iPhone 16 Pro Visual affordances

[jakebrosy]

Today, as I checked my iPhone for the 3rd time to be sure I hadn’t missed an important call I remembered my Motorolas (and Nokias) that had a little red light that blinked if you missed a call. <staring nostalgically into the middle distance>

I understand that Apple wants us addicted to forever looking at the slabs of glass and metal we drag with us everywhere but I really miss just being able to glance at my phone sitting on a table to know I missed a call.

I wonder what life is like with a dumb phone as a primary phone?

I guess I’ll find out. Just ordered a Nokia 3210. Can’t wait to see the kid’s face at T-Mobile when I ask home to,move my primary number to it.

More to come….

 

[eyoungren]

LED Notification Light. Which I have been advocating here for years now. Some will tell you "Just check the screen." Others will say, "That's what the Apple Watch is for."

But there are situations where checking the screen is a hassle and I don't believe in buying another ~$1000 piece of hardware to do something Apple could easily have added to the phone itself years ago.

And that's pretty much where this still stands since the last time the topic was raised.

 

[SierraVista]

You can get a version of this by enabling LED Flash Alerts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111774

 

[eyoungren]

You can get a version of this by enabling LED Flash Alerts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111774

Yes, and I do have that enabled. But there's two problems…

1. I don't lay my phone down on the front like others do. I lay it down on the back. Hard to see the LED flash if the phone is on it's back.

2. What if you miss the flash? You have to be looking in the general area of the phone to see the flash unless you are in a dark room. And the flash happens only once. So, if you weren't looking at your phone when a notification came in, then you won't know it went off.

For me, personally, it doesn't matter so much now as I work from home. But for 14.5 years, I held a job where I needed to go away from my desk for periods at a time. Take your phone with you right? A hassle for multiple short trips when I was constantly having to get up and leave my desk for a few minutes. Of course I'd also miss the LED flash you linked to because I wasn't anywhere near my desk.

Having a constant LED Notification Light meant I could see from a distance if a notification had arrived (if I happened to be somewhere near my desk). Then I'd know if I should bother turning my screen on or not when I got back to my desk. My HTC Touch Pro had that ability in 2008. It also had the ability to distinguish between email and text messages by the pattern of the flash.

Then there's iPhone… 🤷‍♂️

 

[Shirasaki]

Sometimes the decision made are not because of technology issue, but much more of a business one. Why spend $0.5 extra per device and a fraction of R&D to engineer a solution when the obvious one is spending multiple magnitudes of that to release a device that Apple can nudge people to buy? Also has the added benefit of increasing stock value etc.

Do I REALLY need an LED indicator light? Not really, but to those saying Apple Watch can do the work, sorry to break you, but a solution that pushes me to raise my wrist? No. Yes the haptic feedback will let me know something is coming but that’s about it.

For calls, I think there’s a custom ringtone and custom haptic to distinguish. No such luck for notifications.

But then again, business decision. Very little we can do to change that, and that’s just one of so many Apple devices pet peeve that irritates people in all the weird ways.

 

[eyoungren]

Sometimes the decision made are not because of technology issue, but much more of a business one. Why spend $0.5 extra per device and a fraction of R&D to engineer a solution when the obvious one is spending multiple magnitudes of that to release a device that Apple can nudge people to buy? Also has the added benefit of increasing stock value etc.

Do I REALLY need an LED indicator light? Not really, but to those saying Apple Watch can do the work, sorry to break you, but a solution that pushes me to raise my wrist? No. Yes the haptic feedback will let me know something is coming but that’s about it.

For calls, I think there’s a custom ringtone and custom haptic to distinguish. No such luck for notifications.

But then again, business decision. Very little we can do to change that, and that’s just one of so many Apple devices pet peeve that irritates people in all the weird ways.

Yes, that's Apple. Always respond with some other product that costs the customer more, rather than spending the minimal amount to adjust an existing product.

It's part of the same reason an iPad will never replace a Mac and an iPhone will never run MacOS. Because that would be one less product Apple could sell and make money on.

 

[Fred Zed]

LED Notification Light. Which I have been advocating here for years now. Some will tell you "Just check the screen." Others will say, "That's what the Apple Watch is for."

But there are situations where checking the screen is a hassle and I don't believe in buying another ~$1000 piece of hardware to do something Apple could easily have added to the phone itself years ago.

And that's pretty much where this still stands since the last time the topic was raised.

Completely agree. It would be very simple for Apple to implement this. Even using the digital island perhaps to glow or blink. But I suppose they’ll say we have always on display for that.

 

[mizmor]

Completely agree. It would be very simple for Apple to implement this. Even using the digital island perhaps to glow or blink. But I suppose they’ll say we have always on display for that.

In 10 years they'll introduce it as an amazing new feature that they know we'll all love. Apple users will praise it while everyone else laughs until they pass out.

It is one of the several things I dearly miss from my S23 (and every Galaxy I've had throughout the years).

 

[Fred Zed]

In 10 years they'll introduce it as an amazing new feature that they know we'll all love. Apple users will praise it while everyone else laughs until they pass out.

It is one of the several things I dearly miss from my S23 (and every Galaxy I've had throughout the years).

I miss the actual LED blink of the note 9 for notifications. Was good.

 

[mizmor]

I miss the actual LED blink of the note 9 for notifications. Was good.

4-5 months in, and I still look at my locked, no Always on Display iPhone to see if there's a notification. Muscle memory is going to take a while to unlearn.

