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[Q] Did notifications actually get worse in Lollipop?

After what I've read about Lollipop so far I'm getting kind of ambivalent about updating. Here are two of my concerns in regards to notifications:
1) Heads-up notifications. Apparently developers are the ones that are now in control of whether notifications are important enough to completely blot out a piece of the top of the screen, including the ability to access the notification tray, until the notification is handled. So whereas before I could remain completely immersed in whatever app and wait until I decide I'm ready to pull down the shade, now I am forcibly blocked from accessing part of the app and user interface until I first interact with the notification. As far as I can tell users are unable to do anything about this intrusion.
2) Silent mode - it sounds like a lot of users are really upset already about this screw-up. The old silent mode allowed alarms through which was just perfect for the use case of alarms. You go to bed and you want your phone to shut up completely until the alarm that is supposed to wake you up. Now apparently the only real silent mode also silences alarms. "Priority mode", the feature that is used for so-called quiet hours, still lets through all sorts of vibrations from apps that many users cannot sleep through.
Are these accurate descriptions of the current state of affairs in Lollipop? If so I think it'll drive me nuts and I won't be able to switch until I can take control of these flaws. And with Xposed unavailable for the foreseeable future it means having to figure out how else to hammer a broken OS into respecting the functionality that used to "just work". Does this bother anyone enough that they'll just avoid upgrading for now?

I don't think so at all, it takes some getting used to because the system is alot more iphone-Esq in nature but it definitely works well. There is alot of few features that just bring the whole system up to date, feels very very modern now. Like when you plug the phone into the charger it tells you how much time is remaining until the phone is full, for instance my phone says 47 minutes until full right now in the charger. It can predict how much battery life remains based on typical usage. Having notifications on the lock screen so you don't have to go through the lock screen and then the pull down menu to see whats going on is very convenient. As far as silent mode goes, there is plenty of settings that allow alarms and events to still work even though calls and messages are silent, I like how they ditched the stereotypical "vibrate" or "silent" modes and went with "all" priority and "none". There are always going to be people that are very resistant to change and claim that its awful, but I feel this was a much needed update to the android system.

Nonetheless if I'm given only the choice now between either intrusive or useless notifications, it's not very appealing.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

but you are given a choice

Spawne32 said:
but you are given a choice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The choice I am looking for is:
1) Completely disable heads-up notifications and keep them all in the notification tray, because if I'm doing something on my device I damn well want to stay in what I'm doing instead of other apps getting to choose if they can block part of my screen.
Can I do this on Lollipop?
2) At night, silence everything, *never* vibrate for anything ever, but allow alarms (and possibly voice calls) to ring.
Can priority mode do this?
From what I am reading, people are complaining that vibrate notifications are still leaking through in priority mode.

Can't say I've noticed any vibrations from apps.

cmstlist said:
The choice I am looking for is:
1) Completely disable heads-up notifications and keep them all in the notification tray, because if I'm doing something on my device I damn well want to stay in what I'm doing instead of other apps getting to choose if they can block part of my screen.
Can I do this on Lollipop?
2) At night, silence everything, *never* vibrate for anything ever, but allow alarms (and possibly voice calls) to ring.
Can priority mode do this?
From what I am reading, people are complaining that vibrate notifications are still leaking through in priority mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use 'None' at night and it stops everything, as designed, but I've not tried an alarm as I have a clock for that. Turning on 'Priority' alerts, but turning calls/messages/Events off, should only allow alarms through but, again, I've not tried this.
As for notifications, I've been watching videos on YouTube full screen and the notification hasn't popped up unless I drag down to view the bar so doesn't seem to be an issue
Best thing to do? Back up your phone, flash 5.0 and if you don't like it go back to 4.4.4 and restore your backup

cmstlist said:
CUT
2) At night, silence everything, *never* vibrate for anything ever, but allow alarms (and possibly voice calls) to ring.
Can priority mode do this?
From what I am reading, people are complaining that vibrate notifications are still leaking through in priority mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS.
Audio management is just a pain in the ass. I got the same need, when I go sleep I don't want ANY sounds from the phone except wake up alarm and calls coming from a whitelist.
Actually this is not possible. If I set interruption mode, it doesn't silence any other sounds (eg: try to put the charger in and you'll hear the sound/vibration), and If I set the completely silent mode it doesn't allow interruptions.
I used to use a third party app named Nights Keeper, it was perfect running on KitKat, but now it is not on Lollipop, as it can't set the phone on totally silent mode except calls from whitelist.
Dunno if it's a bug or a "feature", the fact is that i'm not satisfied with this, and i can't "fix" it with 3rd party apps.

