Before I even dive into this editorial, let me make one thing clear: I like Android’s notification system a lot better than Apple’s. By default, notifications are easier to access andmuch more granularly tweakable on Google’s platformthan they ever were on iOS. After more than a year and a half of using an iPhone on and off, I’ve started to appreciate certain aspects of the way it handles notifications, though.
In that sense, Android’s approach that keeps notifications right in my face the whole time isn’t beneficial. I know that I have to deal with my remaining notifications at some point, but seeing them over and over on the lock screen and in the status bar makes me feel like they’re so much more urgent than they actually are.
Let me hide notifications in the status bar by default
These days, phones are so much more than communication tools. Many people use their handsets to get work done, something that’s become even easier now that we have book-style foldables that allow you to take a big screen with you wherever you are. Even when I’m not currently testing some ofthe best foldable phonesaround, I’m definitely someone who likes to get work done on the go (in fact, I’m writing parts of this article on my phone while in a doctor’s waiting room).
But when I want to dig down and focus with as little distraction as possible, notifications just bog me down. Whenever I remember to turn onAndroid’s Do Not Disturb mode(DND), it does an excellent job at just that. With the option to hide notifications from the top bar enabled (or even to hide all but some critical notifications completely), I can even come pretty close to the experience on iOS. However, being forced to turn on DND to replicate this experience is what I don’t like. In some ways, an iPhone feels less distracting to use for productivity from the get-go, precisely because it doesn’t keep notifications in view constantly.
Using my iPhone 13 for extended periods of time, I’ve come to appreciate the extra friction pulling down the lock screen and swiping up to see notifications brings. With me treating my notifications as a to-do list, I know that I will have to check back that place sometimes, but there is no need for an email notification icon to stay in my view as a constant nagging reminder. I feel less stressed by notifications on iOS, and that’s a win in my book.
At the same time, apps can still keep important notifications in view on iOS. There is a “time sensitive” tier for notifications that will stay visible on the lock screen, even when other notifications are hidden behind an extra swipe. That way, my scheduled Google Tasks reminders are actually visible to me for a longer time all while less important things are hidden until I choose to interact with them. Apple’s dynamic island on the iPhone 14 Pro and the full 15 series takes this up a notch with constantly visible Live Activities, though I naturally haven’t experienced these to their full extent on my iPhone 13.
In a sense, Android’s DND mode comes close to enabling that in one other way. I could set up DND to only hide notifications from the top bar, but allow them to be visible everywhere else, including the lock screen and the pop-up notifications. But when I set up DND to overcome this problem, I can’t use DND for its actual purpose anymore without having to dive into settings each time. (I’m sure thatSamsung’s Good Lock appsoffer something like this, too, but I’d prefer an Android-wide option.)
If I got the hang ofDigital Wellbeing’s Focus Mode, it could likely also help me reduce distractions, but again, I’m talking about the default experience here — and truth be told, I’ve also never bothered toset up Focus modes on iOS, which are arguably far more advanced than Android’s.
Give me those notification schedules
Another killer feature I would use a lot more if it was available on Android isScheduled Summary. This setting makes it possible to hide notifications from selected apps from your view until one or multiple specific times of the day. It’s a wonderful way to not stop some apps from sending me notifications altogether but that aren’t actionable immediately. I tested this with emails, Duolingo reminders, my business banking app, and a few more, and it definitely helps not getting pulled in accidentally in the middle of the day.
I have to admit that I only tested this feature for a bit until I turned it off. I felt that it was impractical to use it when my Android phone would send me those same notifications straight away, with no option to schedule them. Even though I sometimes spend a few days on iOS at a time, I usually always have at least one Android phone on my desk for work, so the benefit of using Scheduled Summary is greatly decreased.
A more advanced way to get a feature like Scheduled Summary comes in the form of an advancedNiagara Launcherfeature. It’s calledNotification Summary, and it intercepts selected apps’ notifications from your phone to only display them in six-hour intervals. As much as I appreciate Niagara Launcher’s novel approach to home screen organizations andall the innovative features the developers keep adding, I never truly got into it. When I review a phone, I usually want to experience its pre-installed launcher, so it doesn’t really make sense for me to switch to Niagara.
Apple has a lot more to learn from Google than the other way around
Given that I’m someone who uses both Android and iOS, I’m in a position where I can compare the advantages and disadvantages of both platforms. When I first started using my iPhone more regularly, notification handling was pretty much my biggest gripe. But over the past year and a half, I’ve come to appreciate these aspects of it, and I can see how it might generally be better for some people.
Even looking at broader trends, I’ve seen far too many Android phones with notification shades filled to the brim. For people who never dismiss notifications they don’t want to interact with, the way iPhones simply hide them after no action is taken could be the preferred option.
Overall, I still think that Android’s system is far superior to Apple’s. The option to turn off notification icons in the top bar and notification scheduling would just be the icing on the cake for me, allowing Google to obliterate Apple in this space. Apple has a lot more to learn from Google than the other way around when it comes to notifications. I even think that Android phones are better at many productivity tasks than iPhones due to the way the OS works, but that’s a discussion for another time.
