Dear Apple: Get notifications right!

[Armen]

The point of the light is to notify you of a missed call. Like an answering machine blinking back in the day. It doesn't tell you who called, but notifies you have a missed call.

So after the ringing, vibrating, 10 repeated alert sounds, lock screen indicator and phone badges and notification center indicator you still need a LED light to know you missed a call than I don't know what to tell you.

Read the article below and tell me again why anyone needs a LED notification.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/28/ep.smartphone.obsessed.cohen/index.html

 

[F123D]

I got to mention that looking at that, you can see how emails are bunched up together simply saying there are 4 new emails and that's it--certainly no way to dismiss each one separately, and in fact less information than iOS provides since in iOS those emails would be grouped together, but each one would have a separate notification showing some of the details of the email. So, not quite sure if there's really an improvement there with the way Android handles it, at least using that particular example.

A quick two finger swipe down on the email notification provides details for each email.

 

[F123D]

So after the ringing, vibrating, 10 repeated alert sounds, lock screen indicator and phone badges and notification center indicator you still need a LED light to know you missed a call than I don't know what to tell you.

Read the article below and tell me again why anyone needs a LED notification.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/28/ep.smartphone.obsessed.cohen/index.html

So you set 10 repeated alerts sounds to go off each time there's a missed call, text message, email, and for all your third party apps?

That sounds pleasant..

And do those 10 repeated alert sounds tell you who is calling? (Sorry had to.. )

Also, great article that proves my point. An led light would help people not have to constantly check their phones since they'd know if they had a message with a notification light.

 

[Armen]

So you set 10 repeated alerts sounds to go off each time there's a missed call, text message, email, and for all your third party apps?

That sounds pleasant..

And do those 10 repeated alert sounds tell you who is calling? (Sorry had to.. )

Also, great article that proves my point. An led light would help people not have to constantly check their phones since they'd know if they had a message with a notification light.

Let's just let this go. We can't seem to agree.

 

[F123D]

Let's just let this go. We can't seem to agree.

Well, at least apple agrees with you since there is no light.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Not only is Notification Center a bit messy, but notifications themselves are a pain in iOS.

I've always said, I have no idea how anybody can accept what Apple came up with (after a year in development, if not longer) to notify you. Both solutions they have are horribly obtrusive, blocking not just information, but often the navigation bar forcing you to either wait or swipe it away to continue what you were doing. So it's not only distracting, but it's also cumbersome from a functionality standpoint.

I don't know how blocking anything is an acceptable part of Apple's design/UI philosophy.

 

[akuma13]

Apart from colored led notifications, can't jailbreaking solve most of ios' issues?

 

[C DM]

Not only is Notification Center a bit messy, but notifications themselves are a pain in iOS.

I've always said, I have no idea how anybody can accept what Apple came up with (after a year in development, if not longer) to notify you. Both solutions they have are horribly obtrusive, blocking not just information, but often the navigation bar forcing you to either wait or swipe it away to continue what you were doing. So it's not only distracting, but it's also cumbersome from a functionality standpoint.

I don't know how blocking anything is an acceptable part of Apple's design/UI philosophy.

Are you talking about banner notifications? You can choose to not use those (and still use the notification center and other parts related to it). As for alternatives, what would be better for something like banner notifications?

----------

So after the ringing, vibrating, 10 repeated alert sounds, lock screen indicator and phone badges and notification center indicator you still need a LED light to know you missed a call than I don't know what to tell you.

Read the article below and tell me again why anyone needs a LED notification.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/28/ep.smartphone.obsessed.cohen/index.html

Simple, if you were away from your phone for some time (could be a little could be more than a little) you can simply glance at it to see if anything important has been missed (mainly calls, texts, and/or perhaps emails) and know if you need to get your phone and turn it on to check more things (if you missed something) or if you can leave it where it is and go about your business since you haven't missed anything important. Fairly straightforward concept without any real downsides to it (assuming you can at the very least turn on/off the LED notifications, and hopefully actually configure them differently for different things).

 

[F123D]

Apart from colored led notifications, can't jailbreaking solve most of ios' issues?

