more about the 7digital MP3 Music Store for BlackBerry smartphones

SalesNOW

SalesNOW leverages BlackBerry Push Service technology to give clients the ability to send immediate notifications to sales and service reps in the field.

• Read more about SalesNOW

Find out about the BlackBerry Push Service options
Register now to evaluate the BlackBerry Push Service

Resources

• Hosted Data Push Services for Consumer Applications (PPT)
• BlackBerry® Push APIs white paper (PDF)
• Product documentation, including guides and feature and technical overviews
• BlackBerry Push Development forums
• Developer knowledge base articles
• Developer video library

To request any changes required within your BlackBerry® Push Service, complete the BlackBerry Push Service change request form.