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Question about iOS notification vs. other notification

T

tigress666

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 14, 2010
3,288
17
Washington State
So I see people complaining about how iOS does notifications.

It doesn't bug me too much honestly (except when playing games) so I wanted to ask people a few questions about the complaints. Reason being is I am betting part of why it doesn't bug me is the iphone has been my only smart phone (I had a windows PDA before but it only got connected with wifi and very few places I was around had wi-fi at the time so I in general didn't use it as an internet device. I think it did do reminders for me for tasks/calendars but it was similar to how iOS does it with pop up windows so I am betting I just take iOS's way of notifications for granted).

Anyways, two questions.

1. What is bad about how Apple does it (I have seen some people's points and I can see it but I'd like to see some one who dislikes it really outline why it's so bad)?

2. And also, I see people keep pointing out other OS's for better ways of notification (I can't remember the top two people keep pointing out as a really excellent way, I think WebOS was one?). Anyways, what was good about those or even what would you like seen done with notifications?

Basically I want an explanation of why people hate iOS's notifications so much and what way of notifications they prefer. As I said, the only experience I've had is with pop up windows (which many times I actually like it doing) so I am thinking I just take iOS's way for granted (haven't experienced better so don't know any better).
 
athe alarm will go off when your on the phone says it alllll... and its the ios clock. just not very smart or thought put into notifications at all. BUT it should be fixes soon..
 
IOS's notifications system is VERY intrusive. It interrupts whatever it is you're doing. Conversely notification systems such as the one Android employs place notifications in the task bar (which you can attend to whenever you so choose) and do not interrupt what you're doing. Here's an example: Say you'er playing a game or doing some sort of task on your phone...on IOS you will get an interruption to what you were doing, while on Android you will get an audio alert, a vibration, and the icon for whatever type of alert it is will show up in the notification panel. You can finish what it is you're doing and then go to the notifications panel later on to tend to that alert. Most people find that to be a lot less intrusive and a lot more convenient.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (device; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

This ^
This was pretty much the only part of android that I liked. I also like the way my current wp7 phone does my text notifications. I can choose to swipe it away and address it later, or I can tap it and get to it right away.
 
Like others are saying, it's intrusive. I've noticed a number of apps (namely games) exhibit small but odd behaviors after being paused due to receiving a text message. That's one of the reasons I really liked webOS's system. The notification simply pops up in a small black bar at the bottom of the screen. By tapping it, it expands to show that and other notifications and allows you to select the one you wish to deal with at that time. Android's system works similarly, except it takes place in the task bar.
 
It is intrusive. Only one notification can be noticed at a time and they start stacking on top of each other if multiple apps. Compared that to Android or blackberry you get an icon at the top of the screen for the respective App so you can go deal with it. Some Apps provide a number with them to give you even more information and if need be you can clear them.

Android I get a text message an icon will be at the top telling me look I have a message. I can pull down the notification bar when I want and go take care of it. Multiple text it will be when I pull down the notification bar it will have one for each one (providing they are from different people other wise combines it and I can address it that way as it will open the App.)
Now on my android phone my SMS I set it to pop something up but I can replay in that pop up and it does not take over what I am doing and I have and do have convocation that way but that is it. Everything else sound and notification bar.

It is just better over all. iOS notification are very limited and well pretty poor. It annoys me to hell when I pick up my iPod and I have to clear now generally 3-4 notifiitaction I already read elsewhere. Those being twitter, facebook, words with friends and normally some other random app. All of witch I generally have addressed elsewhere all ready. On my android phone I can just hit clear and boom all those notifications are gone and the phone considers them addressed.
 
In my opinion the most annoying thing about them is how you can only view one at a time and how they stack on top of each other. I hate when I'm in a phone call, get a few notifications, then I have to hit close 5 times just to hang up.

Also, since I'm trying to hang up the phone, I'm not bothering reading through every notifications but once I hit close they're gone and there's no way to go back and read them. There should be a way (possibly an app of some sort) to view all recent notifications.

The notifications should be unobtrusive while in an app, in my opinion a status bar notification. While I'm on the homescreen or lockscreen I couldn't care less if it pops up with an alert and would actually prefer it, but not while I'm playing a game or on the phone.
 
Coming from a Droid to the iPhone 4, notifications is what I miss the most out of android. And the LED notification light.