I always recommend that one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antonc.phone_schedule
Works like charm for the father of 2 year old - mute from 21 to 6:40 am, all alarms always on proper volume.

unster said:
I always recommend that one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antonc.phone_schedule
Works like charm for the father of 2 year old - mute from 21 to 6:40 am, all alarms always on proper volume.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it work properly on Lollipop?
'cause this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nightskeeper&hl=en is supposed to do the same, but it actually doesn't works with L

I think so. Just tested it briefly and seems to work on me.

just to say that i've created a new Enhancement request here: if this means something for you here having the same needs of me, please partecipate.
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=79334&colspec=ID Type Status Owner Summary Stars

I've noticed some issues with notifications in lollipop aswell.
Most disturbing is that notifications just pop up as icon in the status bar, except the app is heads up supported (like hangouts) than you get the heads up notification of course.
Before you had at least something like a banner. Even if it was only one line, at least you knew from whom your eg. message or email was and the subject or the first words.
It's seriously just the icon now
That devs have to implement things like buttons or a textbox is obvious, but just the text???
Come on google...

In regards to that app - I have read that when pre Lollipop apps try to put the device into Silent mode, instead it goes into Priority mode. Including Tasker. This may explain observations noted upthread.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

With HeadsOff lollipop heads-up notifications can now be disabled!
No root needed.
You can also restore the ticker text in the statusbar!
Give it a try:
Download from Playstore
XDA thread

[Q] Touchwiz style in-call notification menu thingy...

In touchwiz, during a call, there is a drop-down notification item that allows you to handle some call functions such as ending, muting, or returning to the call screen. This was very functional for work as I am often away from the call screen during a call, and also need to quickly mute as well.
Our default dialer (not even sure it's the dialer that handles this functionality), allows for hanging up and returning to the call screen from the menu, but not muting. Anyone know if there's a way to add this? I tried finding a screenshot of how this is done in touchwiz, but couldn't.
Thanks in advance!

I'm struggling with whether to sell this phone, or the Note 3. This functionality would tilt the scale towards the OPO.

undrwater said:
I'm struggling with whether to sell this phone, or the Note 3. This functionality would tilt the scale towards the OPO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone simply doesn't have that functionality. There's the possiblity that there's an Xposed module that might do it, but considering that Xposed isn't compatible with Lollipop that's probably irrelevant.

Just wanted to bump this as we have a new version of Cynogen. Still a pertinent question for me.

Media output to: <toohard to change! + Notification LED substitute

1 week with the OP7 Pro and overall pretty happy. Staying with Pie version for time being.
Until this phone, all my phones for more than 10 yrs have had an LED for notifications. If I had a choice, I would keep this [efficient, effective low-power] method in my perfect phone - but, looking for a functional compromise and haven't found what I'd like - which is a power-efficient always-on, or at least almost always-on color-coded, visible with a glance dot(s) on the screen that informs me of notification(s). The problem with stock is the 1-time nature of the notification. I've tried a few apps for edge lighting/ambient notifications, but so far, none providing what I'd like - the closest so far is 'Pulse Beat'.
Anyone else have issues with screen-off notifications? Any suggestions?
Second issue is sound - volume control and where the audio goes. Aside from what I find to be an awful placement of the volume control buttons, and having really hard-to-push buttons at that, I am constantly fighting the phone over where 'media' output should go. I like to use LG Tone (around-the-neck bluetooth with retractable buds - I have it on, but only can hear it when I put bud(s) in my ear(s)). Sometime I'd like all the audio to go to the headset (when need to use phone handsfree, for example, while biking); other times, say the phone is on a table and I'm not using or near it, I want the notification audio on the phone speaker. I would like a quicker way of changing this (shortcuts/widgets?) as well as ability to set some rules/automation for handling this. Anyone have ideas/suggestions here? (I've used the app 'Automate' in the past for some things, but I don't see the control for the media output to < x >.
Thanks!

