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

[rawlus]

thankfully nothing is urgent enough in my life to require this on my phone - i miss most calls because they are an external interruption to what i am doing in my life right at that minute - i prefer to check messages when it is convenient for ME and return calls when it is convenient for ME.

no TXT message is urgent enough to require immediate notification or response.

I can check my phone as i feel the need throughout the day.

the phone is for my convenience, i do not exist for the phone's convenience or the convince of others on the other end of the line. but that's just my approach to the matter.

 

[Geckotek]

Either it's not time-sensitive and I'll get it later or it was time-sensitive and it's too late.

Yeah, I get that this is somewhat helpful to some people, but I'm always surprised by just how important some people say it is to them. On a list of features it would rank way, way near the bottom for me.

I get tired of looking like a crack addict having to check my phone for missed messages. Looking for a little blinking light is much more convenient and less noticable by others.

 

[geoffm33]

Either it's not time-sensitive and I'll get it later or it was time-sensitive and it's too late.

Yeah, I get that this is somewhat helpful to some people, but I'm always surprised by just how important some people say it is to them. On a list of features it would rank way, way near the bottom for me.



The thing is, though, is that my iPhone screen lights up when I get an e-mail.

So it's not a matter of being notified by a light or not...I already have that...it's a matter of "you can see it from further away."

Ok, again, I get that that's better, but I'm still surprised that "you can see it further away" registers as a feature people would ask for.

How about when you get a text/call/vmail when you are out of the room? You come back into the room and the LED would tell you you missed something. Not a case of seeing it from further away, it's to let you know you missed something without pressing any buttons.

 

[JesalTV]

The LED notification is incredibly useful. Apple is the only smartphone company (that I can think of at the moment) that hasn't implemented it. BB, Palm, Samsung, Motorola, HTC have it on all their phones. Competition should be good, but Apple knows it's got its fanboys hooked.

You need to stop drinking Apple juice, buddy!

No no, I actually like LED notifications.

I'm just talking about the general "addicted to BlackBerry" issue. It afflicts too many of my friends.

 

[Geckotek]

thankfully nothing is urgent enough in my life to require this on my phone - i miss most calls because they are an external interruption to what i am doing in my life right at that minute - i prefer to check messages when it is convenient for ME and return calls when it is convenient for ME.

no TXT message is urgent enough to require immediate notification or response.

I can check my phone as i feel the need throughout the day.

the phone is for my convenience, i do not exist for the phone's convenience or the convince of others on the other end of the line. but that's just my approach to the matter.

That's the entire point. A notification light allows you to not worry about it and when you want to check, there's no need to walk across the room, pick up your phone, and wake the screen. It's far less intrusive in your life.

 

[Wicked1]

What will Crack-Berry users do when Rim is gone in the not too long future.

I would never ever go back to a BB I personally never owned one but had a few for work phones and hated them, I would go back to a basic flip phone before ever using a BB again.

 

[takeshi74]

Several million iPhone users can't be wrong.

Right and wrong are irrelevant. Just because a solution fits millions of users doesn't mean that it will fit you. Use what works for you. Don't just assume based on number of users.

What's an example of an "urgent" alert versus a "normal" alert

Completely subjective.

and how would the phone differentiate them?

An iPhone wouldn't. Note what device the OP was using. It's certainly possible with all sorts of options on the BB.

 

[Small White Car]

How about when you get a text/call/vmail when you are out of the room? You come back into the room and the LED would tell you you missed something. Not a case of seeing it from further away, it's to let you know you missed something without pressing any buttons.

All I can tell you is that in 4 years of iPhone ownership I always get back to people quickly.

I'm sitting here trying to think of why that is or how it works but then I realized I don't really need to know why it works. The fact is, it's not a problem so I see no need to add a solution to "fix" something that's worked perfectly fine for 4 years.

So I totally agree that this is a solution for people who have that problem, but it just does not apply to me at all.

