Why is Apple so damn stubborn to never include notification LED in its iPhone brand?

[aliensporebomb]

Ack!

I mean it's not that difficult to do, what gives?

And no... the camera LED does not count.

Seriously?

I charge my iPhone at my bedside table. Last thing I want is some crazy LED flashing waking me at all hours because I got a new facebook message talking about cats on the internet.

 

[iosuser]

It's always a horrible idea, Android-like, no taste in design, so-90's.... until Apple does it.

Hello protruding camera... hello phablet.. hello gold phone!

I scanned thru a few pages in this thread. You took the words right out of my mouth If Apple added it, it'd be the best thing since slice bread.

I'm still going back and forth from my LG G2 (will soon be Sony Z3 Compact). One of the things I miss is the LED notification. I bought this app call Light Flow. It allows me to set up notification for whatever I want - LED blinks at different color, speed, even adjust the brightness based on time of day. I can tell if I missed a call, text, email (down to individual mailbox since I set it a different color for individual mail accounts). On the iPhone? Yeah press the home button to check for missed events

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Seriously?

I charge my iPhone at my bedside table. Last thing I want is some crazy LED flashing waking me at all hours because I got a new facebook message talking about cats on the internet.

Well wouldn't you know it, there's an app that allows you to set how bright the LED blinks baased on times you set

 

[Hal~9000]

Seriously?

I charge my iPhone at my bedside table. Last thing I want is some crazy LED flashing waking me at all hours because I got a new facebook message talking about cats on the internet.

This thread should simply be an experiment to show that nobody bothers to read anything besides the first post...

I'm simply going to change the OP to say what I've said a million times already:

We are talking about an LED that is hidden so you can't see it AND turned off by default in the settings so people such as you don't have to complain.

 

[mercuryjones]

This thread should simply be an experiment to show that nobody bothers to read anything besides the first post...

I'm simply going to change the OP to say what I've said a million times already:

We are talking about an LED that is hidden so you can't see it AND turned off by default in the settings so people such as you don't have to complain.

Could Apple implement it? Yes.
Are they going to? Probably not. Not unless they can do it in a way that is conducive to the overall Apple design. They aren't going to simply throw it in just to make a small group of people happy. Until enough people request this feature, I have a feeling that it won't be implemented anytime soon.

 

[iosuser]

Could Apple implement it? Yes.
Are they going to? Probably not. Not unless they can do it in a way that is conducive to the overall Apple design.

Apple design philosophy - form over function. I get reminded of that every time I reach to the back of my Mac Mini to plug in a USB cable or SD card. It sure is the prettiest looking little computer on earth though.

 

[blwade]

Seriously?

I charge my iPhone at my bedside table. Last thing I want is some crazy LED flashing waking me at all hours because I got a new facebook message talking about cats on the internet.

Seriously?


How about an option to turn it off with DND or another icon in the pull up menu with wifi and blue tooth?

It's like some people here don't know how to think.

 

[AustinIllini]

Could Apple implement it? Yes.
Are they going to? Probably not. Not unless they can do it in a way that is conducive to the overall Apple design. They aren't going to simply throw it in just to make a small group of people happy. Until enough people request this feature, I have a feeling that it won't be implemented anytime soon.

Apple probably doesn't plan on soliciting customer thoughts on the issue. We will see.

 

[The Doctor11]

Yep. If the downvote still existed I'd get an all time low for what I'm about to say...

My BlackBerry Q10 is without a doubt the best phone I've ever owned. And yes, I have previously owned an iPhone. The BlackBerry is still better in my eyes, by a long stretch.

You made the text small. Say it loud and proud make it big! I'll help you.

Haha Warning: quote notifications about to explode for you!

 

[mib1800]

Seriously?


How about an option to turn it off with DND or another icon in the pull up menu with wifi and blue tooth?

It's like some people here don't know how to think.

My note3 and 4 has this already integrated to dnd. When dnd is on the light will not flash.

Some people here just think if you are not working for Apple then you don't have a brain.

 

[HeisenbergOSX]

I just don't see how people are against this idea, or a variation of it.

Having a device display that you've missed something is common sense, and you shouldn't have to go pick up the device and activate it to find out. Whether its an LED light or some other notification, there needs to be a way of notifying people they've missed something and it shouldn't be up to the user to check.

I should be able to walk by my desk, see my phone, and know whether I even need to pick it up or not. I shouldn't have to go press a button to randomly check. Technology is here to serve people, not the other way around.

 

[AustinIllini]

Yep. If the downvote still existed I'd get an all time low for what I'm about to say...

My BlackBerry Q10 is without a doubt the best phone I've ever owned. And yes, I have previously owned an iPhone. The BlackBerry is still better in my eyes, by a long stretch.

 

[TomTomHatesCats]

To those of you that are against this, two things:

One, it seems that most of you (not all) have never experienced the feature on Android, and so you don’t really know what it is you think you’re missing. Not to say your opinions are invalid, but they're coming from a place of ignorance.

