Web permission prompts

Overview

“Prompting” refers to the process of asking users for permission to send them messages. Prompts are pop-up messages presented in the browser or mobile app and require the user to click “Allow” to be subscribed and receive messages. This guide covers the different types of web prompts and how to configure them. Web push works on desktop, Android, and iOS, but web push for iOS requires additional steps. If you have a mobile app, see how to prompt for Push Permissions with In-App Messages. Browsers provide their own native, system-level permission prompt, which is required to be both shown and clicked “Allow” for the user to subscribe to push notifications on your website. Browsers now highly recommend websites be more selective when it comes to showing the native permission prompt. This is why using OneSignal Prompts or your own custom “soft prompts” before the native prompt is encouraged.

OneSignal prompts (soft prompts)

OneSignal soft prompts are user-friendly, customizable prompts that appear before the browser’s native permission prompt. These prompts do not subscribe users to messages by themselves; instead, they help:

Explain the value of subscribing to messages (push, email, or SMS).
Prevent browsers from automatically blocking permission requests.
Launch the native browser prompt only after the user expresses interest.

Soft prompts are recommended by browsers and help maximize engagement rates while protecting your domain reputation.

Prompt icon

To customize the icon shown in your web push notifications, go to your OneSignal dashboard: Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings. In the Site Setup section, configure the Default Icon URL. This icon appears in all your notifications unless otherwise specified.

Accepted formats: .png or .jpg
Recommended size: 256x256 pixels (to meet Safari’s requirements)
If left unset, OneSignal will use a generic bell icon

This setting can be changed at any time.

Permission prompt setup

Configure the prompts you want to display on your site. In your OneSignal dashboard, navigate to: Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup. From there, click Add Prompt to choose from OneSignal’s available prompt types. You can also edit any existing prompts already shown in the list.

Each prompt type has different use cases and display behaviors. You can use them individually or in combination to guide users through the subscription process in a way that fits your website’s UX. Available prompts are:

Slidedown: A visually prominent prompt used for push notifications and optional category selection.
Email/Phone prompt: Used to collect user email addresses, phone numbers, or both.
Subscription bell prompt: A persistent floating widget for push subscriptions, typically placed in the bottom corner of your site.
Custom link prompt: A customizable button or link embedded in your site that triggers the native browser prompt.
Native permission prompt: The required browser-level prompt that must be accepted for users to receive push notifications.

Slidedown & category

The Slide and Category prompts appear prominently at the top center of the screen on desktop and bottom center on mobile. These are high-visibility, soft prompts shown before the required native permission prompt. They do not subscribe the user on their own but help initiate the subscription flow and capture user interest.

Animated slide prompt with category tags on Chrome desktop

To add a Slide Prompt, follow the steps below: Typical Site & WordPress Setup:

Go to Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup
Select Add Prompt > Push Prompt > Push Slide Prompt

Custom Code Setup: Use the slidedown property in your OneSignal init code’s promptOptions object. See Web SDK Reference for more details.

Push slide prompt configuration options in the dashboard

For details on triggering the prompt, see Auto prompt & display settings.

Slide prompt text

You can customize the text displayed in the slide prompt:

Action message: up to 90 characters
Button labels: up to 15 characters each
Customization of font, size, or colors is not currently supported

Enable the text customization option in the dashboard. If no text is entered, default text will be used.

When finished, click Done and Save again on the next page to see this go into effect.

For Custom Code setup, use the text properties within your OneSignal init code’s promptOptions object. See Web SDK Reference for more details.

Email & phone number prompt

The Email & Phone Prompt collects optional user contact information directly within a Slidedown. Each field has built-in validation to ensure correct formatting. Once submitted:

New Email and/or SMS subscriptions are created for the user
You can start messaging them across these channels

To add this prompt:

Navigate to Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup > Add Prompt > Email/Phone Prompt.

Email and phone number prompt setup options

Customize which input fields are shown, the text labels, and the auto-prompt delay.

