I used to do this but it ended up in me missing notifications I actually cared about
The best solution is as someone else mentioned, just mute apps that send obnoxious notifications when you see them
Different notification sounds for different kinds of notifications has been big as well, one for messages, a different one for twitch streams, and another for everything else that normally gets ignored
Apps that I do allow notifications: when they become annoying I go to the notification, long hold > settings > notification categories. If they only have one category and don’t let me fine tune then I don’t need that app or just don’t need notifications from it. Back to settings I have other ways to customize that can make them less annoying like silence them.
Aren’t messages the only point of LinkedIn? You create a profile which is basically your CV, set it to “looking for work”, and wait for recruiters to message you, right?
I’ve switched off the “looking for work” after the n-th recruiter who hadn’t even bothered reading my profile. I was under the impression that LinkedIn should also work as a social network for people to “word of mouth” recommend each other, or openings at wherever they work, but all I got was “coach” and “courses” type spam.
Notification controls on android are pretty great in my experience.
Most apps (good ones anyway) breakdown different types of notifications, and you can turn off the ones you don’t want. And if they don’t, you can just turn off all notifications for that app entirely.
🤖 I’m a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:
Click here to see the summary
Android offers better controls and mercifully shunts some offenders to a “silent” inbox, but it’s not totally off the hook, either.
On both platforms, notifications have been and continue to be a constant distraction, a plague upon our already razor-thin attention spans.
Every app has to show you an example of the kind of notification it wants to send you, and you get to swipe left or right to opt in or out.
This would save us the trouble of going into the settings in two hundred different apps and ticking two thousand little “opt out” buttons.
Or you can opt in to them if you desperately want to hear from the Starbucks app every single day, but you should have to go out of your way to do that and should not be the default behavior when you choose “allow notifications.” Just an idea!
However it happens, I think it’s time that power over notifications be returned to the people, not the app developers who want us to check out these Deals!
If you’re on IOS, the Focus feature is great. I use it primarily for sleep to turn off all notifications except for calls (in case of emergencies). But you can basically configure multiple profiles with different notification settings. Also, whenever I install a new app on my phone, I turn notifications off unless it’s a time sensitive app like a messaging app.
Seconding the use of this feature as well. I took it a bit further and took 5 minutes to set up a “Personal” focus mode, active only in the weekends where all work-related apps, mail, calls, etc. cannot send me notifications. In my work there are some serious boundary issues, so this helps me a lot with anxiety and stress.
My work phone is an iPhone and I love this feature. The moment it’s past work hours I no longer get buzzed for any notifications, and I only see direct messages on the home screen
My second proposal — and this is a wild one — is that promotional notifications should just not be allowed. Or you can opt in to them if you desperately want to hear from the Starbucks app every single day, but you should have to go out of your way to do that and should not be the default behavior when you choose “allow notifications.” Just an idea!
The author calls out the Starbucks app here, but doesn’t mention how blatantly dark-patterned its notifications really are. Android allows apps to set up multiple notification channels, so you can selectively prioritize (or, more often, mute or block) notifications based on their content. Starbucks uses this feature… to create a single channel called “Promotions & order status”. You wanted to know when your order’s ready? Fuck you and your concentration, get double stars today!
I appreciate the notification controls Android gives me, and I use them aggressively. If an app pushes a notification that doesn’t actually require my attention, I block that channel, and if it does it again, I block notifications for the whole app. I agree with the author, though: I shouldn’t need to do that.
Email subscriptions also sometimes have that, with bonus points for several vague and similar sounding categories, and emails not mentioning what category they’re in.
They’d probably get around that by having a ‘Promotions and Order status’ channel and a random / unused one like an ‘App update available’ channel. Promotional notifications should just really be banned.
It should be enough for the Play Store to require any promotional notifications to go to an exclusively promotional channel for users to manage as they please.
Next stage, would be a “report notification” option, so Google could suspend the app for spamming. That would curb the dark pattern behavior quite quickly.
