Mobile App Notification Certificates for iOS

The Evatel server requires Apple Push Notification and VoIP Services certificates to send push notifications to the mobile application on Apple devices. You will have to obtain and upload these certificates on the Web Portal to enable the push notification feature for the mobile app on iOS. This page describes the steps required to obtain these certificates from Apple and how to upload them on the Web Portal.

For Android devices, Evatel does not require any certificates to enable push notifications.

Apple Notification Certificates

To enable Push Notification for your Evatel app on iOS, you will need to create an Apple Push Notification (APN) Certificate and upload its Private Key (p12 format) to the Web Portal. This will enable Evatel to connect to Apple Push Server on your behalf. You will need to:

Obtaining a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

To manually generate a certificate, you need a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file on your Mac. To create a CSR file, follow the instructions below using Keychain Access.
  1. In the Application folder on your Mac, open the Utilities folder and launch Keychain Access.
  2. Within the Keychain Access drop down menu, select Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Request a Certificate from a Certificate Authority.
  3. In the Certification Information window, enter the information required. Note that:
    • In the Common Name field, enter a name for your private key of the certificate.
    • In the Request is options, choose Save to disk
  4. Click Continue to complete the CSR generating process.

Obtaining an Apple Push Notification/VoIP Services Certificate Private Key

To create the required Private Keys for Push Notifications, follow the instructions below on the iOS Developer Portal.
  1. Login to iOS Developer Portal, click Certificates on the left navigation bar. Then, click the + button (on the top right of the screen).
  2. Under the Production section, select the certificate you would like to create and click Continue:
    • If you would like to obtain an APN Certificate, select Apple Push Notification service SSL (Sandbox & Production).
    • If you would like to obtain a VoIP Services certificate, select VoIP Services Certificate.
  3. Select the App ID you want to use for your Evatel mobile application, then click Continue to go to next step. Learn more about Registering for an application ID for Apple devices.
  4. Upload the .certSigningRequest file which is generated in the step Obtaining a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), then click the Generate button.
  5. Click Done to finish the registration. The iOS Developer Portal page will refresh to show the new certificate you have just created. 
  6. Find and expand the certificate you created. Click the Download button to download the new certificate (.cer file). Double-click the downloaded file to install the certificate into Keychain Access on your Mac.
  7. On your Mac, go to Keychains in Keychain Access, look for the certificate you have just installed.
  8. Find the certificate you just opened/imported in Keychain Access. Expand the certificate to show the Private Key.
  9. Select only the Private Key portion of the certificate. Right click the Private Key portion of the certificate. Click Export "Common Name"... on the popup menu.
  10. Choose a Location for the Exported Key. Choose a filename to export the .p12 file to, then click Save.
  11. Choose a password for the .p12 file to protect its private key contents, then click OK to complete the process. You will need to provide this password when you upload the key on to the Web Portal

Uploading the Private keys to the Web Portal

You will need to upload the Apple Push Notification Certificate Private Key and the VoIP Services Certificate Private Key obtained from Apple to the Evatel Web Portal to ensure that the Push Notification feature of the mobile app works correctly on Apple devices. Follow the steps below to upload the certificates to the Web Portal and enable the push notification feature for the mobile app:
  1. Login to the Web Portal as a System Admin account.
  2. Go to Packages > Select the Devices tab > Select Mobile Application for iPhone to open package wizard.
  3. Go to the Device Properties step. Upload the Private Keys generated in Obtaining a Apple Push Notification/VOIP Services Certificate and enter the passwords.
  4. Click Finish to complete the operation.