Email and phone number prompt field and label options

When finished, press Done and Save again on the next page to see this go into effect.

For Custom Code setup, within your OneSignal init code’s promptOptions object add the type to be either email, sms, or smsAndEmail. See Web SDK Reference for more details.

For details on triggering the prompt, see Auto prompt & display settings.

Subscription bell prompt

The Subscription Bell Prompt is a small, persistent widget that appears in the bottom corner of your website. When clicked by an unsubscribed user, it triggers the Native Browser Prompt. Because of its minimal footprint, the bell can be left visible at all times, making it a passive yet effective option for ongoing opt-in opportunities. It does not require dismissal and provides users with control over when to subscribe.

You can customize the OneSignal Bell Prompt’s color, size, bottom position, text, and more.

You cannot currently change the icon image or place the bell in the top corners.

Typical Site & WordPress Setup: Subscription Bell Prompt

Navigate to: Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup > Add Prompt > Subscription Bell PromptYou can customize the bell’s:

Color
Size
Bottom position (left or right)
Text and labels

After setup, click Done, then Save to apply changes.

Custom Code Setup: Subscription Bell Prompt

Use the notifyButton parameter in your web SDK initialization options. You may toggle between different examples for Bell Prompt customizations.Hiding: To hide the subscription bell after a user subscribes or only show it on certain pages, be sure to return the value false or a Promise that resolves to the value false in the displayPredicate function during initialization. This function is evaluated before the subscription bell is shown. You may return any other value to show the subscription bell.

// Your other init options here
notifyButton: {
    enable: true, /* Required to use the Subscription Bell */
    size: 'medium', /* One of 'small', 'medium', or 'large' */
    theme: 'default', /* One of 'default' (red-white) or 'inverse" (white-red) */
    position: 'bottom-right', /* Either 'bottom-left' or 'bottom-right' */
    offset: {
        bottom: '0px',
        left: '0px', /* Only applied if bottom-left */
        right: '0px' /* Only applied if bottom-right */
    },
    showCredit: false, /* Hide the OneSignal logo */
    text: {
        'tip.state.unsubscribed': 'Subscribe to notifications',
        'tip.state.subscribed': "You're subscribed to notifications",
        'tip.state.blocked': "You've blocked notifications",
        'message.prenotify': 'Click to subscribe to notifications',
        'message.action.subscribed': "Thanks for subscribing!",
        'message.action.resubscribed': "You're subscribed to notifications",
        'message.action.unsubscribed': "You won't receive notifications again",
        'dialog.main.title': 'Manage Site Notifications',
        'dialog.main.button.subscribe': 'SUBSCRIBE',
        'dialog.main.button.unsubscribe': 'UNSUBSCRIBE',
        'dialog.blocked.title': 'Unblock Notifications',
        'dialog.blocked.message': "Follow these instructions to allow notifications:"
    }
}

Custom link prompt

The Custom Link Prompt is a user-triggered button or link you can embed anywhere on your website. When clicked, it displays the Native Browser Prompt for push notifications.

Common use cases:

Below a blog post: “Like this article? Get updates as soon as we post!”
In your site footer
In a sticky header or floating toolbar

Typical Site & WordPress Setup: Custom Link Prompt

Navigate to: Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup > Add Prompt > Custom Link.Add the provided HTML on your page where you want the widget to render.Configure your options, then click Done and Save to activate.

Custom link prompt setup in the dashboard

Custom Code Setup: Custom Link

Within your OneSignal init code’s promptOptions object, add the customlink object and its available properties.

