Push Notifications Are Getting Muted: Here’s What to Do Instead

You got the download. That’s a win. But now comes the hard part: getting people to actually use your app.

The problem is push notification, the standard tool to bring users back, just isn’t cutting it anymore. Overwhelmed users are opting out of app notifications and your alerts are getting silenced.

If you’re wondering what alternative can get your app back in front of your users, the answer is: text.

Ditch the Push Fatigue 

Push notifications used to be the go-to for driving app engagement. But now, nearly 60% of users opt out altogether. Why? Too many alerts, irrelevant updates, and poorly timed messages are some of the main reasons. Users are just overwhelmed. 

The average smartphone user in the U.S. gets hit with 46 app notifications per day. So when your alert shows up between weather warnings, food delivery updates, and social pings, it doesn't stand a chance. Worse, If you’re sending generic blasts a few times a week, you’re not just being ignored, you’re probably getting muted.

That’s where SMS flips the script. 

Text works because it’s personal. It breaks through the noise and reaches the right people at the right time. 

Text for Increased App Usage

When you leverage data your users have willingly shared to send messages tailored to their preferences, interests, and timing, your texts hit differently. People choose to opt in because they trust what you have to say will be relevant to them. 

A wellness app, for example, might text users who’ve shown interest in healthy eating when a new recipe goes live, while sending a different message with a deep link to a new yoga class for fitness-focused users. That level of precision is what makes text stand out.

WhatNot, the live shopping app where sellers move everything from apparel to comics to games, sees tons of users opting out of app notifications. Not because they don’t care, but because they follow too many sellers. Even users who want to know when you go live might miss it. That’s why sellers are turning to text messaging: a quick ping gives them a direct line to shoppers who want to hear from them letting them know they’re going live. 

Text for Time-Sensitive Updates

When time is of the essence, you need a fast, reliable way to reach your users, even if they’ve muted your app.

Picture this: a festival organizer sees a major storm roll in and needs to alert attendees that the main stage is moving to a different location. One text to everyone who checked in that day makes all the difference.

Or a sports team hosts a surprise post-game live stream with the MVP and gets the word out instantly to superfans via text, so they don’t miss it, even if app notifications are off.

Text ensures your most important updates are seen, shared, and acted on, right when it counts.

TL;DR: If Push Notifications Are Dead, SMS Is Alive and Thriving

You need more app usage. More repeat sessions. More real-time response. 

Texting gives you a direct line to make that happen when app notifications get muted, with personalized, relevant, and effective messaging that actually gets read.

Want to see how brands are texting their way to higher app engagement?

Demo the Community Experience to see it in action and explore what’s possible.