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What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

jacquescorbytuech.com

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Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#311

Post by leshenka »

ianburrell wrote: post #101
lanerobertlane wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I order an Uber, I already know it is coming. I was the person who ordered it. This is how taxis worked for decades before smartphones existed. You phoned for a taxi, then remained vaguely aware that it would arrive shortly. The question is whether a single “it has arrived” notification is worth the surrounding noise: “driver accepted”, “driver is nearby”, “rate your driver”, “here’s 10% off your next ride”, and s…

Android has different types of notifications for apps and can have them filtered separately. Unfortunately, some app makers like Uber are bad about labeling. Google would need to enforce labeling so transactional and advertising notifications are separate.

iOS has the thing they call “time-sensitive notifications” which is a flag you put when submitting notification that is supposed to be Really Important Right Now. Unfortunately it’s not easy to mute everything that is not time-sensitive

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#312

Post by bossyTeacher »

Swizec wrote: post #116
bossyTeacher wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of notifications is the convenience of not having to constantly check your phone for every single app you have (amazon delivery? just eats delivery? uber booking? claude finished its task?).

> The point of notifications is the convenience of not having to constantly check your phone for every single app you have (amazon delivery? just eats delivery? uber booking? claude finished its task?). My phone has been on DoNoDisturb since 2010 or so. Here's the reality: I don't check for any of those things. Delivery drivers can ring the door bell. If I'm very hungry I'll keep the app open and check where they are…

I guess you probably have no dependents and never been oncall then if you are on no disturb. For many people, having to poll the state of multiple ongoing tasks is time consuming itself or/and focus breaking enough that some apps are deserving of having notifications.

Manually polling multiple items as you go around your day is stealing valuable mental bandwidth that could be used in better things.

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#313

Post by robbiep »

implements wrote: post #255
0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently had to setup Microsoft Authenticator. It refused to register a code unless I enabled notifications. You are a two factor app. I should never be in a situation where there is an unexpected login I need to verify.

Tip: The iPhone Passwords App has basic TOTP functionality (manually create a password entry and click “Set Up Code”). I have a few dummy passwords which are effectively just labels for some login codes - it’s one less App to install.

Some Microsoft setups ONLY allow Authenticator - can’t use 1pass etc. I have recently fallen into this pit

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#314

Post by DanielHB »

lanerobertlane wrote: post #24

If my phone interrupts me, it should either mean someone genuinely needs my attention right now or it should not be disrupting me at all. That's my notification set up. Apps allowed to receive push notifications Phone, Messages, Whatsapp, Apple Health, [brand] bank. That concludes the list. There is no reason any other app needs to be able to instantly ping me. Most apps are not notifying you because something matter…

I disable all group chat notifications too, only direct messages trigger notifications for me.

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#315

Post by subscribed »

account42 wrote: post #288
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, this entire article is pretty transparent that it's from the sender perspective, and worried about platforms taking over "sender control". Who is he kidding? The vast majority of apps have absolutely proven they can't be trusted to respect your attention. From my perspective, the more roadblocks the platforms put between unnecessary notifications and my phone, the better. And I don't think Apple or Google are s…

This is all a consequence from running software that doesn't respect you and notification are just one of many symptoms. I'd rather choose better software than let Google/Apple decide what software running on my device is allowed to do.

Usually you don't have any choice of the software if you need to use a particular product or service.

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#316

Post by subscribed »

1718627440 wrote: post #283
0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently had to setup Microsoft Authenticator. It refused to register a code unless I enabled notifications. You are a two factor app. I should never be in a situation where there is an unexpected login I need to verify.

Apps can know whether you granted permission?? That sounds like a security flaw.

Yep. Just today I had a tram/bus ticket purchase app refuse to work unless I grant it Phone access.

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#317

Post by ProllyInfamous »

efitz wrote: post #102

Marketing and advertising people ruin everything they touch.

>"But salesmen exist because customers don't actually know what they want"

"I want item ABC rev D with options X, Y, & Z – I do not wish to pay for undercoating"

>[salesperson looks at autist dumbfoundedly] "I'm not sure we can do that; don't even know what Y & Z are..."

"It's a valid configuration, please just do this for me."

----

Why does my state still require new car sales via a dealership model?!

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#318

Post by peterspath »

lanerobertlane wrote: post #24

If my phone interrupts me, it should either mean someone genuinely needs my attention right now or it should not be disrupting me at all. That's my notification set up. Apps allowed to receive push notifications Phone, Messages, Whatsapp, Apple Health, [brand] bank. That concludes the list. There is no reason any other app needs to be able to instantly ping me. Most apps are not notifying you because something matter…

Same: Phone, Messages, Calendar, Apple Health... nothing else can send me notifications.

On my work I also disabled all notifications except for the calendar. Even slack message our main tool for communication is not allowed to send notifications. It is almost a productivity hack :P

Re: What Apple and Google are doing to push notifications

#319

Post by mcdonje »

The entire architecture here is surprising to me.

>an iPhone could not afford to let every installed application maintain its own background poll against a remote server. The proposal...a single persistent TLS connection from each device to Apple, over which any registered third party could deliver alerts.

I thought apps were sending notifications locally in the device. Like, if a messaging app receives a message, there's a network call for that. Then if the messaging app wants to tell the user they received a message, it can just hit a local API for that, right?

Is the pattern actually that the app makes another network call to the notification service to register the notification, which makes another network call to the device to deliver it?

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