Notification indicator in a smartphone – what is it and how to replace it?
How can I replace the notification light in a smartphone if it does not have a built-in LED?
The notification indicator on your phone is a useful option to remind you of unread messages and missed calls. Let’s tell you what the notification indicator is, and how it can be replaced if there is no LED on the smartphone.
Why do you need a notification indicator on your phone?
The notification light is an LED that is usually built into the top of the phone’s screen. If there are pending notifications or missed calls on the device, the LED indicator starts blinking. In this case, the blinking will continue until the user independently unlocks the phone and reads the contents of the notification (or deletes it).
In addition, the indicator turns on when the charge is low (usually red) and during charging. The latter is considered by many to be a disadvantage, since some LEDs are bright enough to interfere with a person’s sleep during night charging.
Unfortunately for users who are accustomed to the presence of an indicator on the phone, models with a built-in “light bulb” are being produced less and less. However, you can find an alternative to the indicator – we will consider the most successful of them below.
NotifyBuddy app
A free NotifyBuddy app is available on Google Play, which will allow owners of smartphones with AMOLED and OLED screens to simulate a notification light on their device.
The program uses the ability of OLED and AMOLED displays (here is a detailed description and comparison of technologies ) to activate only individual pixels, which will light up when there are unread notifications. Visually, it looks almost the same as if the phone had a separate LED.
You can also change the color of the indicator, the frequency of flashing and other settings in the application. NotifyBuddy only works on Android Oreo and above.
Always On Display
On many devices (for example, Samsung Galaxy) the Always On Display feature is available . On phones from other manufacturers, it may be called Lock Screen Notifications. This feature allows the clock and notifications to always appear on the lock screen. You can find it in the phone settings in the “Lock screen” section. To activate it, you need to select the “Show” or “Always display” item.
For example, on OnePlus smartphones, this section is called “Black and White Screen”:
flash flash
Some smartphone manufacturers have replaced the indicator with Flash Notification, which can be found under Notifications. Once activated, the flash will light up and flash periodically while receiving notifications on the phone.
If there is no such option on the smartphone, it can be added using third-party applications, for example, “Call SMS Flash Alert” or “Flash Alerts 2”.
In applications, you can independently configure the schedule for the flash mode, select the notifications for which it will work, and the duration of the flash. The apps are free and can be downloaded from Google Play.