It's the availability of a jailbreak and compatibility of the tweaks that were the issue for me.

 

[steve knight]

Notifications that stay long after the message is looked at. I mean for weeks you have to go and get rid of them manually. alarms and notifications going off in your ear while on the phone.

 

[skinnylegs]

A quick two finger swipe down on the email notification provides details for each email.

.....what he said.

Honestly, I don't really see any argument that would support Apple's implementation of Notifications as being superior to Android's. There are a lot of things that Apple does better; notifications is not one of them.

 

[T5BRICK]

Simple, if you were away from your phone for some time (could be a little could be more than a little) you can simply glance at it to see if anything important has been missed (mainly calls, texts, and/or perhaps emails) and know if you need to get your phone and turn it on to check more things (if you missed something) or if you can leave it where it is and go about your business since you haven't missed anything important. Fairly straightforward concept without any real downsides to it (assuming you can at the very least turn on/off the LED notifications, and hopefully actually configure them differently for different things).

The point is, with a LED notification light that blinks I know at a glance, without interacting with my phone in any way, that I do or do not have any notifications. I can do this from across the room. I can do this while I'm making hamburgers. I don't have to wash my hands and dry them, just so I can push the home button to see if I got a text that I didn't hear while I was in another room.

Adding an LED light to the iPhone would add functionality that it doesn't currently have. I have a feeling that Apple could make it hidden from all but the most discerning eyes(something along the lines of the the HTC One), and they could add a toggle to turn the function off for the folks that are annoyed by blinky lights(but not annoyed by a phone that beeps 10 times for a missed call or text).

 

[Technarchy]

Between my iPhone 5 and GS4, I think Apple handles notifications better.

 

[blairh]

There is no excuse for the lack of a notification light on the iPhone. I now find it invaluable on my S4.

 

[C DM]

Between my iPhone 5 and GS4, I think Apple handles notifications better.

In what way?

 

[Technarchy]

In what way?

Lock screen notification is mostly non-existent on android.

App badges show me at a glance how many items need to be addressed without opening the app

Banner actually has information, while the status bar icon says pretty much nothing.

Banner delivers content irrespective of what I am doing, which gives me a snippet of information where I can determine if I want to exit the app, or pull down notification center to refocus my time.

As for notification center, I'm not a fan of the GS4's bucket approach. I like the way iOS breaks it out into Mail, Calendar, messages...etc etc

 

[Dontazemebro]

Banner delivers content irrespective of what I am doing, which gives me a snippet of information where I can determine if I want to exit the app, or pull down notification center to refocus my time.

How is this any different from seeing your messages or mail scrolling across the notification bar. Where you might get a snippet. I can stay in the app I'm in and read the entire message as it scrolls across the notification bar or just choose to read a few lines and attend to it later. Sounds like the same thing if not less functionality to me.

 

[Technarchy]

How is this any different from seeing your messages or mail scrolling across the notification bar. Where you might get a snippet. I can stay in the app I'm in and read the entire message as it scrolls across the notification bar or just choose to read a few lines and attend to it later. Sounds like the same thing if not less functionality to me.

That's the funny thing about preference...

Furthermore, your assessment is inaccurate.

I have an iPhone 5 and GS4 on my desk, and both have the Google Hangouts app open, having a conversation with my wife.

I send myself a test email from work.

All the GS4 gives me is a status bar pop that says "2 Messages"

The iPhone 5 gives me a banner with the name of the sender, and the subject line of the email.

Not even close as to which is more informative.

On the home screen, the iPhone 5 has a badge on the icon telling me there is an email as well. Easy Glance and go without giving up a big chunk of screen to a widget. With the android status bar badge, it could be 1 email or 100 waiting to get addressed.

And in notification center, with iOS I can go directly to the Gmail section and I can see the subject line, date, time and sender for each individual email. I can go directly to a specific email in gmail as well from notification center.

Android's notification just shows "3 new messages", the sender, and subject line, but it's crammed between the Google Now sports info for the Yankees and a Google Hangout notification rather than being intelligently cataloged.

With android I also can only go to my gmail inbox, rather than directly to an email. This is a problem because it clears the gmail notifications, so I can't leave things in notification center like a de facto "to do" list.

