QuickSync - How to get started

Our QuickSync feature is an improved way to synchronise your app users' devices with our server. Our default synchronisation lets a device poll for new notifications or geofence every once in awhile. This means that after create a notification it can take some time until you receive the notification when testing.

With Quicksync, this issue is resolved because after creating a notification it will be synchronized with all your users devices immediately.

Due to the huawei ban from Google services, Firebase doesn't support devices with HMS core, these are, all Huawei devices released after May 16^th, 2019. To be able to use quicksync in these devices you need to use Huawei Push Kit service.

Firebase¶

Add QuickSync to receive your notifications immediately. This uses Firebase Messaging and it dependents on Google Play Services. Make sure you already have integrated Plot using the Android integration guide.

Step 1: Add Firebase Messaging Dependency¶

Add a dependency on Firebase in your app-level gradle file. The download page shows with what version it has been tested. It is possible it won't work with newer major versions of Google Play Services.

dependencies {
    implementation platform('com.google.firebase:firebase-bom:28.3.0')
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-core'
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging'
}

Step 2: Add Services¶

Add a service registration to your manifest as shown in the snippet if you don't have Firebase Messaging integrated yet.

<service android:name="com.plotprojects.retail.android.QuickSyncFirebaseMessagingService">
    <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

<service android:name="com.plotprojects.retail.android.QuickSyncFirebaseInstanceIdService">
    <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="com.google.firebase.INSTANCE_ID_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

When you have your own Firebase Messaging services inside your app, you can forward calls from these services to our library. The QuickSyncFirebaseInstanceIdService has the static method handleTokenRefresh(Context) for tokenRefresh events and the QuickSyncFirebaseMessagingService has the static method handleMessageReceived(Context, RemoteMessage) for messageReceived events.

Step 3: Setup a Firebase Project¶

Follow the steps at the Firebase Console to setup your project and make sure you enable cloud messaging for your project.

Step 4: Add Config File¶

To obtain the google-services.json config file, add your Android app to Firebase by clicking on the "Add Firebase to your Android app" and following the instructions.

google-services.json

In case your Firebase project already has the Android app, go to the General tab in the Project Settings page and retrieve the config file, as shown in the image below.

Config file

Once the google-services.json config is downloaded, add it into your project's module folder, typically app/.

Step 5: Almost done!¶

After performing the steps above, in order to get the server key, click the settings button, highlighted in red, followed by Project Settings.

Server key new Firebase interface

Then look up the server key found in the Cloud Messaging tab of the Settings page, as presented below.

Server key new Firebase interface

Add that code to the dashboard in the Developer Tools page.

You are now ready to receive your first notification through QuickSync!

Huawei Push Kit¶

Add QuickSync to receive your notifications immediately. This uses Huawei Push Kit and it depends on HMS core. Make sure you already have integrated Plot using the Android integration guide.