It's like you're offering scuba gear to me while I'm in the desert. I see HOW it can be useful to someone, but that's definitely not me. I kind of feel like if I'm in the desert we must all be. But apparently many of us here are in the ocean?

That just surprises me, is all. I'm not commenting on the feature itself...I get how it works...I just find it odd that people need it.

 

[ritmomundo]

All I can tell you is that in 4 years of iPhone ownership I always get back to people quickly.

I'm sitting here trying to think of why that is or how it works but then I realized I don't really need to know why it works. The fact is, it's not a problem so I see no need to add a solution to "fix" something that's worked perfectly fine for 4 years.

So I totally agree that this is a solution for people who have that problem, but it just does not apply to me at all.

It's like you're offering scuba gear to me while I'm in the desert. I see HOW it can be useful to someone, but that's definitely not me. I kind of feel like if I'm in the desert we must all be. But apparently many of us here are in the ocean?

That just surprises me, is all. I'm not commenting on the feature itself...I get how it works...I just find it odd that people need it.

It's clear that unless you've used it in the past, you won't miss it as a feature. For those of us that have used it, we appreciate the convenience it offers.

 

[zone23]

I'm with the OP I do miss the LED. It was nice just looking at the phone and knowing you had some sort of message. You could even change it so amber was missed call and green was a message. I'm getting over it, but it was nice.

 

[Geckotek]

It's clear that unless you've used it in the past, you won't miss it as a feature. For those of us that have used it, we appreciate the convenience it offers.

This is what I'm thinking too. They just don't get it because they've never had it. I'm sure there are a few that have had it and just didn't like it as well.

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All I can tell you is that in 4 years of iPhone ownership I always get back to people quickly.

I think you're missing the entire point. What do you do now that allows you to return calls quickly? Pick up the phone and hit the home button to wake the phone and check your alerts. Right? And if it's across the room...you have to walk over to it.

Imagine you're an IT manager and knowing if there's an issue in your organization in a timely manner is important (but obviously not life threatening). You've been outside for the past half-hour cutting the grass, you walk inside to get a glass of tea before heading back out. Wouldn't it be nice if you could easily glance at your phone that's sitting on the charger across the room and see if you have a message to check instead of walking over and picking it up with your dirty sweaty hands?

It's not that you can't check your messages and respond quickly now, but it's that there is a more convenient option that many of us have had in the past, found very useful, and we would like to have again on the iPhone because we love almost everything else about it.

 

[Small White Car]

I think you're missing the entire point. What do you do now that allows you to return calls quickly?

1) I hear it buzz and I answer

2) I check the screen when I get out of the shower

3) I check the screen when I get out of the car

4) I check the screen after a work meeting or photo shoot


So I'm looking at this list and ONLY #2 would dramatically change if I had an LED light. Every single other item there would involve me taking the phone out of my pocket and looking at it in my hand either way.

And I only shower once a day so I just don't see it helping that much.

Again, I get it if there's people out there who love leaving their phone across the room. I've never done that so, yeah, I don't get it. I guess there's more people who do that then I thought.

 

[harleymhs]

This is the number 1 thing I miss from my BB as well. Somehow Apple refuses to put a notification light on their phones. If you left your phone sitting on the table and came into the room 5, or 10, or 30 minutes later, you have to press the button to see if you have any messages waiting or a missed call. With a BB, you'd know as soon as you laid eyes on the phone, no need to even touch it.

All I can say is, consider an Android phone if it's a deal breaker for you.

I Agree totally! Samsung G3 has a great LED and with an app called Light Flow it worked like the Berry Buzz app on the BB... but the S3 battery is terrible! But the LED worked fine and was even better with LiteFlow APP!

 

[Small White Car]

With a BB, you'd know as soon as you laid eyes on the phone, no need to even touch it.

Here's another question I have. What does this LED show you?

Does it flash for Facebook updates? New RSS feed additions? UPS tracking info updates? Instant Messages in 3rd party apps that aren't texts?

Like, can you set the thing to work with any app, or is it just texts and phone calls?

I'm just trying to figure out how this thing works.

