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One thing I wish the iPhone had...

A

Antidoll

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 19, 2008
192
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With Blackberry.. whenever you get a miss call/text message/email... whatever notification, there is a constant red blinker that lets you know that you received something new (in case you were away from your phone for a while so you can check it)


do you know if that's possible with the iPhone?
 
No! There's an accessibility option, that uses the flash on the back of the phone, but that's it. No pretty colors and etc.
 
You can set up messages to remind you with a follow-up buzz if you don't pick up the text message initially, but without a physical LED built into the phone, obviously the missed call indicator isn't possible.

With iOS 5 and the notifications, you can have whatever you want (missed calls, emails, messages, etc) show up on the lock screen and tap the home button to see what you may have missed while you were away.

Or don't be away from your phone ever... :cool:
 
You can use the flash to blink for notifications. IMO it's not the greatest looking solution, but works if you really need it.

I would still prefer they include an LED notifier in the next iPhone.
 
sentinelsx said:
You can use the flash to blink for notifications. IMO it's not the greatest looking solution, but works if you really need it.

I would still prefer they include an LED notifier in the next iPhone.
Click to expand...

Yes, but it only blinks when you get the alert, it doesn't remain blinking while the notification is waiting for you like BB does. It's also an obnoxious, blinding triple flash, not a passive blink
 
dccorona said:
Yes, but it only blinks when you get the alert, it doesn't remain blinking while the notification is waiting for you like BB does. It's also an obnoxious, blinding triple flash, not a passive blink
Click to expand...

So ... if it continues to blink for .... 4 hours.... your phone would be dead by then. Now you cant even check your msg without charging it.
 
How about a flashing LED light under the home button or something? The square on the home button lighting up of flashing would be awesome! :D

I'm pretty sure we'll get a proper notification light in the next iPhone but as for now the flash will have to do. :(
 
verwon said:
No! There's an accessibility option, that uses the flash on the back of the phone, but that's it. No pretty colors and etc.
Click to expand...

And that Flash works really well, the other night I had the phone on vibrate while I was sleeping, received a call from work, and the Flash was so bright it lit up our entire bedroom, so it woke me up, however the negative is if you place the phone down on it's back you might not see it, so I leave the phone face down so the I will see the flash.
 
You want it like a Blackberry? Just shut down your email and messaging for about 3 days every so often. Exactly the same :)
 
1. A LED notification light blinking all night would not use up the battery in anyway to make a difference in battery consumption. Blackberry's and other phones have this feature with no adverse affects to battery life or usage.

2. If there is an "OPTION" to turn on / off this notification light, both people that want and not want this feature would be happy.

3. There is a thread about someone who mentioned having the home button blink for notification which I think it s brilliant idea.
 
I have to say this is one thing that bugs me about switching from Android - well, actually not all Android phones have that option, my Droid did. It was a REALLY nice feature. You could select a different color LED for different messages. Green meant I had an email and Blue meant I had a txt message. Battery life was not an issue at all, it's a tiny LED and takes up very little power. I wouldn't be surprised if constantly turning the whole screen on to check for messages (what I have to do now even when the phone is 2' from me because the vibrate setting is SO weak) actually uses more power than having that LED lit.
 
You know one thing the iPhone is missing??

a hand that will reach out and slap you when you recieve a text message!
 
The LED light flashing on a phone has virtually no impact on battery usage...
I'm not sure if people here understand what LED light is...
 
al0513 said:
So ... if it continues to blink for .... 4 hours.... your phone would be dead by then. Now you cant even check your msg without charging it.
Click to expand...

Blackberry only blinks for like 20 minutes and then it quits blinking if you haven't opened up your phone. If you haven't looked at your phone in 20 minutes then it probably isn't life threatening that you don't know you have a notification.

Definitely agree a glowing home button would be great for this sort of thing though!
 
Namji said:
The LED light flashing on a phone has virtually no impact on battery usage...
I'm not sure if people here understand what LED light is...
Click to expand...

Not THAT true.

We have blackouts here once in a while. They usually last 2-3 hours tops.

I always used my iphone 4 LED as a flashlight and after an hour of casual use... not on ALL the time, my battery would drain 30% easily.
 
We had these discussions back in 2007... over four years ago.

If Apple has not added it I would say they won't.

I had LED notifications on my previous smartphone when I first switched to the iPhone--in 2007. But it ended up not being much of an issue as I soon had the iPhone with me pretty much always.

That said I would still like it--especially being able to set specific colors to the LED so you know if it is that call or message you CANNOT ignore.



Michael
 
al0513 said:
Not THAT true.

We have blackouts here once in a while. They usually last 2-3 hours tops.

I always used my iphone 4 LED as a flashlight and after an hour of casual use... not on ALL the time, my battery would drain 30% easily.
Click to expand...

Sounds like there's a big misunderstanding here
 
al0513 said:
Not THAT true.

We have blackouts here once in a while. They usually last 2-3 hours tops.

I always used my iphone 4 LED as a flashlight and after an hour of casual use... not on ALL the time, my battery would drain 30% easily.
Click to expand...

Camera flash LED on our iphone is not the same as the LED indicator lights...
Both do not emit the same amount of light...
 
Namji said:
Camera flash LED on our iphone is not the same as the LED indicator lights...
Both do not emit the same amount of light...
Click to expand...
Yup, HUGE difference in light emitted and in turn energy used. With my Droid the green or blue notification LED could be lit all day with no noticeable drain on battery life. It only shines like a little colored dot on your phone, not a colored flashlight that you could actually use to see in the dark.
 
I'm torn on this. I owned a BB curve and the blinking red light was a large part of what made it "crackberry" addictive. Both exciting and stressful.

I love the sleep/power light on Apple's laptops, how the glow "pulses" during sleep. Battery drain issues aside, I think a notification light like that on the iPhone would be a great way to keep you informed without the stress.
 
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