Since there is not an LED, what do you use for notification of urgent items?

[The-Real-Deal82]

Since there is not an LED, what do you use for notification of urgent items?

Well I can imagine for some professionals it would be important to be notified of important emails and other updates while in a silent environment while they are not able to keep their eyes on their iPhone screens all the time (or have their iPhones flash) and are not able to check their iPhones all the time, in which case LED notifications are necessary.



iPhone users can live without.



I was being facetious about "recreational users" but it's true Blackberry users came before iPhone users and most used their phones for work while most iPhone users I would imagine i) did not buy it for work and ii) do not primarily use it for work.

I can assure you iPhones are used a lot in the corporate environment. I don't doubt a light would be useful, but when you are using your phone so much it's not always a necessity or a deal breaker. My laptop nor my desktop computers have flashing lights for notifications and they are used often in unison with the iPhone. In the industries I work in it was the Blackberry that was the phone of choice a few years ago, now it is predominantly the iPhone. My company issues iPhones and iPads to all the sales staff and others where company phones are issued. I think it suits both a recreational user and one where the demands are heavy usage. Let's not forget notifications appear on the lock screen too. You'd have to be looking at the device to notice both a flashing light or a badge on the screen.

A good thing with iOS for a working environment is iMessage that is accessed across multiple devices and the ability to sync. Not all iPhone users are teenagers and technophobic elderly people terrified of devices that are too complicated you know.

 

[s15119]

Instead of being a smart ass you might just accept that it's a usefull feature for many people. They don't exist on other phones just because they think it's a pretty flashing light.

A useful feature that millions of people don't need and Apple doesn't offer.

The End.

 

[countmacula]

People living in the past who can't get rid of their old habits might similarly find themselves slowly lagging behind their more advanced co-workers and they'll likely be the ones left behind for promotions and first ones out the door during layoffs.

Wow. Watch out anyone who wants LED notification. You're going to be fired soon!

Let me make this simple. LED notification has a function.

Go out of room leaving phone on desk. Message comes while phone out of sight out of range of hearing. Come back into room.

1. [No LED notification] check -> receive message
2. [No LED notification] no check -> message missed (until next check)
3. [LED notification] alerted to message -> can respond straight away

As I said, LED notification could be an important function in some professional environments, and are useful for a lot of people. Apple just doesn't have it because traffic lights on a phone aren't simple. They don't fit into Apple's philosophy somehow, because despite being useful, they're too much clutter. Apple are upmarket. Apple has cool lines. Apple is design austerity. And doesn't need dasblinkenlights like a Christmas tree.

But Apple now comes in gold, and rose-gold for the watch. Which is extremely tacky.

 

[Jimmy James]

I regularly check my phone, whereas otherwise I wouldn't. I don't consider a camera flash a good, discreet option for notifications. The absence makes for a bit of a nuisance.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Two words: Apple Watch.

 

[countmacula]

Unless it keeps notifications in the watch face, we'd be constantly swiping at it too.

Don't get me wrong, I want one. But it isn't enough that we're metaphorically tethered to our devices, we going to be literally tethered to them too.

A quote from this article (underlining is mine): http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/apple-iwatch-release-date-news-and-rumours-1131043

"Apple's first wearable gadget beams messages, Facebook updates, simplified apps and Siri to our wrists, eliminating the all-too-common need to take out our devices to constantly check notifications."

Good point. LEDs, aside from alerting us to important messages, also reduces the need to constantly check the phone.

 

[Jessica Lares]

LEDs cannot interpret messages, or whether it's 2AM vs 10PM at night. Colors and shapers do very little to help someone understand what is in the message, besides that it's an e-mail, text message, or call.

At the same time, nobody wants to remember all the little sounds, colors, and shapes that represent the person or place that sends these calls, etc.

And that is why Apple doesn't bother with it.

People will usually try calling multiple times if they need to get through to you then and there. It's the same thing with text messages.

 

[mib1800]

LEDs cannot interpret messages, or whether it's 2AM vs 10PM at night. Colors and shapers do very little to help someone understand what is in the message, besides that it's an e-mail, text message, or call.

At the same time, nobody wants to remember all the little sounds, colors, and shapes that represent the person or place that sends these calls, etc.

And that is why Apple doesn't bother with it.

People will usually try calling multiple times if they need to get through to you then and there. It's the same thing with text messages.

I don't use the led this way. I just need it to give me an indication that I have a notification that needs to be attended to ... and I only set it for important notifications.

 

[Bearxor]

I always find these threads funny.

As a long time WinMo user, there were always threads dedicated to registry hacks or applications to disable LED notification lights.

Now there's threads dedicated to wanting LED notification lights.

You can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time.

 

[Winona Northdakota]

Wow. Watch out anyone who wants LED notification. You're going to be fired soon!



Let me make this simple. LED notification has a function.



Go out of room leaving phone on desk. Message comes while phone out of sight out of range of hearing. Come back into room.