How do people struggle with notifications? This is even weirder than the ad-blocking thing, because at least you are required to find and install a third party app to solve that. Every app ever has notification settings built-in. Just take 20 seconds out of your day to setup the app correctly when you first install it and you will likely never have to worry about it again.
Seems you’re the one who doesn’t understand what a rhetorical question is. Hint - it’s not what you retrospectively call a question when you get called out on your laziness.
Nor is it rhetorical when you ask a question and then spend several lines going on about it, and making it clear that you really did want to talk about an answer.
it’s not what you retrospectively call a question when you get called out on your laziness.
Didn’t happen.
Nor is it rhetorical when you ask a question and then spend several lines going on about it, and making it clear that you really did want to talk about an answer.
Why are you asking me? I’m not the one accusing others of “nOt rEaDiNg dA tHrEaD bEfOrE u AsKeD a qUeStOn”. My top level reply was on-topic. No one has actually provided an on-topic reply to it yet.
On Android you need to opt in to notifications for every app you install.
Just opt out :)
Or, be like me and keep your phone on do not disturb(except calls from contacts). Doing this was one of the most significant quality of life improvements for me over the last few years.
Yeah that’s what I’ve done. I’ve gotten very picky about which apps I allow to notify me of things. A week or two of turning off all the ones you don’t want and your phone gets quiet real quick.
On android long press a notification and it’ll show you which category of notification it is from that app, with the ability to disable just that one category if desired. E.g. advertisements and feedback reminders
I don’t really have any issues with it. Samsung has very fine-grained controls and most apps I simply don’t grant notification permissions at all. Also I put every single chat group in Whatsapp, Telegram etc on Mute by default which helps a lot against overload.
By the way, I give it a year or so by when phones can run a local AI to automatically filter the notifications you’re interested in.
Yeah I feel like they neglected to show how much more of a problem on iOS this is than Android.
On Android apps typically have their push notifications divided into different types and can almost always turn off the marketing notifications for an app while leaving the important ones on.
I dont see even half of these notifications on Android.
On Android apps typically have their push notifications divided into different types and can almost always turn off the marketing notifications for an app while leaving the important ones on.
Oh, iOS doesn’t have this? I didn’t realise. Android has had this for a good few releases now and I love that.
I have a simple rule. If I install an app and it shows me any notification I don’t want to see, I immediately block it from having permission to do that.
At least Android also proactively asks them whether to disable notifications for an app if they always swipe them away, or if they haven’t used the app in a long time.
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You guys still check notifications? I have Infinite Scroll of notifications I never care enough about to spend time on doing anything about.
That would be anxiety personified for me
Tell me more!
I wondered how I replied to my friends. Then I recalled that I don’t have one.
I used to do this but it ended up in me missing notifications I actually cared about
The best solution is as someone else mentioned, just mute apps that send obnoxious notifications when you see them
Different notification sounds for different kinds of notifications has been big as well, one for messages, a different one for twitch streams, and another for everything else that normally gets ignored
Install app. Start app. “Allow notifications?” No.
Does iOS not do this?
Apps that I do allow notifications: when they become annoying I go to the notification, long hold > settings > notification categories. If they only have one category and don’t let me fine tune then I don’t need that app or just don’t need notifications from it. Back to settings I have other ways to customize that can make them less annoying like silence them.
The article has some valid points about wanting certain kinds of notifications from an app, and hating the spam notifications those apps send.
However, iOS does indeed allow you to grant or deny an app notifications permission on first launch, and my default is to always deny.
The only apps I allow notifications for are phone, calendar, messages, my tasks, and my automations (shortcuts and some associated apps)
iOS does that the first time you open the app. An app never opened can’t send notifications (it wouldn’t have registered).
For me, apps do not get to notify me unless it’s time sensitive.
The problem is when my food delivery app, or LinkedIn sends me ads when I just want messages.
It’s annoying to not be able to only receive messages.
