ntfy on iOS vs Android: setup differences
bujusjujus uses ntfy as the push delivery layer. The app is free and open-source on both iOS and Android, but the way notifications actually reach your phone is different on each platform. Here's what changes — and what doesn't — for Pokemon TCG restock alerts.
How notifications reach your phone
The relevant difference is what wakes up your phone when bujusjujus fires an alert.
| iOS | Android | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery transport | Apple Push Notification service (APNs) — the same system Messages and Mail use. | Native ntfy websocket (default) or Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM). |
| Background battery | Essentially free — APNs is OS-managed. | Websocket option costs a small amount of battery; FCM mode is OS-managed and free. |
| Setup steps | Install ntfy → open the personal channel link → tap "Allow notifications". | Install ntfy → open the personal channel link → tap "Allow notifications". Optional: switch transport in settings. |
| Typical delivery latency | 1-4 seconds from alert. | 1-4 seconds from alert (websocket); 2-8 seconds (FCM). |
| Reliability when phone is locked | Excellent — APNs is the OS-blessed path. | Excellent — either transport. |
| Works without ntfy account | Yes — channel link is auth. | Yes — channel link is auth. |
iPhone setup (about 2 minutes)
- After subscribing, you'll get a personal channel link (looks like
https://ntfy.bujusjuj.us/u_abc123). - Install ntfy from the App Store.
- Open the channel link on your iPhone. It deep-links into the ntfy app.
- Tap "Subscribe" and then "Allow notifications" when iOS prompts.
- You're done. The first alert that fires will arrive as a lock-screen notification.
Android setup (about 2 minutes)
- Install ntfy from Google Play (or F-Droid).
- Open your personal channel link on the Android device.
- Tap "Subscribe".
- Allow notifications and disable battery optimization for ntfy (Settings → Apps → ntfy → Battery → Unrestricted). This prevents Android from killing the websocket connection.
- Done. To switch from websocket to FCM transport, open ntfy Settings → Connection type.
Which is faster for Pokemon TCG restock alerts?
In practice, both deliver inside the same ~1-4 second window. The bottleneck for restock alerts is almost never the push transport — it's how quickly the retailer's stock state actually changes and how quickly our monitor sees it. The whole alert pipeline (detect → process → ntfy → push) typically takes 2-8 seconds from a real retail-price restock to your lock screen on either platform.
Desktop / browser fallback
ntfy also has a web UI. If you want alerts on your desktop in addition to (or instead of) your phone, open your channel link in any browser and keep the tab open. Useful for when you're at your desk and want immediate one-click checkout from the alert.
Ready to set this up? Subscribe to bujusjujus and you'll get a personal ntfy channel link in your welcome email.