Best Practices for Importing Contacts into MobilePush

Review these tips to import contacts into MobilePush for successful sending.

Importing Contacts

Use the SDK to add Contacts into MobilePush on a regular basis, as the SDK ensures that the latest information is populated.
Use Imports if there are existing mobile apps or if you want to import existing push subscriber data information.
The Import Activities feature in Automation Studio allows you to Import Contacts from File or Data Extension into MobilePush.
- Create your Mobile List in Mobile Push > Contacts.
- Create your Import Definition in Contact Builder > Imports.
- You can then use this Import definition in Automation Studio.

Import doesn't allow users to set the opt-out status of a device. But you can change the Marketer Status by mapping to the _Status field (either Active or Inactive).
All records imported are as opted in. To avoid recording opted-out contacts incorrectly, filter them via a Query before running the Import MobilePush Contacts activity.

Note We recommend that you use the SDK to opt in subscribers.

When possible, allow the SDK integration to register devices and update Attributes versus Imports.
When you update existing Contact records via an Import, check for data mismatches. Data must be aligned with what's current in Contacts.
- Current Record is SubscriberKey = 1, DeviceID = 1, System Token = 2 / Import Record is SubscriberKey = 1, DeviceID = 1, System Token = 1.
- This action results in an incorrect system token in the record and isn’t sendable.
To ensure that contact data is correct, device data used as the basis for imports must be pulled from MobilePush via a query and extract.

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