Marketing Cloud Engagement | Super Message Consumption for MobilePush

Super Message consumption rules for each MobilePush feature are as follows:

Push Notification (Alert)

• Consumption Trigger: Consumption occurs per device for which a send to APNs (Apple Push Notification service) or FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) is attempted and successfully accepted by the gateway.

• Exclusions: Consumption does not occur for sends that fail before the gateway attempt (e.g., opted-out devices, AMPScript errors) or if the request to APNs/FCM is rejected (e.g., returns an error).

Note: Consumption is based on successful acceptance by the gateway (APNs/FCM), not on successful delivery or display on the end-user's device. MCE cannot determine if the notification was actually displayed on the user's screen.

Example 1

• Scenario: 3 Contacts / 5 Opted-in Devices (all sends successful) / 2 Opted-out Devices

• Consumption: 5 Super Messages

• Rationale: The send was successfully accepted for all 5 opted-in devices.

Example 2

• Scenario: 6 Contacts / 7 Opted-in Devices (3 failed at APNs/FCM) / 4 Opted-out Devices

• Consumption: 4 Super Messages

• Rationale: Although 7 sends were attempted, only 4 were successfully accepted by APNs/FCM. The 3 failures and 4 opt-outs do not consume messages.

Inbox

• Consumption Trigger: Consumption occurs once per device when the message is first downloaded.

  • Subsequent downloads on the same device do not incur additional consumption.

  • If the message is never downloaded, no consumption occurs.

  • For Inbox + Alert messages, consumption is calculated for both the Inbox download (per these rules) and the Alert (per the rules in the previous section).

*Note

• iOS Badge Updates Option : If "Update iOS Badge" option is enabled, an additional Super Message is consumed per opted-in device. This is for the silent push required to update the badge, and it follows the same "acceptance" rules as a standard Push Notification.

• CloudPages Impressions : If tapping the Inbox message navigates the user to a CloudPage, one Super Message is consumed per impression (i.e., every time the page is viewed), not just the first time.

• "Copy to Inbox" Feature: Messages using this feature consume Super Messages in the same way as standard Inbox messages. (Note: This feature requires SDK v9.x or later).

Example 1: Inbox Only

• Scenario: 3 Contacts / 5 Opted-in Devices (3 of which download the message 10 times total) / 2 Opted-out Devices (1 of which downloads the message 6 times total).

• Calculation (Badge Update: OFF):

  • Consumption: 4 Super Messages

  • Rationale: Consumption is counted per device that downloads the message at least once, regardless of opt-in status or the number of downloads. (3 opted-in devices + 1 opted-out device = 4 devices). (CloudPages impressions are billed separately.)

• Calculation (Badge Update: ON):

  • Consumption: 9 Super Messages

  • Rationale: 4 messages for the downloads (from above) + 5 messages for the silent push to the 5 opted-in devices. (Total: 4 + 5 = 9). (CloudPages impressions are billed separately.)

Example 2: Inbox + Alert

• Scenario: Same as Example 1. However, the 'Alert' component was only successfully accepted for 2 of the 5 opted-in devices (3 failed).

• Calculation (Badge Update: OFF):

  • Consumption: 6 Super Messages

  • Rationale: 4 messages for the Inbox downloads (from Example 1) + 2 messages for the successfully accepted Alerts. (Total: 4 + 2 = 6).

Note: The total remains 6 regardless of the Badge Update option for Inbox message, as no additional silent push is sent for Inbox + Alert.

FAQ: Inbox + Alert Consumption

Q) If the "Update iOS Badge" option is enabled for an "Inbox + Alert" send, is an additional silent push sent?

A) No. Only one push notification is sent regardless of the badge update option. Since the badge update data is bundled within the Alert (push notification) payload, no separate silent push is required.

Q) For an "Inbox + Alert" send with badge updates enabled, are 3 Super Messages consumed?

A) No. Only 2 are consumed. You do not need to account for additional consumption for the badge option in this scenario. Additional consumption for badge updates only occurs for "Inbox Only" sends.

In-App Message

Super Message consumption for In-App messages is the sum of two components:

1. Message Generation: One Super Message is consumed per target Contact at the time of generation, regardless of whether the message is ultimately displayed.

2. Silent Push: One Super Message is consumed per opted-in device to notify the device that a new message is available. This follows the same "acceptance" rules as a standard Push Notification.
   (Note: The success or failure of this silent push is independent of whether the In-App message is actually displayed on the device.)

Example

• Scenario: 3 Contacts / 5 Opted-in Devices / 2 Opted-out Devices

• Consumption: 8 Super Messages

• Rationale: 3 Super Messages for the 3 target Contacts (Generation) + 5 Super Messages for the silent push to the 5 opted-in devices. (Total: 3 + 5 = 8).

FAQ

Q) Is there a report or dashboard to view detailed Super Message consumption? 
A) No, this functionality is not currently available (this also applies to other channels, such as Email). To determine consumption, you must manually aggregate the relevant metrics from various sending reports, applying the logic described in this document.

Q) What is the actual cost per Super Message?

A) Support cannot provide answers regarding pricing or contracts. Please contact your Account Executive  for further information regarding costs.

Q) Are Super Messages consumed for test sends?
A) Yes. Super Messages are consumed for test sends in the same manner as regular message sends.

Q) Is there an additional consumption of Super Messages when sending rich Push notifications, such as Carousel Push?
A) No. Rich Push notifications are treated the same as standard Push notifications and do not incur additional Super Message consumption.