Chrome abusive notifications and the Search Console report

Chrome has blocked notifications from abusive sites since 2020, and the rules have grown since then. This post covers what Chrome checks today, where to see your site’s status, and what to do if it fails.

What Chrome counts as abusive

Google defines abusive notifications as browser notifications that mislead people or promote malware, phishing, or scams. They fall into 2 groups, and Google’s examples are not a complete list.

Permission request issues

These are requests designed to mislead, trick, or force people into allowing notifications. Examples include making visitors allow notifications before they can see content, and a misleading pre-prompt before the browser’s own prompt.

Notification issues

• Fake messages that look like chat messages, warnings, or system dialogs.
• Phishing notifications that try to steal personal information.
• Notifications that promote, host, or link to malware or unwanted software.

How Chrome enforces it

Chrome 84, released in July 2020, moved sites with abusive permission requests into a quieter prompt. Chrome 86 did the same for sites that send abusive content. Google’s crawler sometimes subscribes to sites that ask for push permission and checks what arrives with Safe Browsing technology.

A site that fails Google’s review and stays failing gets full enforcement. Chrome blocks all its notifications and notification requests, even to people who subscribed before, and may make the site ask them again.

What Chrome added after 2020

• Warnings on Android. Since May 2025, an on-device model reads each notification’s title, body, and button text. When the text looks deceptive, Chrome warns the reader and offers to unsubscribe. Chrome also revokes permission from sites that keep drawing these warnings.
• Removal for low engagement. In October 2025, Chrome on Android and desktop began removing notification permission from sites a person has not interacted with recently. It acts only when engagement is very low and volume is high. Installed web apps are exempt.
• Push rate limits. Since January 2026, Chrome caps sites that send a lot of push relative to the time people spend on them. The cap is 1,000 messages a minute, and sends above it get an HTTP 429 response. It lasts 1 day the first time, 7 days the second, and 14 days after that. The count starts over after 42 clean days in a row.
• Lighter prompts on Android. From Chrome 155, Chrome on Android shows a prompt that does not block the page and times out if ignored. Visitors can subscribe later from Chrome’s Site Controls.

The quieter prompt from Chrome 80 still applies to people who usually block requests and to sites with very low acceptance rates. It swaps the pop-up for a small icon or message by the address bar.

Check your status in Search Console

The Abusive Notifications report is open to owners and users of sites verified in Search Console. Restricted users can view it but cannot request a review.

1. Verify your site. A Domain property covers every subdomain and protocol, which matches what the report reviews. It verifies with a DNS record.
2. If someone at your company already owns the property, ask them to add you as an owner or full user.
3. Open the report and pick your property. If it shows Failing, open the examples in the “What we found” column to see each page and, when available, images or a video.

What the statuses mean

The report shows 1 of 4 review statuses.

• Not reviewed. Google has not reviewed your site yet.
• Passing. Google found no significant number of abusive notifications.
• Failing. Google found numerous abusive notifications. Fix them and request a new review.
• Review pending. A review is in progress. You cannot submit another until it finishes, and enforcement may pause meanwhile.

The enforcement status reads Off, On, or Paused. A Failing site also sees the date enforcement starts.

Google reviews a sample of your pages, so a new review can find problems the last one missed. Fix everything before you ask, including issues the report does not list.

The report covers your whole root domain, and so does a review. If another team or a vendor runs a subdomain, its prompts and notifications count toward your status.

If your site is failing

The first time, Google emails the property’s owners and users at least 30 calendar days before enforcement starts. Repeat failures within 365 days shorten that window.

• 1st Failing status in 365 days. Enforcement starts in 30 days. You can request a review right away.
• 2nd. Enforcement starts in 7 days. You can request a review right away.
• 3rd. Enforcement starts at once. You can request a review after 24 hours.
• 4th or more. Enforcement starts at once. You can request a review after 30 days.

Enforcement pauses while a review runs. You get 2 reviews without delay. Fail the 2nd and you wait 30 days to submit a 3rd, while enforcement begins on the date in the report. Get the fix right the first time.

To request a review, describe how you fixed each issue in the report’s Request review area. Tick “I have fixed the abusive notifications” and submit. Google sends your description to the domain’s owners and users, and asks for it in English. It does not publish how long a review takes.

How to send push that stays in good standing

• Ask at a moment that makes sense. Chrome’s guidance is to tie the prompt to context, such as delivery updates right after an order.
• Never gate content behind the prompt or use a pre-prompt that misleads.
• Tell visitors what you will send, then send that. No fake chat bubbles, virus warnings, or system dialog lookalikes.
• Check where every notification links. A notification that points to malware or a phishing page is abusive whatever its text says.
• Watch volume against engagement, and cut volume when the push service returns HTTP 429. In Google’s tests, sites that sent fewer notifications saw clicks go up.
• Update your permission code for the new Android prompt. Treat “default” as no decision yet, and listen for permission changes to catch visitors who subscribe later.
• Test your opt-in flow with quieter messaging turned on at chrome://settings/content/notifications.
• Check the report every week. Add a second owner so a Failing email reaches more than one person.

Where Pushnami fits

If you send push to your own subscribers, Push Enterprise puts sending in your hands through the Pushnami admin. You decide what goes out and when. If you would rather we run push on your site and share the revenue, see Managed Services.