diff --git a/src/services/notifications/NativeNotificationService.ts b/src/services/notifications/NativeNotificationService.ts
index d75f87f8..1d066a89 100644
--- a/src/services/notifications/NativeNotificationService.ts
+++ b/src/services/notifications/NativeNotificationService.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ import {
   logRefreshSuccess,
   logScheduleReplacement,
 } from "./notificationLog";
+import {
+  getNotificationApiHeaders,
+  httpAuthErrorMessage,
+  logNotificationAuthFailure,
+  logNotificationRequestAuthenticated,
+} from "./notificationApiAuth";
 import { logNotification } from "./NotificationDebugEvents";
 
 /**
@@ -585,10 +591,22 @@ export async function refreshNotificationsWithDiagnostics(options?: {
   }
 
   try {
+    const auth = await getNotificationApiHeaders();
+    if (!auth.ok) {
+      logNotificationAuthFailure("refresh", auth.message);
+      logRefreshFailure(startedAt, auth.message);
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        scheduledCount: 0,
+        errorMessage: auth.message,
+      };
+    }
+    logNotificationRequestAuthenticated("refresh");
+
     const baseUrl = getNotificationApiBaseUrl();
     const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/notifications/refresh`, {
       method: "POST",
-      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+      headers: auth.headers,
       body: JSON.stringify({
         platform: Capacitor.getPlatform(),
         testMode: getTestMode(),
@@ -596,10 +614,14 @@ export async function refreshNotificationsWithDiagnostics(options?: {
     });
 
     if (!res.ok) {
-      const errorMessage = res.statusText || `HTTP ${res.status}`;
+      const errorMessage =
+        res.status === 401 || res.status === 403
+          ? httpAuthErrorMessage(res.status)
+          : res.statusText || `HTTP ${res.status}`;
       logger.warn("[NativeNotificationService] refreshNotifications failed", {
         status: res.status,
         statusText: res.statusText,
+        errorMessage,
       });
       logRefreshFailure(startedAt, errorMessage, res.status);
       return {
diff --git a/src/services/notifications/NotificationService.ts b/src/services/notifications/NotificationService.ts
index 5b6bde98..782c30b7 100644
--- a/src/services/notifications/NotificationService.ts
+++ b/src/services/notifications/NotificationService.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@ import {
   getNotificationApiBaseUrl,
   getTestMode,
 } from "./NotificationDebugConfig";
+import {
+  getNotificationApiHeaders,
+  httpAuthErrorMessage,
+  logNotificationAuthFailure,
+  logNotificationRequestAuthenticated,
+} from "./notificationApiAuth";
 import {
   logTokenRegistrationFailure,
   logTokenRegistrationStarted,
@@ -36,9 +42,16 @@ export async function registerToken(fcmToken: string): Promise<void> {
   const deviceId = await getOrCreateDeviceId();
   const baseUrl = getNotificationApiBaseUrl();
   try {
+    const auth = await getNotificationApiHeaders();
+    if (!auth.ok) {
+      logNotificationAuthFailure("register", auth.message);
+      throw new Error(`registerToken auth unavailable: ${auth.message}`);
+    }
+    logNotificationRequestAuthenticated("register");
+
     const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/notifications/register`, {
       method: "POST",
-      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+      headers: auth.headers,
       body: JSON.stringify({
         deviceId,
         fcmToken,
@@ -47,11 +60,16 @@ export async function registerToken(fcmToken: string): Promise<void> {
       }),
     });
     if (!res.ok) {
+      const authDetail =
+        res.status === 401 || res.status === 403
+          ? httpAuthErrorMessage(res.status)
+          : `HTTP ${res.status}`;
       logger.warn("[NotificationService] registerToken failed", {
         status: res.status,
         statusText: res.statusText,
+        authDetail,
       });
-      throw new Error(`registerToken failed: HTTP ${res.status}`);
+      throw new Error(`registerToken failed: ${authDetail}`);
     }
     logTokenRegistrationSuccess(fcmToken);
   } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/services/notifications/notificationApiAuth.ts b/src/services/notifications/notificationApiAuth.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0a061cce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/notifications/notificationApiAuth.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/**
+ * Authenticated headers for notification backend API calls (`/notifications/*`).
+ * Uses the same `getHeaders` + active DID flow as the rest of the app.
+ */
+
+import { getHeaders } from "@/libs/endorserServer";
+import { PlatformServiceFactory } from "@/services/PlatformServiceFactory";
+import { logger } from "@/utils/logger";
+import { logNotification } from "./NotificationDebugEvents";
+
+export type NotificationRequestKind = "register" | "refresh";
+
+export type NotificationApiHeadersResult =
+  | { ok: true; headers: { "Content-Type": string; Authorization: string } }
+  | {
+      ok: false;
+      reason: "no_active_did" | "missing_token";
+      message: string;
+    };
+
+async function resolveActiveDid(): Promise<string | null> {
+  try {
+    const service = PlatformServiceFactory.getInstance();
+    const row = await service.dbGetOneRow(
+      "SELECT activeDid FROM active_identity WHERE id = 1",
+    );
+    if (!row?.[0]) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    const did = String(row[0]).trim();
+    return did || null;
+  } catch (err) {
+    logger.warn("[notificationApiAuth] Failed to read active DID", err);
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+function hasBearerToken(headers: {
+  Authorization?: string;
+}): headers is { Authorization: string } {
+  const auth = headers.Authorization;
+  return (
+    typeof auth === "string" &&
+    auth.startsWith("Bearer ") &&
+    auth.length > "Bearer ".length
+  );
+}
+
+/** Resolve `Authorization: Bearer …` headers for notification API requests. */
+export async function getNotificationApiHeaders(): Promise<NotificationApiHeadersResult> {
+  const did = await resolveActiveDid();
+  if (!did) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: "no_active_did",
+      message: "no active identity (cannot authenticate)",
+    };
+  }
+
+  const headers = await getHeaders(did);
+  if (!hasBearerToken(headers)) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: "missing_token",
+      message: "missing or empty Authorization token",
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ok: true,
+    headers: {
+      "Content-Type": headers["Content-Type"],
+      Authorization: headers.Authorization,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+export function logNotificationRequestAuthenticated(
+  kind: NotificationRequestKind,
+): void {
+  logNotification(
+    kind === "register"
+      ? "Register request authenticated"
+      : "Refresh request authenticated",
+  );
+}
+
+export function logNotificationAuthFailure(
+  kind: NotificationRequestKind,
+  message: string,
+): void {
+  const verb = kind === "register" ? "Register" : "Refresh";
+  logNotification(`${verb} auth unavailable: ${message}`);
+}
+
+export function httpAuthErrorMessage(status: number): string {
+  if (status === 401) {
+    return "unauthorized (expired or invalid auth)";
+  }
+  if (status === 403) {
+    return "forbidden (not authorized)";
+  }
+  return `HTTP ${status}`;
+}