Two, it seems that most of you (not all) don't understand that the feature is not designed to give you a real-time alert. That’s what the other notifications are for.

tl;dr: LED notifications are useful because they’re hands-free and visual. Why root against that?

 

[Tinmania]

I take it you have no idea what epaper is or how it is vastly superior from monochrome lcd screens you were referring to.

This thing lasts a week between charges because of it.

lol... Yea I don't know what epaper is. And the version on the Pebble looks like the first generation Kindle.

I had a Pebble. The screen was not impressive at all.




Mike

 

[Oppressed]

Image

It would be hidden under the glass or earpiece grill and would be turned off by default so people who are crazy enough to think it's ugly wouldn't have to deal with it. Including it would simply allow the people that like it and want to turn it on in the settings the option of doing so.

I'll elaborate, but it's ugly to see it on other people's phones. You may think it is crazy but Jonny Ive likes to admire his work when he sees other people use it. He has been quoted that he hates it when people put cases on the devices for example. So his opinion when he looks at iPhones in the wild has a direct impact on designing them in the first place.

Or he could just think it is redundant to have a little blinking light on the front of the phone when you can just turn on the screen and see the notification anyway.

But thanks for the Star Trek meme. Could have gone with the face palm Picard but you went with Sisko.

 

[Arran]

I should be able to walk by my desk, see my phone, and know whether I even need to pick it up or not. I shouldn't have to go press a button to randomly check.

I think the idea with the watch is that you never have to "walk" anywhere because you never miss notifications: You feel them as they happen and glance at your watch.

 

[doboy]

LED is just another part that could break and the phone has visual, tactile, AND audio alerts already.

I would be willing to bet that LED would outlast any other components of the iPhone. And if it does break than you still have other alerts you mentioned.

 

[diamond.g]

LED is just another part that could break and the phone has visual, tactile, AND audio alerts already.

To be honest it wouldn't be a problem if the iPhone constantly alerted you via screen on or noise or vibration until you acknowledged the notification, but it doesn't. So if you don't happen to hear the phone you are forced to touch the device to find out if you have a notification.

 

[Arran]

So if you don't happen to hear the phone you are forced to touch the device to find out if you have a notification.

But it feels lovely. Why wouldn't you want to touch it?

 

[deeddawg]

My BlackBerry Q10 is without a doubt the best phone I've ever owned

Finally retired that Treo 700p, eh?

 

[diamond.g]

But it feels lovely. Why wouldn't you want to touch it?

That is what he said... lol

I bet Apple would probably have to see a market shift, for them to include a notification LED, especially since it was never a part of the original iPhone design ethos.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

As long as I can disable it.

 

[Arran]

Technology is here to serve people, not the other way around.

It's a good point. I was thinking further on that...

Maybe a flashing light would be seen as the phone making demands on you? ("Pick me up NOW or I'll keep flashing!") You can't ignore a flashing light - not if you keep it in your line of sight as suggested here.

Say you were in a meeting and your phone was on the table flashing away in front of everyone. Wouldn't that be intrusive and distracting? Sure you can put it in your pocket, but then you've rendered the light useless (and it remains a battery drain to boot). So you leave it flashing on the table and everyone's mind wanders to speculate on what it means - rather than focusing on the meeting.

A flashing light is persistently intrusive and hard to ignore. Is that technology serving you, or are you serving it?

 

[scaredpoet]

A flashing light is persistently intrusive and hard to ignore. Is that technology serving you, or are you serving it?

This, and there's another issue: canceling out the notification. On a Blackberry, it was easy: read all your messages and the light stops blinking. But will the indicator JUST be about messages and e-mails, or other notifications too?

Some app notifications I leave for a while. I don't act on them right away. But if I have a blinking light, I need to find all the apps that have notifications *or ones that I've assigned to light anyway* and clear them out before the light stops.

At that point, it starts to become meaningless.

Or, I just quickly hit the sleep/wake button, see what notifications I have on my screen, and make an informed decision on whether I should commit to fully reading and acting on an alert... or whether I should just let the screen dim out and deal with it later.

I would say that bottom line, it boils down to a philosophical difference. If you want a phone that constantly nags you to pick it up but doesn't tell you why, then iOS might not be the platform for you. Fortunately, Blackberries are still being made, and they could certainly use the support.

 

[McPc]

I'd like the feature, add me to the petition.

Maybe if Apple made the bezel larger they could fit a LED light in there?

 

[DiggityBiggity]

Is everyone in here crazy or just ignorant?! OF COURSE the iPhone should have an LED notification. If you don't want to use the notification, TURN IT OFF!!! Where could the LED notification be so it's unobtrusive but still classy? Easy... the Apple logo on the back, the touch ID ring or BOTH! I'm sure Apple could even have options to turn them both on, both off, change colors... yadda yadda yadda. It would be SIMPLE and it wouldn't use barely any battery.

If you're fighting against the LED notification, it's because you've never had one or are attached to your phone like a robot and can't see beyond the box you live in.

Stop being "Fan-Boys" and start DEMANDING functionality.