 

[ritmomundo]

Here's another question I have. What does this LED show you?

Does it flash for Facebook updates? New RSS feed additions? UPS tracking info updates? Instant Messages in 3rd party apps that aren't texts?

Like, can you set the thing to work with any app, or is it just texts and phone calls?

I'm just trying to figure out how this thing works.

you can customize it. enable it for alerts that are important to you. and you can assign different colors. blue for Facebook. green for gmail. purple for yahoo. red for texts, etc. there are a lot of different settings, depending on the phone you have.

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1) I hear it buzz and I answer

2) I check the screen when I get out of the shower

3) I check the screen when I get out of the car

4) I check the screen after a work meeting or photo shoot


So I'm looking at this list and ONLY #2 would dramatically change if I had an LED light. Every single other item there would involve me taking the phone out of my pocket and looking at it in my hand either way.

And I only shower once a day so I just don't see it helping that much.

Again, I get it if there's people out there who love leaving their phone across the room. I've never done that so, yeah, I don't get it. I guess there's more people who do that then I thought.

for 2-4, with an LED light, you never even have to check the screen. a quick glance in the direction of your phone and you'll know if you have anything pending.

 

[paulrbeers]

Like, can you set the thing to work with any app, or is it just texts and phone calls?
.

On my Droid X I had it for one color was a missed phone call and one color was a missed text message (if I remember correctly). It was a fabulous feature. I didn't have to push a button to know I missed something because the tiny flashing LED told me so. I believe it could do Facebook, twitter, etc, but I never bothered with those because who cares about that.

 

[DollFaceDork]

So you check your pager?

Kinda.. I have a bleep when I'm at work and living is a fairly urgent notification.

 

[TroyBoy30]

This is what I'm thinking too. They just don't get it because they've never had it. I'm sure there are a few that have had it and just didn't like it as well.t.

My gnex had it and I don't miss it. Probably because i had to pay for an app for led notifications and it worked 40% of the time. The led would work fine for me

I do have a question. You used to be able to control how many times it notified you for things like messages. Is that gone in iOS 6? I can't find it in settings.

 

[jester0723]

I do have a question. You used to be able to control how many times it notified you for things like messages. Is that gone in iOS 6? I can't find it in settings.

It's in the notification settings. Ex: for messages, go to Settings -> Notifications -> messages -> repeat alert.

 

[TroyBoy30]

It's in the notification settings. Ex: for messages, go to Settings -> Notifications -> messages -> repeat alert.

So only a repeat for messages, thanks

 

[protobiont]

Completely subjective.

That's why I asked for an example. I wasn't sure how ANY phone would be able to alert the OP to "urgent" events.

 

[Geckotek]

My gnex had it and I don't miss it. Probably because i had to pay for an app for led notifications and it worked 40% of the time. The led would work fine for me

I do have a question. You used to be able to control how many times it notified you for things like messages. Is that gone in iOS 6? I can't find it in settings.

So only a repeat for messages, thanks

Yeah, had to go set mine up again today. Wish you could set it for more than messages. That would SOMEWHAT alleviate the missing alert LED.

 

[janderson0719]

To whom it may concern:

Not a big deal. You're just use to your old ways. I'm sure my GF is gonna have the same problem when she gets her iPhone. She's coming from a Motorola Droid-whatever that has a LED notification, but she'll get over it.

I think at some point most iPhone users just check their phones constantly; it becomes habitual.

 

[Geckotek]

I think at some point most iPhone users just check their phones constantly; it becomes habitual.

We shouldn't have to.....

 

[HouD]

I honestly have no idea why everyone is giving OP such a hard time. An LED makes perfect sense, and it would be incredibly useful. My girlfriend has a BB and I have an iPhone, and I get jealous of her LED notifications. Different colours for different events/people. One quick glance at her phone while she's working on something else and she knows if she needs to drop what she's doing to interact with her phone or not.

Why is the utility of that so hard to comprehend? Heaven forbid Apple give us a useful option that we could enable/disable based on personal preference...