/communication-notifications-workflow

name: communication-notifications-workflow
description: Implement Apple communication and Time Sensitive notifications with intent donation, Focus behavior, and a bounded Notification Service Extension processing path.
metadata:
  hermes:
    category: apple-development
    tags: [notifications, communication, focus, time-sensitive, nse]

Communication Notifications Workflow

Purpose

Deliver calling and messaging notifications with accurate people and conversation context, while keeping Focus behavior, interruption level, and Notification Service Extension processing within their documented boundaries.

Workflow

1. Confirm that the notification represents a real person-to-person communication or incoming call; do not use communication presentation to promote unrelated activity. 2. Configure the required push, communication-notification, Time Sensitive, and Siri/intent capabilities only when the feature qualifies. 3. Donate the applicable message or call intent and set the needed `NSUserActivityTypes` entry for the supported communication surface. 4. Add a Notification Service Extension only when an alert payload needs bounded enrichment, decryption, attachment download, or communication-content update. 5. Send alert payloads with `mutable-content: 1`; return the best available content before the extension expires. Silent, sound-only, and badge-only pushes do not invoke the extension. 6. Treat Time Sensitive delivery and Focus status as user-controlled system behavior, not a guarantee that a notification will interrupt someone.

Data And Safety Boundaries

• Keep push payloads privacy-minimal; decrypt or fetch sensitive display data

only when needed and tolerate extension timeout.

• Do not make notification filtering a hidden policy engine. The extension may

transform this app's incoming alert, not inspect or filter other apps' alerts.

• Provide a plain fallback title/body if enrichment fails.

Validation

Validate on physical devices with notification permission, Focus modes, communication metadata, Time Sensitive settings, extension timeout fallback, network loss, and redacted-lock-screen behavior.

References

• [Handling Communication Notifications and Focus Status Updates](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserNotifications/handling-communication-notifications-and-focus-status-updates)
• [Modifying content in newly delivered notifications](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/usernotifications/modifying-content-in-newly-delivered-notifications)