Token vs FID : are your Android pushes still landing?

Google Firebase is phasing out Android push tokens in favor of a new identifier: the Firebase Installation ID (FID). The catch is easy to miss. A single setting in your app switches every SDK it embeds over to the new mode. Any tool that isn't ready simply stops receiving tokens, with no visible error.

Batch has supported the FID since version 3.4.1 of its Android SDK, released on October 9, 2026. For your campaigns, there's just one thing to plan: update the SDK in your next release.

This article is for your CRM teams and your tech teams alike. We'll cover what's changing, the real risk to your push audience, and how Batch is handling it.

What's changing: the Firebase Installation ID replaces the push token

A push token is a device's unique address. Your CRM platform stores it and uses it to deliver every notification. On Android, that token comes from Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), the Google service that routes notifications.

With version 25.1.0 of its firebase-messaging library, Google introduced a new registration mode. Each app install is identified by its Firebase Installation ID. The legacy methods for retrieving tokens are now flagged as deprecated in the Firebase documentation.

Sending is affected too. In the FCM HTTP v1 API, which push platforms have used since 2024, the token field is also deprecated. Google recommends targeting the FID instead.

Why your Android push audience could shrink without warning

The new mode isn't switched on tool by tool. It's switched on for the entire app, through a single setting in its Android configuration file (the manifest). Google also advises against mixing both registration methods in the same app.

Most apps embed several notification-related SDKs: a CRM platform, customer support, messaging, sometimes two push providers during a migration. All it takes is one of them enabling FID in an update. Tools that don't support the new mode then stop getting tokens for new installs.

The result: token registration fails silently, and installs that were already registered can no longer be reached. Your Android token base erodes, one release at a time.

⚠️ Watch out: this kind of drop gets spotted late. It looks more like a normal opt-in trend than a technical incident.

Timeline: no end date for tokens yet, but the signals are clear

Google hasn't set a date for removing Android push tokens. Firebase's track record still says: plan ahead.

• June 2023: Google deprecates the legacy FCM APIs.

• June 2024: those APIs are shut down. Platforms that hadn't migrated to the FCM HTTP v1 API can no longer send.

• September 2026: Google deprecates the Instance ID server APIs, tied to the old token model, along with device groups.

• January 1, 2027: new projects can no longer adopt these deprecated APIs.

• September 29, 2027: calls to these APIs start failing.

These APIs don't send your notifications directly. But they show how Google operates: an announcement, then 12 months to migrate. Waiting for the official token announcement means risking a last-minute scramble, just like in 2024.

Batch already supports the Firebase Installation ID

What Batch Android SDK 3.4.1 does

Version 3.4.1 of the Batch Android SDK adds FID-based registration. Its behavior follows your app's Firebase setting.

• FID setting enabled, by your team or by another SDK: Batch automatically uses the Firebase Installation ID.

• Setting missing or disabled: Batch keeps using FCM tokens, just like today.

No extra configuration needed on the Batch side. If another SDK turns on FID, Batch follows automatically and your new installs stay reachable.

For your CRM teams: what stays the same

• Your existing installs remain reachable.

• Your segments work as-is.

• Your campaigns keep going out as usual.

For your tech teams: the steps

1. Update the Batch Android SDK to version 3.4.1 or later. FID support only exists in the 3.x branch: version 2.1.3, released the same day, doesn't include it. Still on 2.x? Plan your move to 3.x with the migration guide.

2. FID registration requires firebase-messaging version 25.1.2 or later.

Full details are in the Batch Android SDK changelog.

Three habits to protect your Android push audience

1. Take stock of every push-related SDK in your app. For each one, check whether it supports FID and whether it enables it by default.

2. Track the number of reachable Android installs after every release. A gradual drop on new installs is the first sign of an SDK conflict.

3. Schedule the Batch Android SDK update for your next release. Don't wait for an official end date.

Back in 2024, Batch was already helping customers through the mandatory migration to the FCM HTTP v1 API, then through send-rate limits and the purge of inactive tokens. The move to the Firebase Installation ID follows the same logic: our teams track Google and Apple changes every day, so your CRM teams don't have to become push API experts.