diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b0b0c62114..871fdd6b53 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 # See `git help ignore` for details on the format.
 
 ## Config files for the dev environment
+/zproject/apns-dev.pem
 /zproject/dev-secrets.conf
 /tools/conf.ini
 /tools/custom_provision
diff --git a/zproject/dev_settings.py b/zproject/dev_settings.py
index 80d75cf1e4..b039f032b2 100644
--- a/zproject/dev_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/dev_settings.py
@@ -100,6 +100,13 @@ USING_PGROONGA = True
 # Flush cache after migration.
 POST_MIGRATION_CACHE_FLUSHING = True
 
+# If a sandbox APNs cert is provided, use it.
+# To create such a cert, see instructions at:
+#   https://github.com/zulip/zulip-mobile/blob/main/docs/howto/push-notifications.md#ios
+_candidate_apns_cert_file = "zproject/apns-dev.pem"
+if os.path.isfile(_candidate_apns_cert_file):
+    APNS_CERT_FILE = _candidate_apns_cert_file
+
 # Don't require anything about password strength in development
 PASSWORD_MIN_LENGTH = 0
 PASSWORD_MIN_GUESSES = 0