I assumed there was something wrong with my setup because this UX is insane. Good to know it’s just shit.

That’s not possible without a permission prompt (on both iOS and android). So there’s no changing the goalposts like you suggest, without the user giving explicit permission.

The fact that they’re owned by Automattic makes it a total write-off for me.

That 2013 won’t be getting security updates anymore. Apple only tends to provide security updates for 10 years. I’d be cautious with that honestly.