 

[Vetvito]

Biggest plus (atleast for me) of Notification on iOS as compared to Android - Able to view on lockscreen ! (Not possible on Android "natively")

Huh? When was the last time you used Android?
That's been possible since ICS. It's really been improved on Jelly Bean.

----------

Android's notification just shows "3 new messages", the sender, and subject line, .

Correction. That's Samsung stuff you're talking about.

----------

Lock screen notification is mostly non-existent on android.

My Nexus would love to talk to you about spreading such things. Don't tell a fib.

 

[Technarchy]

One last point.

When both phones are sleeping in standby, iOS wakes up to show me a notification.

My GS4 chimes, but the screen tells me nothing. I do get the constant blue notification light however, for times I am away from my phone for extended period of time.

 

[SanjeevRana]

Huh? When was the last time you used Android?
That's been possible since ICS. It's really been improved on Jelly Bean.

----------



Correction. That's Samsung stuff you're talking about.

----------



My Nexus would love to talk to you about spreading such things. Don't tell a fib.

I keep latest on both platform dude ... Htc one, galaxy s4, iPhone 5, iPad 4 ... Hope that answers your questions ... I would love to see a quick video by you showing notification for whatsapp on the lock screen on android ... Plz don't go about using 3rd party crap ... Plz plz plz

 

[Oletros]

When I have the phone near me I want to know what the notification is, so the screen should come on.

What are you talking about?

 

[Robster3]

Not exactly the same thing and on the wrong side but Settings > General > Accessibility > LED Flash for Alerts is hard to miss if you are near the phone.

No I want to leave the phone come back and look at it to see if there is a missed call/ message without pushing home button. I have phone on silent a lot.

Simple really.

----------

It does have a better look but equally as important, each one of those notifications can be dismissed individually by swiping them away.

I obviously feel strongly about the need for a robust, centralized notifications center/curtain. I don't know about you but I commonly receive quite a few emails and texts and voicemails within a short period of time and it can become a bit overwhelming. I understand I can go to each individual app and take care of things but it would be nice to be able to handle most of it directly from notifications.

Blackberry z10 for you.

 

[jrswizzle]

Two things I wish apple would add.

1. Notification led

2. Status bar notification icons

I actually don't care for the LED (annoying at night and I haven't seen any value to it over the three Androids I've had this year) and I hate the clutter in my status bar.

I would disagree with both these options. Give me actionable notifications (quick reply, delete/archive emails) and I'll be completely satisfied with the notification system.

I prefer being able to have notifications show on the lock screen versus an LED light. I don't see any value in knowing I have a text or an email. I've said this before, this is likely due to the fact I always have my phone on me and know when I get some type of notification. When that happens I'd rather look at my phone's screen and have it show a clip of the message, mail, or whatever.

And even if my phone is far away, so what if I see a blue light blinking? Or a green one....I want to know what that notification says....and clicking the home button is not an arduous task - at least not for me.

To each his own, but I would actually see the inclusion of these two things as negatives. IF implemented they should have a way to turn them off.

 

[mattopotamus]

I actually don't care for the LED (annoying at night and I haven't seen any value to it over the three Androids I've had this year) and I hate the clutter in my status bar.

I would disagree with both these options. Give me actionable notifications (quick reply, delete/archive emails) and I'll be completely satisfied with the notification system.

I prefer being able to have notifications show on the lock screen versus an LED light. I don't see any value in knowing I have a text or an email. I've said this before, this is likely due to the fact I always have my phone on me and know when I get some type of notification. When that happens I'd rather look at my phone's screen and have it show a clip of the message, mail, or whatever.

And even if my phone is far away, so what if I see a blue light blinking? Or a green one....I want to know what that notification says....and clicking the home button is not an arduous task - at least not for me.

To each his own, but I would actually see the inclusion of these two things as negatives. IF implemented they should have a way to turn them off.

I agree about the status bar notifications. They seem pretty redundant since I can just pull down the notification menu and see the same notifications/take action on them.

I do like the LED b.c I know if I even need to turn my screen on or not. The moto x way would probably be superior though.