Apple to update Push Notification Service with new server certificate this month

Apple has announced an upcoming update to its Push Notification service (APNs) server certificates, scheduled for February 24, 2025. This change involves the transition to a new Certification Authority (CA), specifically the USERTrust RSA Certification Authority (SHA-2 Root). Developers utilizing APNs are required to update their application’s Trust Store to include this new server certificate to ensure uninterrupted push notification services.

The update follows a similar change implemented in the APNs sandbox environment on January 20, 2025. To maintain push notification delivery, developers must ensure that both the old and new server certificates are present in their Trust Store before the production update on February 24, 2025. Notably, Apple has specified that there is no need to update the APNs SSL provider certificates issued to developers.

For developers using third-party services like Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) or Azure Notification Hubs, the responsibility for updating the server certificates lies with the service providers. These providers are expected to handle the necessary updates on their end, so developers should confirm with their respective service providers to ensure compliance.