Expo Push InvalidCategory error when sending a push notification.

The category specified for the notification is not valid.

Understanding Expo Push Notifications

Expo Push Notifications is a service provided by Expo, a platform that helps developers build React Native applications with ease. The purpose of Expo Push Notifications is to enable developers to send notifications to users' devices, enhancing user engagement and communication.

Identifying the InvalidCategory Symptom

When working with Expo Push Notifications, you might encounter an error message stating InvalidCategory. This error typically appears when you attempt to send a push notification with a category that is not recognized by the system.

What You Might Observe

Developers may notice that their push notifications are not being delivered, and upon checking the logs or error messages, they see the InvalidCategory error. This can be frustrating as it prevents the notification from reaching the intended audience.

Explaining the InvalidCategory Issue

The InvalidCategory error occurs when the category specified in the push notification payload does not match any of the categories registered in the application. Categories are used to group notifications and can trigger specific actions or behaviors in the app.

Common Causes

This issue often arises from typos in the category name, failure to register the category in the app, or using a category that is not supported by the current version of the app.

Steps to Resolve the InvalidCategory Error

To fix this issue, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify Category Registration

Ensure that the category you are using in your notification payload is registered in your app. You can do this by checking your app's code where categories are defined. For example, in a React Native app, categories might be registered using the Notifications.setNotificationCategoryAsync method.

import * as Notifications from 'expo-notifications';

Notifications.setNotificationCategoryAsync('your-category-id', [
{
identifier: 'default',
buttonTitle: 'View',
options: {
opensAppToForeground: true,
},
},
]);

Step 2: Check for Typos

Double-check the category name in your notification payload for any typos or mismatches with the registered category names. Consistency is key to ensuring that the category is recognized.

Step 3: Update Your App

If you have recently added or changed categories, make sure your app is updated to the latest version where these changes are implemented. This ensures that the app recognizes the new or modified categories.

Additional Resources

For more information on setting up and using categories in Expo Push Notifications, refer to the official Expo Notifications Documentation. Additionally, you can explore the Expo Notifications GitHub Repository for examples and community support.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the InvalidCategory error and successfully send push notifications with the correct categories.

Try DrDroid: AI Agent for Debugging

80+ monitoring tool integrations
Long term memory about your stack
Locally run Mac App available

Thank you for your submission

We have sent the cheatsheet on your email!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Read more
Time to stop copy pasting your errors onto Google!

Try DrDroid: AI for Debugging

80+ monitoring tool integrations
Long term memory about your stack
Locally run Mac App available

Thankyou for your submission

We have sent the cheatsheet on your email!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Thank you for your submission

We have sent the cheatsheet on your email!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Read more
Time to stop copy pasting your errors onto Google!

MORE ISSUES

Deep Sea Tech Inc. — Made with ❤️ in Bangalore & San Francisco 🏢

Doctor Droid