Hello, we are developing a weather app and are wanting to provide push notifications for it, we’ve got our API connected for weather and an API set up for weather alerts (Yay!!). We’re working now on alerts. Do we need to sign up OneSignal and Firebase or is there a work around, we’re using our school accounts so there are some limitations to what we have access to from Google.
Alerts and Push Notifications are two separate features. Alerts only work in app, while push notifications can be sent to a user regardless of whether they are using the app or not. If you are going to incorporate Push Notifications into your app, you will need to create a OneSignal account as Push Notifications are handled through their service. Firebase accounts are only required if you are setting up Push Notifications on Android devices.