diff --git a/src/BasePlatform.js b/src/BasePlatform.js
index 2b5e89942e..faad50618b 100644
--- a/src/BasePlatform.js
+++ b/src/BasePlatform.js
@@ -36,6 +36,32 @@ export default class BasePlatform {
         this.errorDidOccur = errorDidOccur;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns true if the platform supports displaying
+     * notifications, otherwise false.
+     */
+    supportsNotifications() : boolean {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns true if the application currently has permission
+     * to display notifications. Otherwise false.
+     */
+    maySendNotifications() : boolean {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Requests permission to send notifications. Returns
+     * a promise that is resolved when the user has responded
+     * to the request. The promise has a single string argument
+     * that is 'granted' if the user allowed the request or
+     * 'denied' otherwise.
+     */
+    requestNotificationPermission() : Promise<string> {
+    }
+
     displayNotification(title: string, msg: string, avatarUrl: string) {
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Notifier.js b/src/Notifier.js
index 4390083129..b9260a046d 100644
--- a/src/Notifier.js
+++ b/src/Notifier.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 'use strict';
 
 var MatrixClientPeg = require("./MatrixClientPeg");
+var PlatformPeg = require("./PlatformPeg");
 var TextForEvent = require('./TextForEvent');
 var Avatar = require('./Avatar');
 var dis = require("./dispatcher");
@@ -30,13 +31,18 @@ var dis = require("./dispatcher");
  */
 
 var Notifier = {
+    notifsByRoom: {},
 
     notificationMessageForEvent: function(ev) {
         return TextForEvent.textForEvent(ev);
     },
 
     _displayPopupNotification: function(ev, room) {
-        if (!global.Notification || global.Notification.permission != 'granted') {
+        const plaf = PlatformPeg.get();
+        if (!plaf) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!plaf.supportsNotifications() || !plaf.maySendNotifications()) {
             return;
         }
         if (global.document.hasFocus()) {
@@ -67,26 +73,14 @@ var Notifier = {
             ev.sender, 40, 40, 'crop'
         ) : null;
 
-        var notification = new global.Notification(
-            title,
-            {
-                "body": msg,
-                "icon": avatarUrl,
-                "tag": "matrixreactsdk"
-            }
-        );
+        const notif = plaf.displayNotification(title, msg, avatarUrl);
 
-        notification.onclick = function() {
-            dis.dispatch({
-                action: 'view_room',
-                room_id: room.roomId
-            });
-            global.focus();
-        };
-
-        global.setTimeout(function() {
-            notification.close();
-        }, 5 * 1000);
+        // if displayNotification returns non-null,  the platform supports
+        // clearing notifications later, so keep track of this.
+        if (notif) {
+            if (this.notifsByRoom[ev.getRoomId()] === undefined) this.notifsByRoom[ev.getRoomId()] = [];
+            this.notifsByRoom[ev.getRoomId()].push(notif);
+        }
     },
 
     _playAudioNotification: function(ev, room) {
@@ -100,7 +94,9 @@ var Notifier = {
     start: function() {
         this.boundOnRoomTimeline = this.onRoomTimeline.bind(this);
         this.boundOnSyncStateChange = this.onSyncStateChange.bind(this);
+        this.boundOnRoomReceipt = this.onRoomReceipt.bind(this);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on('Room.timeline', this.boundOnRoomTimeline);
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.receipt", this.boundOnRoomReceipt);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("sync", this.boundOnSyncStateChange);
         this.toolbarHidden = false;
         this.isPrepared = false;
@@ -109,21 +105,20 @@ var Notifier = {
     stop: function() {
         if (MatrixClientPeg.get()) {
             MatrixClientPeg.get().removeListener('Room.timeline', this.boundOnRoomTimeline);
+            MatrixClientPeg.get().removeListener("Room.receipt", this.boundOnRoomReceipt);
             MatrixClientPeg.get().removeListener('sync', this.boundOnSyncStateChange);
         }
         this.isPrepared = false;
     },
 
     supportsDesktopNotifications: function() {
-        return !!global.Notification;
-    },
-
-    havePermission: function() {
-        if (!this.supportsDesktopNotifications()) return false;
-        return global.Notification.permission == 'granted';
+        const plaf = PlatformPeg.get();
+        return plaf && plaf.supportsNotifications();
     },
 
     setEnabled: function(enable, callback) {
+        const plaf = PlatformPeg.get();
+        if (!plaf) return;
         // make sure that we persist the current setting audio_enabled setting
         // before changing anything
         if (global.localStorage) {
@@ -134,7 +129,7 @@ var Notifier = {
 
         if (enable) {
             // Attempt to get permission from user
-            global.Notification.requestPermission(function(result) {
+            plaf.requestNotificationPermission().done((result) => {
                 if (result !== 'granted') {
                     // The permission request was dismissed or denied
                     return;
@@ -164,7 +159,10 @@ var Notifier = {
     },
 
     isEnabled: function() {
-        if (!this.havePermission()) return false;
+        const plaf = PlatformPeg.get();
+        if (!plaf) return false;
+        if (!plaf.supportsNotifications()) return false;
+        if (!plaf.maySendNotifications()) return false;
 
         if (!global.localStorage) return true;
 
@@ -240,6 +238,24 @@ var Notifier = {
                 this._playAudioNotification(ev, room);
             }
         }
+    },
+
+    onRoomReceipt: function(ev, room) {
+        if (room.getUnreadNotificationCount() == 0) {
+            // ideally we would clear each notification when it was read,
+            // but we have no way, given a read receipt, to know whether
+            // the receipt comes before or after an event, so we can't
+            // do this. Instead, clear all notifications for a room once
+            // there are no notifs left in that room., which is not quite
+            // as good but it's something.
+            const plaf = PlatformPeg.get();
+            if (!plaf) return;
+            if (this.notifsByRoom[room.roomId] === undefined) return;
+            for (const notif of this.notifsByRoom[room.roomId]) {
+                plaf.clearNotification(notif);
+            }
+            delete this.notifsByRoom[room.roomId];
+        }
     }
 };