LinkedIn has messages? Maybe I don’t use it much, but it seemed like it had ads, and self-promoting messages, or more ads.
Yeah, I needed to have it on for a week for work stuff. And it kept giving me random notifications about news and stuff. I couldn’t figure it out.
Aren’t messages the only point of LinkedIn? You create a profile which is basically your CV, set it to “looking for work”, and wait for recruiters to message you, right?
I’ve switched off the “looking for work” after the n-th recruiter who hadn’t even bothered reading my profile. I was under the impression that LinkedIn should also work as a social network for people to “word of mouth” recommend each other, or openings at wherever they work, but all I got was “coach” and “courses” type spam.
That is the trouble with relying on recruiters, there’s essentially no bar to entry so the industry is flooded with talentless chancers
Out of my 10000 notifications I ignore, there’s one message… and that’s from the LinkedIn team.
I use Tasker to filter out notifications
Buzzkill is another good one.
Apps get a one strike rule. The minute I get a notification I don’t want, that app doesn’t get to send me notifications anymore
deleted by creator
Notification controls on android are pretty great in my experience.
Most apps (good ones anyway) breakdown different types of notifications, and you can turn off the ones you don’t want. And if they don’t, you can just turn off all notifications for that app entirely.
It all works pretty well.
🤖 I’m a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:
Click here to see the summary
Android offers better controls and mercifully shunts some offenders to a “silent” inbox, but it’s not totally off the hook, either.
On both platforms, notifications have been and continue to be a constant distraction, a plague upon our already razor-thin attention spans.
Every app has to show you an example of the kind of notification it wants to send you, and you get to swipe left or right to opt in or out.
This would save us the trouble of going into the settings in two hundred different apps and ticking two thousand little “opt out” buttons.
Or you can opt in to them if you desperately want to hear from the Starbucks app every single day, but you should have to go out of your way to do that and should not be the default behavior when you choose “allow notifications.” Just an idea!
However it happens, I think it’s time that power over notifications be returned to the people, not the app developers who want us to check out these Deals!
Saved 67% of original text.
If you’re on IOS, the Focus feature is great. I use it primarily for sleep to turn off all notifications except for calls (in case of emergencies). But you can basically configure multiple profiles with different notification settings. Also, whenever I install a new app on my phone, I turn notifications off unless it’s a time sensitive app like a messaging app.
Android’s Do Not Disturb feature is also like this. You only get notifications from calls, alarms and apps you specifically allow.
That’s interesting and I’ve never heard of the focus feature (I don’t use my phone very much). Where do I find the focus feature?
deleted by creator
Thanks so much!
Seconding the use of this feature as well. I took it a bit further and took 5 minutes to set up a “Personal” focus mode, active only in the weekends where all work-related apps, mail, calls, etc. cannot send me notifications. In my work there are some serious boundary issues, so this helps me a lot with anxiety and stress.
My work phone is an iPhone and I love this feature. The moment it’s past work hours I no longer get buzzed for any notifications, and I only see direct messages on the home screen
The author calls out the Starbucks app here, but doesn’t mention how blatantly dark-patterned its notifications really are. Android allows apps to set up multiple notification channels, so you can selectively prioritize (or, more often, mute or block) notifications based on their content. Starbucks uses this feature… to create a single channel called “Promotions & order status”. You wanted to know when your order’s ready? Fuck you and your concentration, get double stars today!
I appreciate the notification controls Android gives me, and I use them aggressively. If an app pushes a notification that doesn’t actually require my attention, I block that channel, and if it does it again, I block notifications for the whole app. I agree with the author, though: I shouldn’t need to do that.
Why do you feel the need to install an app for a coffee shop?
Because I don’t want to be guilted into the tip button
Not OP but I often get 50% off promo for any beverage from Starbucks app.
Just don’t visit Starbucks lmao what the fuck is even the issue here
Email subscriptions also sometimes have that, with bonus points for several vague and similar sounding categories, and emails not mentioning what category they’re in.