// Your other init options here
promptOptions: {
  customlink: {
    enabled: true, /* Required to use the Custom Link */
    style: "button", /* Has value of 'button' or 'link' */
    size: "medium", /* One of 'small', 'medium', or 'large' */
    color: {
      button: '#E12D30', /* Color of the button background if style = "button" */
      text: '#FFFFFF', /* Color of the prompt's text */
    },
    text: {
      subscribe: "Subscribe to push notifications", /* Prompt's text when not subscribed */
      unsubscribe: "Unsubscribe from push notifications", /* Prompt's text when subscribed */
      explanation: "Get updates from all sorts of things that matter to you", /* Optional text appearing before the prompt button */
    },
    unsubscribeEnabled: true, /* Controls whether the prompt is visible after subscription */
  }
}

To render the prompt on your site, insert the following HTML where you want the widget to appear:

html

<div class='onesignal-customlink-container'></div>

Typical & Custom Code Setup: Additional Styling

To change the appearance of the widget at any time all elements have a special class onesignal-reset that removes any prior styling from the element to make sure there are no conflict with our internal styles and that it looks exactly as you’ve defined it in the dashboard.If you ever find yourself in need to redefine any OneSignal styles, here is a short reference of the classes used in the Custom Link widget

Class Name	Applies to
onesignal-customlink-container	Main container
onesignal-customlink-subscribe	Action button
onesignal-customlink-explanation	Paragraph with a custom explanation text
state-subscribed	All components internal to the main container
state-unsubscribed	All components internal to the main container
button	Action button if in button mode
link	Action button if in link mode
small	All components internal to the main container
medium	All components internal to the main container
large	All components internal to the main container
hide	All components internal to the main container if unsubscribeEnabled is set to false

To override any of them you have to create a CSS rule with higher specificity, combining the class name with the parent element id should be enough. But beware of the conflicts, our internal styles may change.

Native permission prompt

The native permission prompt is the browser-controlled dialog that users must accept to subscribe to push notifications from your website. This prompt is:

Required for subscription
Automatically triggered after OneSignal soft prompts
Not customizable in appearance, text, or behavior

Native browser permission prompt on Chrome

Browser native prompt behavior

Different browsers impose unique behaviors and restrictions to reduce spammy permission requests. In an effort to combat spam and poor user experience, OneSignal will automatically default to the Slide Prompt in certain cases listed below. If you do not want to show the Slide Prompt and would like to use the native permission prompt directly, you must turn off the Auto Prompt options and use our Web SDK requestPermission() method. Displaying the native permission prompt directly may not work in all browsers as described below.

Chrome

Chrome 80+ may display a quieter UI instead of the full prompt:

Automatically applies to users who frequently deny prompts
Also applies to sites with a high rate of denials

Chrome quieter notification permission UI

Chrome implements back-off logic if the user clicks the “X” on the native prompt:

You have 3 attempts to prompt
After the 3rd dismissal, the prompt is suppressed for 7 days (source).

Using the Typical Site & WordPress Setup to configure the native permission prompt will automatically show the Slide Prompt on Chrome for mobile devices.We deliberately added the double prompt on Android because the native Permission Prompt on Chrome for Android is a very user-unfriendly pop-up that takes over the entire screen of your site and this prevents your users from having a bad experience while visiting your site.If you do not want to show the Slide Prompt, you must turn off the Auto Prompt switch in the Prompt Editor (don’t forget to press the Save button), then use the Web SDK requestPermission() method.

Firefox

Firefox 72+ started requiring a user gesture to trigger the native permission prompt. If you try to automatically show the native permission prompt on Firefox, you will see an icon within the browser like this, requiring the user to click the icon to show the native permission prompt.

Using the Typical Site & WordPress Setup to configure the native permission prompt will automatically show the Slide Prompt on Firefox.We deliberately added the double prompt on Firefox because it requires a 2-step opt-in in either case and the Slide prompt is a more eye-catching way to increase engagement.If you do not want to show the Slide Prompt, you must turn off the Auto Prompt switch in the Prompt Editor (don’t forget to press the Save button), then use the Web SDK requestPermission() method.

Safari

Safari 12.1+ started requiring a user gesture to trigger the native permission prompt.

