GCM/FCM & Enhancement of Push Messaging support on Desktops

[leon...@intel.com]

Hi, Peter,

Would you please help clarify the questions below about Push API and its implementations in Chrome? Thanks in advance.

  - I know each browser uses its own Push Messaging Service, specifically Chrome is using GCM/FCM. But, this could be a big concern in PRC (China): As you know, there's a WALL there so GCM/FCM is totally unreachable from PRC, means that for users in PRC, PWAs do not have Push Messaging support at all on Chrome, while they can work well on Safari, Edge etc. How do you think of this? I have a brainstorming idea, e.g. now the GCM/FCM is hard-coded in Chrome code for Push API implementations, could we figure out a way to make the Push Service configurable? So that users can switch freely to any available ones for them.

  - Google has announced that Chrome Apps would go away, instead, PWAs are recommended and Google is actively enhancing PWA support on Desktops. So, are there some work you're planning to enhance Push Messaging on Desktops? And if possible we're happy to contribute for them. Also, as Google has deprecated GCM and recommends migration to FCM instead, I suppose Chrome code also needs to do some work to adapt FCM, am I right? If possible we're happy to help on these work, too ;-)

BR,

Han Leon

[Peter Beverloo]

Hi Leon,

Thank you for your interest!

Allowing users to choose a push service of their liking is a complicated issue, and not one we're really interested in pursuing. You're correct that this imposes limitations, but the number of internal services within Chromium (such as sync) that depend on a particular push service makes this infeasible unless we're willing to maintain connections to multiple push services simultaneously. That, in itself, is not always a possibility, notably on Android where we defer to the platform altogether.

That said, abstracting away the GCM/FCM implementation details from the PushMessagingServiceImpl is something I'm absolutely in favor of. It allows us to centralize some of the complexity regarding type of registration (v3/IID, endpoint selection) in an interface that would make it much easier for other Chromium consumers to plug their own push services - or, for example, by tests.

What sort of enhancements for push messaging on the desktop platforms are you thinking about? Extensions will continue to have access to chrome.instanceID (but not chrome.gcm which is being deprecated), as well as the Push API.

Thanks,

Peter

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[Han, Leon]

Hi, Peter,

 

Thank you very much for your kind explanations!

I think I got more understanding about the role GCM/FCM service plays in Chrome.

 

About the potential enhancements for Push Messaging on desktops,

I had no clear image so I reached out to see if you’re planning to do something

in accordance to Google’s big plan aiming to enhance PWAs support on desktops ;-)

 

BR,

Han Leon

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