Server REST API Reference
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Start Live Activity

post https://api.onesignal.com/apps//activities/activity/

Remotely start a Live Activity.

Overview

This API lets you start a Live Activity by sending a Push Notification.

Using this API

Examples

curl --request POST \
     --url https://api.onesignal.com/apps/APP_ID/activities/activity/<ACTIVITY_TYPE> \
     --header 'Authorization: Basic <YOUR_REST_API_KEY>' \
     --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     --header 'accept: application/json' \
     --data '
{
  "event_updates": {
  	"homeTeamScore": 0,
    "awayTeamScore": 0,
    "quarter": 1,
  },
  "event_attributes": {
    "title": "Celtivs vs. Mavicks",
    "homeTeam": "Celtics",
    "awayTeam": "Mavericks",
  },
  "included_segments": ["Celtics fans"],
  "activity_id": "nba_finals_2024_<random-random_value>",
  "name": "Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 1",
  "contents": {
    "en": "Game starting soon"
  },
  "headings": {
    "en": "NBA 2024 Game 1"
  },
  "sound": "beep.wav",
  "stale_date": 1695760785,
  "priority": 10
}'

Path Parameters

activity_type

Required

Type: string

Description

Indicates which Live Activity to start.

Guidance

Use the structure's name in your app's Live Activity file that defines the attributes and state of the Live Activity.

Body Parameters

activity_id

Required

Description

A self-generated identifier uniquely identifies your Live Activity and associates devices with the event.

Guidance

  • Generate a unique activity_id to track and manage your Live Activity. This value is crucial for maintaining a consistent reference to the Live Activity across different devices and sessions. Consider using a UUID, CUID, or NanoID for this parameter.
  • Provide this activity_id when calling the iOS SDK method enterLiveActivity. This linkage is necessary for the iOS SDK to correctly handle and update the Live Activity.
  • Ensure that the activity_id is unique and consistently used for each Live Activity to avoid conflicts and ensure accurate tracking.

Example

{
  "activity_id": "217aae2b-42ee-4097-bc3f-b7a6e9d15b9b",
  ...
}

💡

Refer to this guide to learn more about starting and updating Live Activities.

event_attributes

Type: object

Description

The static data to initialize the Live Activity with.

Example

{
  "event_attributes": {
  	"awayTeam": "Celtics",
    "homeTeam": "Lakers"
  }
}

event_updates

Type: object

Description

The content to update a running Live Activity with. The object must conform to the ContentState interface defined within your app's Live Activity.

Guidance

Ensure that the event_updates object matches the ContentState interface exactly as defined in your Live Activity implementation. Inconsistencies can cause Live Activities to fail to display.

Example

In this example, the object includes fields such as quarter, homeScore, and awayScore, which should correspond to the fields defined in the iOS app's ContentState interface. 

{
  "event_updates": {
    "quarter": 1,
    "homeScore": 70,
    "awayScore": 78,
    "inTimeout": false
  }
}

name

Required

Type: string

Description

An internal identifier used to assist with your campaign's organization and management. This value is not displayed to the end user and serves solely for tracking purposes within your campaign tracking and analytics.

Guidance

The name should be meaningful and indicate the campaign's purpose or target audience.

Example


{
  "name": "Spring Sale Campaign"
}

contents

Required

Type object

Description

The notification content that is displayed in the main body of the notification.

Guidance

Equivalent to the contents parameter for Push Notifcations.

headings

Type object

Description

The notification's title.

Guidance

Equivalent to the headings parameter for Push Notifcations.

sound

Type string

Specify a custom sound file to play when the notification is received instead of the default sound.

Guidance

Equivalent to the ios_sound for Push Notifications.

stale_date

Type: number

Description

A Unix timestamp (in seconds) indicates when the Live Activity is considered outdated. Once this time is reached, the system updates the Live Activity to ActivityState.stale.

Guidance
Use this parameter to set an expiration time for the Live Activity, ensuring users do not see outdated information.
The Unix timestamp should be provided in seconds, representing the exact time the Live Activity should transition to a stale state.

Example

To set a stale date for January 1, 2025, at 00:00:00 UTC.

{
  "stale_date": 1735689600
}

💡

Refer to Apple's documentation to learn more about this paramater.

priority

Type: number

Description

The priority level affects how quickly a notification is delivered and processed, particularly in power-saving modes.

Guidance

The priority parameter determines the urgency and delivery behavior of the notification.

  • 10—Send the notification immediately. We recommend using this option while under development.
  • 5—Send the notification based on the device's current power considerations, balancing timely delivery with power efficiency. We recommend using this option for the majority of your notifications, reserving 10 for only the most critical messages.
  • 1—Prioritize the device's power savings over immediate delivery. Notifications will not wake the device and get delivered when it is more power-efficient.
  • If the priority is omitted, APNS defaults to a priority of 10.

Example:

Send a notification with a balanced priority.

{
  "priority": 5
}

💡

For more detailed information, refer to Apple's official documentation on APNs Priority Levels.

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