A push notification server operates on a client device to manage push notifications that the client device receives from various push servers. In some embodiments, the push notification server may receive a notification message on behalf of an application and determine how to handle the notification message based on whether the application is operating on the client device. If the application is operating on the client device, the push notification server may deliver the notification message to the application. If the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server may deregister the application from the push notification service, and/or display user information associated with the application in order to inform the user that the application is not operating.