Using the Typical Site & WordPress Setup to configure the native permission prompt will not work for Safari because of this user gesture requirement.We deliberately added the Slide Prompt on Safari because it requires a 2-step opt-in.

Edge

Edge uses a trust-based model:

If the site is untrusted, the prompt is suppressed and replaced by a bell icon in the browser bar:

If the site is trusted, the native prompt appears normally:

Edge native permission prompt for trusted sites

Auto prompt & display settings

To maximize engagement and avoid disrupting your users, it’s best to delay showing prompts until after they’ve spent some time on your site. OneSignal allows you to automatically display prompts based on user behavior using two delay conditions:

Page Views: Number of times the user loads any page on your site
Seconds on Page: Amount of time the user must spend on the page

These delays are applied using an AND condition, meaning both must be satisfied before the prompt appears. Example: If you set the delay to 3 page views and 30 seconds, the prompt will display on the third page load, after 30 seconds have passed. If the user doesn’t interact with the prompt, it will continue showing on each page load (after 30 seconds) until it’s clicked or dismissed.

Typical Site & WordPress Setup: Auto Prompt

Navigate to: Settings > Push & In-App > Web Settings > Permission Prompt Setup
Choose a prompt or create a new one
Enable Auto Prompt
Set your delay preferences (page views and time delay)

Auto prompt delay settings for page views and seconds

Click Done, then Save

If you want to trigger the prompt programmatically, keep Auto Prompt disabled and use the Web SDK Prompt prompt methods.

Custom Code Setup: Auto Prompt

Within your OneSignal init code’s promptOptions object use the autoPrompt and delay options. There are also methods to trigger the desired slidedown or native prompts directly. See Web SDK Reference for more details.

Manual Triggering (Instead of Auto Prompt)

If you want more control over when prompts are shown—for example, only on specific pages or after specific actions:

Disable Auto Prompt
Use the SDK’s Slidedown or Native Prompt methods to show the prompt via code

Slidedown prompt back-off logic

Once a Slidedown (Push, Category, or Email/Phone) prompt is shown and dismissed (via Allow, Cancel, or closing the dialog), it will back off and reappear on a defined schedule:

Interaction Outcome	Next Prompt Timing
First Dismissal	Wait 3 days
Second Dismissal	Wait 7 days
Third and later dismissals (not subscribed)	Wait 30 days

For example, if the user clicks “Allow” on the Slidedown but then clicks “X” on the browser’s native prompt (without subscribing), the Slidedown will follow the back-off cycle above.

This logic applies to Push, Category, and Email/Phone Slidedown prompts. You can bypass the backoff logic using our Web SDK Slidedown prompt methods.For native prompt back-off logic, see Browser native prompt behavior. You cannot bypass the backoff logic for the native prompt because this is controlled by the browser.

If the user clears cookies or browser data, the back-off cycle resets and the prompt may appear again as if for the first time.

Best practices for requesting web push permissions

Getting users to grant web push permissions requires timing, trust, and user-friendly design. Follow these best practices to maximize opt-in rates while maintaining a positive on-site experience.

Be strategic with when you ask

Timing matters more than frequency. Display permission prompts when users are already engaged or showing intent. For example:

After they add an item to their cart or engage on a post or comment
When they update their profile or sign in to their account
Upon completing an action that shows commitment to your brand

Prompting users at these moments increases acceptance rates because they’re more invested in your content and value. If your site has a profile or preference center, include push (and other channel) opt-in controls there. This reinforces transparency and gives users more control over how they receive updates. See our Preference Center guide for more details.

Use the Subscription Bell Prompt

The Bell Prompt is a persistent, non-intrusive way for users to subscribe at any time. This floating bell icon is ideal for long-term engagement because it:

Keeps the subscription option visible without disrupting browsing.
Allows users to subscribe when they choose.
Builds trust by not forcing immediate permission requests.

The Bell Prompt is especially effective for returning visitors and users who initially dismissed permission requests.