 

[Fred Zed]

4-5 months in, and I still look at my locked, no Always on Display iPhone to see if there's a notification. Muscle memory is going to take a while to unlearn.

I think led is much more “ carbon friendly “ than AOD. 😆

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Today, as I checked my iPhone for the 3rd time to be sure I hadn’t missed an important call I remembered my Motorolas (and Nokias) that had a little red light that blinked if you missed a call. <staring nostalgically into the middle distance>

I understand that Apple wants us addicted to forever looking at the slabs of glass and metal we drag with us everywhere but I really miss just being able to glance at my phone sitting on a table to know I missed a call.

I wonder what life is like with a dumb phone as a primary phone?

I guess I’ll find out. Just ordered a Nokia 3210. Can’t wait to see the kid’s face at T-Mobile when I ask home to,move my primary number to it.

More to come….

YMMV; y'all go back and enjoy 2008. Me, I will enjoy 2024 iPhone Pro then probably 2025 iPhone Pro.

 

[davidg4781]

Are the newer iPhones OLED? Or even with AOD, can't Apple just set up a dot like they do with camera and mic to show there's a notification?

But then there are those that have hundreds of unread messages, emails, and missed calls. So that light would be on indefinitely.

 

[macfacts]

Apple can copy a Samsung feature/option, repeat notification alert

 

[racerhomie]

Today, as I checked my iPhone for the 3rd time to be sure I hadn’t missed an important call I remembered my Motorolas (and Nokias) that had a little red light that blinked if you missed a call. <staring nostalgically into the middle distance>

I understand that Apple wants us addicted to forever looking at the slabs of glass and metal we drag with us everywhere but I really miss just being able to glance at my phone sitting on a table to know I missed a call.

I wonder what life is like with a dumb phone as a primary phone?

I guess I’ll find out. Just ordered a Nokia 3210. Can’t wait to see the kid’s face at T-Mobile when I ask home to,move my primary number to it.

More to come….

Why would Apple want you addicted to your iPhone. They already got the money. They want you to be productive and successful in life and buy the next iPhone when your current one breaks.

 

[eyoungren]

YMMV; y'all go back and enjoy 2008. Me, I will enjoy 2024 iPhone Pro then probably 2025 iPhone Pro.

Speak for yourself…I am enjoying 2021. iPhone 11 Pro Max is my primary phone.

I'll probably be enjoying 2023 or so later this year when we upgrade, but not 2025. That'll be a few years now.

This message sent from 2009 by a 2009 MacPro.

 

[5167767]

Buy an apple 🍎 watch for notifications.

 

[eyoungren]

Buy an apple 🍎 watch for notifications.

And there you go! Buy another ~$1000 hardware device to do something Apple could make the iPhone do itself!

Congratulations, you win the prize for the first in the thread to mention what I said would be mentioned in post #2!!!!!!!

 

[5167767]

And there you go! Buy another ~$1000 hardware device to do something Apple could make the iPhone do itself!

Congratulations, you win the prize for the first in the thread to mention what I said would be mentioned in post #2!!!!!!!

Nobody wants a dumb red notification light anymore. That’s tech from 15 years ago. Also, you can buy an Apple Watch for $300, it’s not $1000.

 

[klasma]

Nobody wants a dumb red notification light anymore. That’s tech from 15 years ago. Also, you can buy an Apple Watch for $300, it’s not $1000.

It’s not about the price (for me). I don’t want another device, or having to wear something on my wrist, or another thing to charge every other day. I want my existing device to indicate unread notifications without me having to pick it up.

 

[5167767]

It’s not about the price (for me). I don’t want another device, or having to wear something on my wrist, or another thing to charge every other day. I want my existing device to indicate unread notifications without me having to pick it up.

Switch brands. Apple will never bring that feature. I don’t think it’s available anywhere now. Blackberry had it long time ago.

 

[eyoungren]

Nobody wants a dumb red notification light anymore. That’s tech from 15 years ago. Also, you can buy an Apple Watch for $300, it’s not $1000.

Nobody is an absolute. Since I am a somebody and not a nobody and I want a LED, then you can't be right in that statement.

And, while the price of the Apple watch may be argued, again, I am not into buying another piece of hardware just to have what I could already have on my primary device.

 

[eyoungren]

Switch brands. Apple will never bring that feature. I don’t think it’s available anywhere now. Blackberry had it long time ago.

Ah yes. The microphone drop to end the conversation. Reminiscent of 'Get an Android'. But supposedly, they prefer iOS and so do I. Not having an LED is not a deal-killer. Expressing a desire to want something in an Apple device is not an indication that we hate Apple. You can want certain things you'll never get, or desire a change in something you like without being branded one way or the other.

 

[Parowdy]

If only there was a way to have the display always have some pixels on so you’d know. Oh, wait.

I understand that AOD isn’t for everyone, I would like a small dot somewhere more than AOD in general as well. But switching to what is essentially a tool that will disappoint you in a different regard, for example when your kids do something and you have no means of recording with acceptable quality, you’ll see how little a notification dot is worth compared to other features and functions of modern phones.

Honestly, Android phone vendors have taking so much „inspiration“ from Apple, especially since the iPhone X, that it’s Apples turn to reinvent the notification LED, I think that’s only fair.

 

[Parowdy]

You can get a version of this by enabling LED Flash Alerts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111774

Hate people having that on that aren’t impaired.
It’s very annoying and irritating in public places or public transport, especially when the person receives notifications over and over again.
The fact that the light is on the bottom side of the phone and doesn’t stay on also makes this not comparable to an actual notification LED at all.