The use of a single channel should be against the rules for commerce apps.
They’d probably get around that by having a ‘Promotions and Order status’ channel and a random / unused one like an ‘App update available’ channel. Promotional notifications should just really be banned.
It should be enough for the Play Store to require any promotional notifications to go to an exclusively promotional channel for users to manage as they please.
Next stage, would be a “report notification” option, so Google could suspend the app for spamming. That would curb the dark pattern behavior quite quickly.
How do people struggle with notifications? This is even weirder than the ad-blocking thing, because at least you are required to find and install a third party app to solve that. Every app ever has notification settings built-in. Just take 20 seconds out of your day to setup the app correctly when you first install it and you will likely never have to worry about it again.
You might have found out if you bothered to read the discussion before sharing your opinion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetorical_question
Your “rhetorical question” and objections you raised were already answered in this thread before you raised them.
It sounds like you still don’t understand what a rhetorical question is.
Seems you’re the one who doesn’t understand what a rhetorical question is. Hint - it’s not what you retrospectively call a question when you get called out on your laziness.
Nor is it rhetorical when you ask a question and then spend several lines going on about it, and making it clear that you really did want to talk about an answer.
Didn’t happen.
Also didn’t happen.
do some red circles and arrows help?
Schrodinger’s rhetorical question is when you decide whether your question was rhetorical or not based on people’s reaction to it.
What does this thread add to the discussion?
(this is not rhetorical)
Why are you asking me? I’m not the one accusing others of “nOt rEaDiNg dA tHrEaD bEfOrE u AsKeD a qUeStOn”. My top level reply was on-topic. No one has actually provided an on-topic reply to it yet.
because you are the one who started it. people usually contribute information into public discussion with hope it will be useful to other readers.
no, you are the one AsKIng rHETOrIcal qUEsTioN 🤣
you were pointed to the fact that your questions were already answered and you can easily read these answers. that is as on topic as it can get.
you chose weird hill to die on.
On Android you need to opt in to notifications for every app you install. Just opt out :)
Or, be like me and keep your phone on do not disturb(except calls from contacts). Doing this was one of the most significant quality of life improvements for me over the last few years.
Yeah that’s what I’ve done. I’ve gotten very picky about which apps I allow to notify me of things. A week or two of turning off all the ones you don’t want and your phone gets quiet real quick.
BuzzKill is great for wrangling your notifications. Match a word or phrase and group them, snooze them, set special vibration patterns, whatever.
Just turn them off? That’s what I do, my phone never annoys me.
On android long press a notification and it’ll show you which category of notification it is from that app, with the ability to disable just that one category if desired. E.g. advertisements and feedback reminders
Some apps don’t export the category, but still let you disable it from inside the app. In my book, they get a close pass.
I don’t really have any issues with it. Samsung has very fine-grained controls and most apps I simply don’t grant notification permissions at all. Also I put every single chat group in Whatsapp, Telegram etc on Mute by default which helps a lot against overload.
By the way, I give it a year or so by when phones can run a local AI to automatically filter the notifications you’re interested in.
Yeah I feel like they neglected to show how much more of a problem on iOS this is than Android.
On Android apps typically have their push notifications divided into different types and can almost always turn off the marketing notifications for an app while leaving the important ones on.
I dont see even half of these notifications on Android.
Oh, iOS doesn’t have this? I didn’t realise. Android has had this for a good few releases now and I love that.
I have a simple rule. If I install an app and it shows me any notification I don’t want to see, I immediately block it from having permission to do that.
Not everyone has figured you can do that by long pressing the offending notification
Same… Have done for ages now. Don’t know how anyone puts up with the default behaviour.
The default now is that apps have to first request notification permissions, on both iOS and Android.
Most users are blindly accepting any and all requests by apps.
Yeah but that’s really their problem. I mean, the OS literally asks them to allow it. What more can you do?
At least Android also proactively asks them whether to disable notifications for an app if they always swipe them away, or if they haven’t used the app in a long time.