diff --git a/nirvana-ios/Services/PushNotificationService.swift b/nirvana-ios/Services/PushNotificationService.swift
index 1fe186a..d52e8a0 100644
--- a/nirvana-ios/Services/PushNotificationService.swift
+++ b/nirvana-ios/Services/PushNotificationService.swift
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class PushNotificationService {
     func sendPushNotification(to token: String, title: String, body: String) {
         let urlString = "https://fcm.googleapis.com/fcm/send"
         let url = NSURL(string: urlString)!
-        let paramString: [String : Any] = ["to" : token,
+        let paramString: [String : Any] = ["to" : token, // sending to the device token of the desired receiving device
                                            "notification" : ["title" : title, "body" : body],
                                            "data" : ["user" : "test_id"]
         ]
diff --git a/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/CircleGridView.swift b/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/CircleGridView.swift
index 5914d7d..ead337f 100644
--- a/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/CircleGridView.swift
+++ b/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/CircleGridView.swift
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ struct CircleGridView: View {
                                     
                                     self.selectedFriendIndex = nil
                                     
-                                    self.innerCircleVM.stopRecording(senderId: self.authSessionStore.user!.id!, receiverId: friend.id!)
+                                    self.innerCircleVM.stopRecording(senderId: self.authSessionStore.user!.id!, receiver: friend)
                                     
 //                                    self.recordingGestureDeactived()
                                 }
diff --git a/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/InnerCircleViewModel.swift b/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/InnerCircleViewModel.swift
index 3124875..3552d04 100644
--- a/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/InnerCircleViewModel.swift
+++ b/nirvana-ios/Views/InnerCircle/InnerCircleViewModel.swift
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class InnerCircleViewModel: ObservableObject {
     
     let cloudStorageService = CloudStorageService()
     let firestoreService = FirestoreService()
-    let pushNotificationService = pushNotificationService()
+    let pushNotificationService = PushNotificationService()
     
     init() {
         do {
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class InnerCircleViewModel: ObservableObject {
     
     // sender should be current user
     // receiver is the person we are sending to
-    func stopRecording(senderId:String, receiverId:String) {
+    func stopRecording(senderId:String, receiver: User) {
         audioRecorder.stop()
         isRecording = false
         
@@ -72,13 +72,16 @@ class InnerCircleViewModel: ObservableObject {
                     return
                 }
                 
-                let newMessage = Message(sendId: senderId, receivId: receiverId, audioDUrl: audioDataUrl!.absoluteString)
+                let newMessage = Message(sendId: senderId, receivId: receiver.id!, audioDUrl: audioDataUrl!.absoluteString)
                 
                 // create a new message in firestore with the url for receiving user to automatically get notified
                 self?.firestoreService.createMessage(message: newMessage) {[weak self] res in
                     print(res)
                     
-                    // sending push notification
+                    // sending push notification if there was a device token
+                    if receiver.deviceToken != nil && receiver.nickname != nil {
+                        self?.pushNotificationService.sendPushNotification(to: receiver.deviceToken!, title: "🌱Nirvana", body: "continue your conversation with \(receiver.nickname ?? "your friend")")
+                    }
                     
                     // delete local audio file from user's phone so that it doesn't get crazy
                     print("stopped recording: file about to get deleted from \(self?.getTemporaryDirectory()) with filename: \(self?.audioLocalUrl)")