Anyways, everyone pretty much summed up what I would say. But another example/complaint is when you get a text message notification, when you click view later or whatever the option is, it marks it as read. But most of the time i wont read it because im doing something. So often times I find myself forgetting to reply back later because there's no notification since I clicked view later

Other apps like Facebook that utilize the notifications system still leaves the badge on the icon even when you clear the initial notification. It'll go away when you specifically go to the app. I wish the iPhone handled it's messages like this.
 
I have to admit I will agree with the fact that they stack and you end up having to go through a bunch of them and also that if you are trying to do something and just want them out of the way, there's no way to go back to them (not mark them as read) to see what they were saying (it's either pay attention now or not notice).

As for popping up and interrupting, I have to say I kind of like that (most of the time. The biggest time I don't is when I'm playing games and most games it is not too bad, depends on how quick reflexes the game requires me to be. Prince of Persia so far is the most annoying to play when this happens). Which is why I'd like to see some sort of option to keep it or turn it off if need be.

I am not sure how I'd feel about it just being in the top bar as that doesn't always display in every app (especially games) and while I find it intrusive when playing I'd still like to be notified of the things I let give me notifications. I guess really the only decent compromise (as keeping the task bar would look wrong in some games and take away screen) is to have a notification light (which I haven't really cared one way or the other. I've seen some people really want it and others be totally against it. I think I'd prefer it but it's never been that important to me that it even registers as something to be annoyed the phone doesn't have).

I dunno... I think my biggest peeve with it is I don't understand why the notifications all have to be separate (so that you have to click through each one). That has annoyed me (not enough obviously to remember except for when I have to deal with it or reminded of that clunkiness). And the fact that you don't have an option to say, "Show me later" (this would be very useful for the to do app I have or the calendar reminders) or some sort of screen you can go to to view past notifications. The pop up thing I usually like and can tolerate even when I'm not a huge fan of it.
 
tigress666 said:
I have to admit I will agree with the fact that they stack and you end up having to go through a bunch of them and also that if you are trying to do something and just want them out of the way, there's no way to go back to them (not mark them as read) to see what they were saying (it's either pay attention now or not notice).

As for popping up and interrupting, I have to say I kind of like that (most of the time. The biggest time I don't is when I'm playing games and most games it is not too bad, depends on how quick reflexes the game requires me to be. Prince of Persia so far is the most annoying to play when this happens). Which is why I'd like to see some sort of option to keep it or turn it off if need be.

I am not sure how I'd feel about it just being in the top bar as that doesn't always display in every app (especially games) and while I find it intrusive when playing I'd still like to be notified of the things I let give me notifications. I guess really the only decent compromise (as keeping the task bar would look wrong in some games and take away screen) is to have a notification light (which I haven't really cared one way or the other. I've seen some people really want it and others be totally against it. I think I'd prefer it but it's never been that important to me that it even registers as something to be annoyed the phone doesn't have).

I dunno... I think my biggest peeve with it is I don't understand why the notifications all have to be separate (so that you have to click through each one). That has annoyed me (not enough obviously to remember except for when I have to deal with it or reminded of that clunkiness). And the fact that you don't have an option to say, "Show me later" (this would be very useful for the to do app I have or the calendar reminders) or some sort of screen you can go to to view past notifications. The pop up thing I usually like and can tolerate even when I'm not a huge fan of it.
Click to expand...

Well reading threw your post I think part of the thing you are running into is you never have had a better system so harder to know what you are missing.

Notifications when a game or an app over runs the entire screen well it a meh thing because you still get the sound so you can respond to it that way or when the game is done you get a collection. At night my phone disables all notifications OTHER than a phone call because last thing I want to have happen is be woken by a stupid text message which has happen more than once and normally it is something from AMEX like an account alert (going x monthly spending) or account balance which I have signed up for. That or the school is sending out Text messages about campus closing. Rather just address it when I wake up.

Another one as you showed stacking is an issue is I might be off somewhere and my phone is on my desk so I come back to a few notifications that I can take care of. Instead of going threw a stack I have them at the top and can address them very easily with out having to clear them from Last to first and can address them in the order of my choosing.
 
1) It stops whatever you are doing
2) There is no way to get them back once you close it
3) They stack up so some can get "lost" behind the newer notifications.
 
stephensays said:
But another example/complaint is when you get a text message notification, when you click view later or whatever the option is, it marks it as read.
Click to expand...

This also drove me insane because I would always forget about text messages that I sent away while I was doing something, but there is a way to fix it as long as you don't care about the text message preview. If you disable the preview in settings, when you get a new text it just pops up saying "Text Message" (instead of the message contents), who it's from, and the option to close or reply. If you hit close, it will keep the badge until you go and open the Messages app.
 
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