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firebase-cloud-messagingfirebase-console

Firebase console cloud messaging - server time not recipient

I used to use the firebase console to send noticifications for a game app, and a little while ago, when I chose "scheduled" option and choose a time, the time will show as fixed depending on the machine timezone (e.g. +3:00 GMT Guatemala Time Zone). Now, the only option is "Recepient time zone" (see image below).

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Does "Recipient time zone" mean if I choose 5 PM, it will be delivered to the end user at 5 PM his time? while it might be 7 for example on the server time and the notification was supposed to be sent two hours before that?

And if so, then how can I send it at fixed time on a fixed timezone like it used to be regardless of end-user timezone (I want to send a notification when the game is live which is 5 PM on the server, but clients might have different timezones so the notification will mean nothing if received earlier or later)?

Solution

  • For one-time scheduled delivery of notifications, the Firebase Cloud Messaging console has two options:

    1. You can deliver the message at a fixed point in time to all your users, regardless of their timezone.

      Say you set the message to be delivered to everyone at 7:30 am Pacific Time. Because I'm based in that timezone, I would receive it over morning coffee. But a friend in Holland would receive at at 4:30 pm their time, since they are 9 time zones ahead of Pacific. But if we'd pick up the phone and call each other, we'd both have just received the message at the same time.

      You select this option by picking a specific time zone in the delivery time zone popup.

    2. You can deliver the message at a specific time, according to their configured timezone.

      Say you set the message to be delivered to everyone at 7:30 pm in their local timezone. In this case Firebase tries to deliver the message at the same local time to each user. So my Dutch friend would receive the message at 7:30 pm, about 3 hours from now. I would also receive the message at 7:30 pm my time, about 12 hours from now.

      You select this option by picking Recipient time zone in the delivery time zone popup (it's at the top of the list).