[nagarjun]

WWDC's website feels so bland compared to the Google I/O website. Monotone design, awkward text positioning.. there's just no excitement. Ditto for recent Apple keynotes.

There isn't anything new anymore. This isn't the Apple we knew a decade-or-so ago. It feels like Apple peaked around then, sad! They just don't try anymore.

I for one, really want to see Apple do something creative (but before they do anything new, PLEASE FIX IOS NOTIFICATIONS.. THEY'RE A JOKE COMPARED TO ANDROID)!

[vesak]

>PLEASE FIX IOS NOTIFICATIONS.. THEY'RE A JOKE COMPARED TO ANDROID

What? They way more usable than Android's mess.

[nagarjun]

I understand your sentiment but I switched from iOS to Android 2 years ago and the first thing I noticed was how powerful Android's notifications were. I still own an iPhone which I primarily use for testing web apps etc. and I keep notifications off on that device purely because I hate how it works on iOS. Once you get used to the Android way, you start to realize everything you're missing on iOS.

Here are a few things I like about Android notifications: - Grouped notifications and notification channels make swiping away unnecessary alerts a breeze - One tap to clear all notifications - Reply to text messages through the notification - Ability to take action on a notification without additional swipes (for example, you can "Archive' an email from Gmail's notification without having to swipe left like in iOS - this small UX improvement makes a huge difference if you get a barrage of notifications) - Notification priority - system notifications like alarms etc. are smaller indicating that it isn't as important. You can always expand if you need to. - When you play a song on a music app, the notification changes color to match the most prominent color in the album's artwork. Little fun stuff like this adds some character. - Swipe to mute notifications from an app for a few minutes, an hour etc. without having to poke around settings.

I am sure I am missing a few points but in general, the UX is just a LOT better than iOS's one-style-fits-all design. I know this is a matter of personal preference and that there are surely iOS users who prefer a simple notification list. Worst case, it'd be nice if iOS had the option to toggle between simple listed notifications and a more advanced version that works like Android.

[krisdol]

I switched from android to iOS about 2 years ago as well, and I see my spouse use android all the time. All those flows you speak highly of look like bloat and a barrage of buttons to me. There are notifications you can’t dismiss, and the notification styles themselves almost always clash with the theme unless they come from google-developed apps. I like the clean look. You also describe a lot of features that are exactly or nearly identical on iOS (like responding to a message in the notification).

[glenra]

> One tap to clear all notifications

On iOS, clearing all of today's notifications from the notifications list is either one tap (on the iPhone) or a force-touch and a tap (on Apple Watch).

(to be fair, I believe those are both pretty recent features)

[vesak]

>how powerful Android's notifications

Yeah, a thing that keeps taking my attention? I prefer that to be as weak as possible.

[vyper91]

said no-one ever

edit: clearly some people share your sentiment, but whilst introduction of iOS notifications were a relief, I can't understand why anyone would think they are better than Android.

It's a commonly shared sentiment at least that Android notifications are leagues ahead of iOS.

My biggest gripe is the lack of grouping, and I do miss the fact Android used to give me 'active' notifications such as a progress bar on the download of a Spotify album, for example.

[dijit]

Aside from grouping, iOS notifications are better for me.

It feels like you control the messages you get, how they're positioned, what priority they get etc; much more on iOS. I'm sure this is actually release dependent, I can only speak from the old CM and modern Samsung ROMs.. but iOS generally >feels< a lot nicer, like I'm in control; non-removal notifications, general frequency and lack of notification location control contribute to this.

[zaarn]

Newer Android version do bring a lot of control, you can disallow applications to send specific types of notifications and set up how the notification will be made notifiable; vibration, tone, none at all, blink LED, etc.

You can set priorities too IIRC.

[rimliu]

My take is simple: if you need grouping that means you are getting way too many notifications. I leave only the most essential on (like the very important, or very rare). No the world will not fall apart if you are not notified about something the second it happens.

[jaegerpicker]

I hate Android notifications, the are constantly there and a bunch you can not dismiss. It’s my least favorite thing about the OS.

[vesak]

>I can't understand why anyone would think they are better than Android.

I have used Android exclusively since some early Sony-Ericsson phones, and moved to iPhone just recently. I cannot put my finger exactly on why I prefer these notifications, but I think it has something to do with how easy it is to ignore them on iOS.

On Android, they're constantly on my face until I manually go through them. On iOS, they pop by once and exactly once and if I ignore them, they kinda vanish to the background immediately.

[kojon55]

You gotta be kidding me. iOS notifications are amateur hour compared to Android’s.