For the first issue, I don't have a good solution either.
For the second issue, when you change the volume, there is an icon on top of the slider and if you tap it, you can change audio output device right there.
---------- Post added at 02:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 PM ----------
universeman said:
For the first issue, I don't have a good solution either.
For the second issue, when you change the volume, there is an icon on top of the slider and if you tap it, you can change audio output device right there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, as far as automating the changing of audio devices, I have long since given up on trying to automate that. Only Samsung seems to have a good audio control panel for these kinds of things.

universeman said:
For the first issue, I don't have a good solution either.
For the second issue, when you change the volume, there is an icon on top of the slider and if you tap it, you can change audio output device right there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have been doing that, but it's really awkward for me - First, the volume buttons are extremely hard to reach & operate - still can't get used to them. Then, because the pop-up is on the curved part of the display, it's even harder to tap the exact right little spot in the pop-up and do it fast enough before it disappears altogether - it is very annoying.

Still trying to figure out these things -
Is it really the case that the only way to bring up the ability to change where media output goes (bluetooth/phone speaker) is by pressing a physical volume up or down button, then tapping the tiny icon to bring the pop-up list, then tap the device you want the sound to go to? That's the only way? That's just incredible.
Is this stock Android behavior?
(Until this phone, I never got beyond Oreo 8.1)

Probably not the solution you are looking for, but...
...have you considered getting a smartwatch?
Mine handles all my notifications gracefully.
I do feel your pain, because I am in the same camp and it was always nice to take a glance from across the room and see the blinking light plus figure from the color what app it was.

Question Notification issues with watch gt2

Hello, has anyone had problems with the watch notifications?
The problem I have is that the notifications do not appear on the clock screen, nor do they vibrate, nor do they sound; only until I swipe from bottom to top I see that there are notifications.
I already spoke to Huawei support and they ask me to activate special notification permissions that I cannot find in the settings.
I hope someone can help me.

Have you already attempted to enable any available permissions from the app details under Apps in Settings?

Hello, thank you very much for answering.
I have already managed to get the notifications to work for a few hours, but after a few hours the same thing happens again. I have activated all accesses of the Health application, such as access to notifications (In the menu "special access to apps"), permissions to contacts, phone, etc. The Health app is also out of battery optimization.
Huawei's support asks me to activate this:
Settings> Privacy> Management> Special app permissions> Notifications> Huawei Health.
I hope I have explained myself well.

If it consistently seems to work until the phone is idle for a couple hours, you should check all of the different settings for battery and background data throughout the phone and see if one of them is to blame. There are quite a few different settings for this, including some also in Developer Options if you enabled those.

Hi.
When it worked for a while and then no longer, it was the first thing I thought. Something is killing some service or task and that's why they stop coming. But it is nothing like that, the notifications do reach the clock, but it does not vibrate or sound. I already put the application without battery optimization, which starts automatically, blocked in tasks, application services the same. I can not think of anything else.
Thanks for the help.

After doing more research, I came to a huawei forum in Chinese and found the answer. The watch can detect that it is not being used, that you are not wearing it and tattoos can make the watch think that it is not being used. I have my entire left arm tattooed, change the wristwatch and it works perfectly. But I don't know how this leaves me a little unsatisfied, I don't know.

It doesn't have a way to disable that? Might want to suggest it to them. Usually features like that aren't hardcoded because such situations exist.

No, the GT2 series has a sensor dedicated specifically to that. I can only return it, change the hand to the one that is not tattooed or erase the tattoo.

Searching for non-root ultimate notification control from GravityBox

Hello,
I am looking for a way to better control the notifications on my phone but without root. I am not looking for one particular option from GravityBox which is to set a time frame in which the phone will not repeat a notification sound or vibration if an app wants to do it in that particular time frame more than one time.
An example for it will be if there is a person who sends you 6 messages one after another in a short period of time or likes 6 posts that you have sent them via Instagram. All 6 notifications will be played back and shown on the phone which is kinda irritating. Do you know any alternative that could achieve this without rooting?
Thank you