Let users personalize their subscriptions with Categories

The Category Prompt lets users choose which topics or message types they want—like “Sales”, “Product Updates”, or “Blog Posts”. This approach:

Makes the prompt feel less intrusive and more relevant
Improves engagement and message click-through rates
Reduces opt-outs later by setting expectations early

Personalized opt-ins lead to higher long-term retention because users feel in control of the experience.

Test and optimize over time

Don’t rely on a single strategy. Test different prompt types, messages, and timings to see what resonates with your audience. Try this approach:

Start with the native browser prompt for a few months to measure your baseline opt-in rate.
After gathering data, experiment with the slidedown prompt or custom prompt flows to improve conversions across browsers and audience segments.
Track performance using our SDK’s permissionPromptDisplay and permissionChange events and slidedown events.

Opt-in behavior can vary by season, device type, and region—so test regularly to find the right balance between engagement and user comfort.

FAQ

Prompt display issues

A browser’s native permission prompt may not show if any of the following conditions are true: 1. The browser blocked the prompt from showing. Navigate to your browser’s settings and check the “Notifications” permission setting. Chrome example: chrome://settings/content/notifications

Chrome browser notification permission settings page

In this example:

The user has selected “Don’t allow sites to send notifications” which will prevent the native permission prompt from showing. This must show “Sites can ask to send notifications” to allow the native permission prompt to show.
The user has added https://yoursite.com to the “Not allowed to send notifications” list, which will prevent the native permission prompt from showing. This must be removed from the list to allow the native permission prompt to show.

Browser specific documentation:

Chrome - This page explains how to manage notifications in Chrome by going to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Notifications, where you can control default behavior and manage permissions for individual websites.
Firefox - This guide covers Firefox’s Web Push notifications, explaining how to manage notification permissions through Settings > Privacy & Security > Notifications, and how to control permissions for specific sites through the address bar’s site information icon.
Safari - This Apple guide explains how to customize Safari notifications on Mac through Safari > Preferences > Websites > Notifications, where you can manage which sites can send notifications and control notification behavior through System Preferences.
Edge - This article details how to manage Edge notifications by navigating to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > Notifications, or by clicking the site information icon in the address bar.

2. The user has already allowed notifications or already subscribed. In the browser’s settings, check if your site URL is listed in the “Allowed to send notifications” list. 3. You are in Incognito Mode, Private Browser mode or Guest Browser mode. The native Permission Prompt will not show while in Incognito Mode, Private Browser mode or Guest Browser mode. Users cannot subscribe to notifications in these modes. 4. You are using a browser and device that does not support web push notifications. Make sure you are using a browser and device that supports web push. 5. iOS/iPadOS requirements are not met. For iOS, there are some additional requirements to prompt users for their subscription. More information can be seen in the Mobile Web Push for iOS/iPadOS guide.

If you are still having trouble, see our Web push troubleshooting guide.

Webviews used by social media apps (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.) do not support web push notifications. The app must open your website in a full browser that supports web push.

Why does the slide prompt keep showing up?

There are two common causes:

You are in incognito mode, private browser mode, or guest browser mode.
You are triggering the prompt programmatically without using the Auto Prompt option. See the Web SDK Reference and check the prompting methods you are using.

After dismissing a prompt, when does it show again?

For OneSignal prompts, see Slidedown prompt back-off logic. For the native permission prompt, see Browser native prompt behavior.

Why do I see the slide prompt instead of the native browser prompt?

Certain browsers require a user gesture before showing the native prompt. OneSignal automatically shows a slide prompt first in these cases. See Browser native prompt behavior for details.

How do I translate or localize the prompt?

Use the Custom Code Setup to programmatically detect the user’s browser language and initialize the OneSignal SDK with different text. The native permission prompt automatically translates to the browser’s set language.

Can I A/B test prompts?

