Is it possible to implement iPhone push notifications in a Google App Engine application?

Question

I'm in the planning phase of an iPhone application and am considering using Google App Engine for my server component due to its scalability features.

Push notifications are sent using a binary interface to gateway.push.apple.com:2195.

However, the JRE for the server is only allowed to use the following standard classes, which does not include the Socket classes. Can URLConnection be used somehow to do this?

Is there a way to implement push notifications given the restrictions on Google App Engine applications?

I'd like to avoid using a third-party service such as AppNotify or UrbanAirship if possible.

Answer 1

Nope. Google App Engine forbids native socket connections. You either need to use a third party service (like the ones you mentioned) or have another dedicated server for sending notifications.

EDIT: Please note that the limitation of GAE on sockets and outgoing calls isn't a library limitation only. Google servers actually block all outbound network connections; they only allow HTTP requests through URL Fetching servers.

If you like, you can star Issue 1164: Add Support for Apple Push Notification Service.