Push notifications are opt-in and contextual

Requesting notification permission before showing the user any app content is one of the top patterns Apple's guideline 5.1.1 calls out — and one of the highest rates of user denial. Users who see a permission request before understanding the app's value default to "Don't Allow," permanently locking the app out of push on that device. An app that blocks core functionality when notification permission is denied compounds the problem. The correct model — a pre-permission screen explaining specific notification value, followed by a contextual request when the user first enables a notification-powered feature — produces higher grant rates and cleaner review outcomes.

Move the notification permission request behind a pre-permission screen and a feature opt-in, not the app launch sequence.

// src/screens/NotificationOptInScreen.tsx
export function NotificationOptInScreen() {
  async function handleEnable() {
    const { status } = await Notifications.requestPermissionsAsync();
    if (status === 'granted') {
      await registerPushToken();
    }
    navigation.navigate('Home');
  }

  return (
    <View>
      <Text style={styles.headline}>Stay in the loop</Text>
      <Text>Get notified when your orders ship, friends reply, or items go on sale.</Text>
      <Button title="Enable Notifications" onPress={handleEnable} />
      <Button title="Maybe Later" onPress={() => navigation.navigate('Home')} />
    </View>
  );
}

The app must work fully when notification permission is denied — never block navigation to a screen because the user declined notifications.