Yes. Using the Custom Code Setup, you can initialize OneSignal with different prompting options. You need to set up your own method to trigger the A/B tests. Use the Subscription Change event to detect when a user subscribes and add Tags based on which variant won.

Can I segment subscriptions based on the page they subscribed?

Yes. See the Auto-Segment By Subscription Page guide.

Can I change the bell icon?

No. You cannot change the bell image, but you can customize the colors, text, and position (bottom-left or bottom-right).

Can I change the categories based on page?

Yes. This requires the Custom Code Setup to add categories through code based on the current page.

How do I track slide prompt events?

The OneSignal Web SDK provides Slide Prompt Event Methods to detect when the prompt shows, closes, or receives an “Allow” or “Cancel” action.

How can I show the prompt on only certain pages?

Disable Auto Prompt, then use the Slidedown prompt SDK method on the specific pages where you want prompts to appear. The Bell prompt cannot be disabled on a per-page basis.

Why do I see the slide prompt on mobile instead of the native prompt?

Chrome for Android displays a full-screen native prompt that disrupts the browsing experience. OneSignal shows a slide prompt first to provide a better user experience. To bypass this, turn off Auto Prompt in the Prompt Editor and use the Web SDK requestPermission() method.

Web SDK reference

Full API reference for prompt methods, events, and initialization options.

Web push for iOS

Additional setup steps required for iOS and iPadOS web push support.

Web push troubleshooting

Diagnose and resolve common web push notification issues.

Preference center

Let users manage their notification preferences and channel opt-ins.

First steps & settings

Message channels

Journeys

Audience & custom events

Analytics & Integrations

Privacy & Security

​Overview

​OneSignal prompts (soft prompts)

​Prompt icon

​Permission prompt setup

​Slidedown & category

​Slide prompt text

​Categories

​Email & phone number prompt

​Subscription bell prompt

​Custom link prompt

​Native permission prompt

​Browser native prompt behavior

​Chrome

​Firefox

​Safari

​Edge

​Auto prompt & display settings

​Slidedown prompt back-off logic

​Best practices for requesting web push permissions

​Be strategic with when you ask

​Use the Subscription Bell Prompt

​Let users personalize their subscriptions with Categories

​Test and optimize over time

​FAQ

​Prompt display issues

​How do I show prompts in a social media app webview?

​Why does the slide prompt keep showing up?

​After dismissing a prompt, when does it show again?

​Why do I see the slide prompt instead of the native browser prompt?

​How do I translate or localize the prompt?

​Can I A/B test prompts?

​Can I segment subscriptions based on the page they subscribed?

​Can I change the bell icon?

​Can I change the categories based on page?

​How do I track slide prompt events?

​How can I show the prompt on only certain pages?

​Why do I see the slide prompt on mobile instead of the native prompt?

​Related pages

Web SDK reference

Web push for iOS

Web push troubleshooting

Preference center

Overview

OneSignal prompts (soft prompts)

Prompt icon

Permission prompt setup

Slidedown & category

Slide prompt text

Categories

Email & phone number prompt

Subscription bell prompt

Custom link prompt

Native permission prompt

Browser native prompt behavior

Chrome

Firefox

Safari

Edge

Auto prompt & display settings

Slidedown prompt back-off logic

Best practices for requesting web push permissions

Be strategic with when you ask

Use the Subscription Bell Prompt

Let users personalize their subscriptions with Categories

Test and optimize over time

FAQ

Prompt display issues

How do I show prompts in a social media app webview?

Why does the slide prompt keep showing up?

After dismissing a prompt, when does it show again?

Why do I see the slide prompt instead of the native browser prompt?

How do I translate or localize the prompt?

Can I A/B test prompts?

Can I segment subscriptions based on the page they subscribed?

Can I change the bell icon?

Can I change the categories based on page?

How do I track slide prompt events?

How can I show the prompt on only certain pages?

Why do I see the slide prompt on mobile instead of the native prompt?

Related pages