Implementing Firebase Cloud Messaging in .NET MAUI (iOS)

January 19, 2025Max Mannstein

Push notifications are a crucial feature for keeping users engaged. In this guide, you'll learn how to set up Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) in a .NET MAUI iOS app and test push notifications.

Why Use Firebase Cloud Messaging?

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) allows you to send reliable push notifications to iOS and Android devices. This guide covers everything you need to set up FCM for iOS in your .NET MAUI project.

Step 1: Create a Firebase Project

Go to the Firebase Console.
Click “Add Project”, enter a name, and follow the instructions.
Enable Google Analytics if needed.

Step 2: Add Your iOS App

Download the GoogleService-Info.plist file.
Place the file in your .NET MAUI solution folder and include it in your project:

<ItemGroup Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'net8.0-ios'">
    <BundleResource Include="GoogleService-Info.plist" />
</ItemGroup>

Step 3: Configure iOS App Store Settings

Set up the necessary identifiers, keys and provisioning profiles in the Apple Developer Console.
Upload them to Firebase to enable push notifications.
Do everything as shown in the video

Step 4: Modify iOS Configurations

Create an Entitlements.plist file and add the following entry:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>aps-environment</key>
    <string>production</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Step 5: Install Firebase Packages

Install the required NuGet packages for Firebase Cloud Messaging.
Add Firebase initialization to MauiProgram.cs:

using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Microsoft.Maui.LifecycleEvents;
using Plugin.Firebase.CloudMessaging;
#if IOS
using Plugin.Firebase.Core.Platforms.iOS;
#elif ANDROID
using Plugin.Firebase.Core.Platforms.Android;
#endif
namespace FirebaseCloudMessagingTutorial
{
    public static class MauiProgram
    {
        public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
        {
            var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
            builder
                .UseMauiApp()
                .RegisterFirebaseServices()
                .ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
                {
                    fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
                    fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Semibold.ttf", "OpenSansSemibold");
                });
#if DEBUG
    		builder.Logging.AddDebug();
#endif
            return builder.Build();
        }
        private static MauiAppBuilder RegisterFirebaseServices(this MauiAppBuilder builder)
        {
            builder.ConfigureLifecycleEvents(events => {
#if IOS
        events.AddiOS(iOS => iOS.WillFinishLaunching((_, __) => {
            CrossFirebase.Initialize();
            FirebaseCloudMessagingImplementation.Initialize();
            return false;
        }));
#elif ANDROID
        events.AddAndroid(android => android.OnCreate((activity, _) =>
        CrossFirebase.Initialize(activity)));
#endif
            });
            return builder;
        }
    }
}

Testing Push Notifications on iOS

Step 1: Retrieve the Firebase Device Token

Add this code in MainPage.xaml.cs to fetch the device token:

****

private async void OnCounterClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        await CrossFirebaseCloudMessaging.Current.CheckIfValidAsync();
        var token = await CrossFirebaseCloudMessaging.Current.GetTokenAsync();
        Console.WriteLine($"FCM token: {token}");
    }

Log this token and use it to send test notifications.

Step 2: Send a Test Notification

Go to Firebase Console → Cloud Messaging → Send a Message.
Enter the title, body, and FCM token.
Select iOS and send the message.
Check if the notification appears on your device.

Wrapping Up

You’ve successfully implemented Firebase Cloud Messaging in your .NET MAUI iOS app! 🚀

Next Steps:

Ensure your certificates and provisioning profiles are valid.
Handle notifications when the app is in the background or killed.
Move to the Android setup (covered in the next post).

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