Short answer: Yes, but it's not straightforward

Background: What are persistent notifications and why do they appear?

All Android apps that perform actions in the background (i.e. while the app is not actively open and being used) will, by default, display a "persistent" notification in the notification drawer or tray. This is intended to promote security and improve transparency for the end-user, enabling them to understand the nature of their applications performing background actions. That includes applications, like a mobile banking app with the nudge® code library bundled, that receive location information while in the background.

Because this is a security and privacy-related issue, Android does not permit application developers to disable this functionality unilaterally or by default. Larky is a leader in privacy and data protection and supports this policy. However, we understand that some users may prefer to hide these notifications. We also understand that the wording used in the notification can have a large impact on the overall user experience with a mobile banking application. Below is some helpful information related to both of these topics.

Steps to hide the persistent notification

For Android 13 users

It appears that the persistent notification can be swiped away just like any other notification. At least that's been our experience!

Earlier versions of Android

Starting with Android 8 (Oreo), Android allows notifications to appear in different channels or categories. In the case of the nudge® code library, the persistent notification appears in the Background Real-Time Messaging channel. By disabling notifications for this channel (only), the persistent notification will be hidden. All nudges created in the nudge® dashboard (whether they are time-based or geolocation-based) get delivered in the Main Notification Channel. This should remain enabled, otherwise notifications won't be displayed at all. Note if you have an older version of Android (7 or lower) then this doesn't apply to you, and there is no way to hide the persistent notification without also hiding all other nudge® messages.

There may be slight differences in these instructions based on the particular version of Android and how a given manufacturer has implemented the OS, but in general there are two ways to disable the Background Real-Time Messaging channel as follows:

From the persistent notification itself:

• Either swipe or long-tap the notification (depending on the Android version), and then tap on the gear icon that appears
• On some versions of Android this may immediately open a screen where you can untoggle the Background Real-Time Messaging option
• On other versions of Android, tapping the gear icon may then show an option to Turn off notifications (you may need to scroll down to see this)
• Tapping that link should then open a page where the Background Real-Time Messaging option can be untoggled

From the app icon on the home screen:

• Long-tap the app icon to bring up the pop-up menu
• Tap the App-info option to open a similarly named screen
• Find and tap the Notifications (or App Notifications) option
• This will open a screen where you can untoggle the Background Real-Time Messaging option

Suggested language for the persistent notification

Clearly it may be a bit much to expect a member to go through the above steps, or to try and include them as part of a broader roll-out communication plan to members covering the new nudge® functionality. See this article for suggested best-practices on how to educate members around location sharing in general. We advise that as an additional best-practice, care be taken in choosing the language displayed for the persistent notification with the goal of maximizing the user experience and reducing confusion around the notification.

Like any other notification, the persistent notification will include a small version of your mobile banking app's icon and the app name, along with a configurable title (in bold) and text for the notification itself. Note that different versions of Android limit how much text is displayed, so keeping this element short is highly recommended.

Here is one suggested combination:

Monitoring for activity
Keeping you informed of important notices

Conclusion

If you have questions about any of this or would like to schedule time to discuss alternative notification wording or concepts, please don't hesitate to reach out to support@larky.com, or click the Submit a request link above!