1. [No LED notification] check -> receive message

2. [No LED notification] no check -> message missed (until next check)

3. [LED notification] alerted to message -> can respond straight away



As I said, LED notification could be an important function in some professional environments, and are useful for a lot of people. Apple just doesn't have it because traffic lights on a phone aren't simple. They don't fit into Apple's philosophy somehow, because despite being useful, they're too much clutter. Apple are upmarket. Apple has cool lines. Apple is design austerity. And doesn't need dasblinkenlights like a Christmas tree.



But Apple now comes in gold, and rose-gold for the watch. Which is extremely tacky.

Enjoy.

 

[mib1800]

View attachment 512531

Enjoy.

And be blinded when it comes on....ONLY ONCE which makes it useless if you missed it.

 

[Winona Northdakota]

And be blinded when it comes on....ONLY ONCE which makes it useless if you missed it.

Not really.

 

[countmacula]

An epileptic fit-inducing flashing of the camera LED while the phone is ringing or when it receives an SMS is *not quite* the same as color-coded LED notifications that stay on according to how you set it.

What is this "Not really."?

It's "Not really." the same thing. Not at all.

 

[Winona Northdakota]

An epileptic fit-inducing flashing of the camera LED while the phone is ringing or when it receives an SMS is *not quite* the same as color-coded LED notifications that stay on according to how you set it.

Which can also cause an epileptic seizure.

 

[Starfyre]

I have this feeling Google or one of the other manufacturers has a patent on a notification light.

 

[countmacula]

Which can also cause an epileptic seizure.

I'm not sure you have quite seen a Blackberry.

Blackberry LED notification
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZOTuo7n7Sk

vs.

iPhone LED flash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew0ADrjZBvg

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I have a feeling if Apple introduced a notification LED they would be accused of following the competition and being late to the table. Just look at the reaction when they made bigger screens. It was demanded for a couple of years and when they produced them they were heavily criticised. I don't get it at all.

 

[mib1800]

I have a feeling if Apple introduced a notification LED they would be accused of following the competition and being late to the table. Just look at the reaction when they made bigger screens. It was demanded for a couple of years and when they produced them they were heavily criticised. I don't get it at all.

This is just calling out the hypocrite. Why did apple open its big mouth and said nobody needed a big screen.

Thing is once a hypocrite is identified the stigma tends to linger on for a long time. I think from hind sight Bill Gates would never have said nobody needed more than 640K of Ram.

 

[Abazigal]

That's what my pebble warn is for.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

This is just calling out the hypocrite. Why did apple open its big mouth and said nobody needed a big screen.

Thing is once a hypocrite is identified the stigma tends to linger on for a long time. I think from hind sight Bill Gates would never have said nobody needed more than 640K of Ram.

I am sure companies realise times change and demands change. They make statements in their marketing that may not be future proof but what's the point in attempting to apply old marketing strategies to current trends? Hypocrite is a poor choice of word. Back in 2012 I didn't need a screen bigger than 4" and to be honest I'm not convinced i need one now but the market has unfortunately dictated that this is the way things have gone and I've had to get used to it.

As far as I am aware Apple have never denied the application of a notification LED so hopefully the eager detractors among us are not waiting to flood the forum with abuse if ever one is implemented. I'd rather they left the damned thing out just to make this place more readable.

 

[Winona Northdakota]

And be blinded when it comes on....ONLY ONCE which makes it useless if you missed it.

At least you finally concede that the iPhone has an LED alert.

 

[pdxmatts]

Honest question. I understand how an LED light is helpful for knowing if you have a message waiting when you're accross the room, but how does it help you gauge the urgency of the message?

Unless there's a feature that I'm unaware of, the LED does nothing more than tell you that there's a message. It doesn't deliver context of the message or that it needs to be urgently responded to, so you're still required to walk across the room, turn on the screen, and figure out what's going on.

With the Blackberry you could set different color lights for different types of notifications.

 

[jim.hickman.777]

Oh boy more flashing lights just what I need. Just go away

 

[mercuryjones]

Not this tired argument again.
Apple offers a notification flash, via the camera flash. It's not "perfect" but it works.
*"But, it only flashes once. That doesn't help!" - How many times are you going to go out of the room for 30 minutes without your phone, and only get one missed notification? Chances are good, that if it's important, that person will try and contact you again. And if you haven't answered in 30 minutes anyway, it's probably not that important anymore.
*"But, it only blinks one color!" You need a rainbow of colors to determine which notification is important? How do you know the email is important but the call is not? Answer - you don't.
*"Apple just doesn't understand their users". No, Apple just doesn't get enough suggestions to include this feature for their users. Plus, are you really that lazy that you can't simply press the home button after being away for 30 minutes?

I don't doubt that for some,the notification blink is a calming sensation that allows them to know at a glance that someone loves and needs them. For the rest of use, we simply look at the screen when we get back and know what action items really need to be addressed.

 

[opfreak]

the iPhone has a dedicated mute button. But no way to tell you a call was missed without touching the thing.

talk about stupid.