Everybody in tech circles could also be goin’ gaga over synthetic intelligence in the intervening time, however right here within the land o’ Android, we have loads of different fascinating stuff on the horizon.

Imagine it or not, Google’s already onerous at work on the following grand Android model — the awkwardly gawky early-teen Android 14. And whereas it is nonetheless far too quickly to say precisely what the discharge will entail, one nugget from the newest Android 14 developer preview is fairly darn intriguing.

Particularly, the latest Android 14 preview introduces a nifty new set of choices round notifications — an space that is concurrently among the finest and the worst parts of any trendy cell machine.

These new choices, although, intention to make ’em much more helpful by ensuring you by no means miss something essential. With the flick of a pair fast switches, you’ll be able to inform your cellphone to flash a custom-colored LED-like mild in your display screen anytime a brand new alert arrives — or, when you actually wish to get fancy, have it flash your cellphone’s back-facing digicam mild to catch your consideration (and/or offer you an impressively reasonably priced technique to create an on-demand rave).

Both method might actually be useful in the proper type of state of affairs. And here is the actually excellent news: You do not really even want Android 14 to make any of it occur.

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In reality, you’ll be able to create a good extra superior and customizable model of that very same type of notification magic on any Android machine this minute — if the place to look.

Your Android notification improve: The on-screen factor

We’ll begin with the primary a part of the Android 14 notification improve — that fancy display screen flashing impact. This one’s delightfully straightforward to realize, and it will carry a zesty new twist of notification, erm, notifying to your cellphone.

The important thing to creating it occur is a helpful little app known as AodNotify. It is one in every of my favourite Android-enhancing instruments and one thing I depend on continually alone private units.

The precise model of AodNotify you want depends upon what sort of cellphone you are utilizing:

When you get the proper model to your cellphone and get by the preliminary setup, you may be about 90 seconds away from having your display screen mild up in numerous methods for various notifications — and with the ability to relaxation straightforward realizing you may by no means miss a very powerful incoming information.

And you have got some fascinating selections right here, too:

• You may have incoming notifications from sure apps create a hoop of sunshine across the digicam cutout on the high of your display screen so you may all the time see ’em, even when you do not hear the preliminary ding
• You may create a small LED-style dot on the high of your display screen for particular forms of alerts
• And you’ll arrange an unmissable full-screen define mild in any colour and elegance you prefer to affiliate with sure notifications

JR

You may customise all types of stuff about how your on-screen notification lights work, too. Three of my favourite choices are:

1. The power to specify which particular apps will trigger a notification mild to look. Not like Android 14’s under-development equal, this lets you restrict which apps set off that eye-catching impact — so, as an illustration, you’ll be able to have it occur with one thing essential like Slack or Gmail however not with each different provide you with a warning get
2. The power to develop previous apps and in addition give your self an on-screen notification mild for vital system occasions like a dangerously low battery
3. The power to pick what colour is used to your on-screen notification lights. Your best option, when you ask me, is to let AodNotify mechanically pull the first colour related to every app, as that makes it super-easy to know at a look what sort of alert is concerned

JR

AodNotify is free with an elective $5 improve for a few of its extra superior options. The app does not require any permissions past what’s wanted for its operation, and its developer (a well known and broadly trusted Android mainstay) says the software program does not accumulate, retailer, or share any method of person information.

Cool? Cool. However do not tune out but. We have another possibility to think about, and it is a good’un.

The Android 14-esque digicam flash alert

That first path is an ideal Android notification improve for most individuals — and it truly is an much more versatile and totally featured setup than what Google’s received cookin’ in Android 14 itself as of this second.

If you happen to actually wish to ensure that essential alerts catch your eye, although, there’s another selection value chewing over. And it is one thing that additionally ties in intently to one of many new Android 14 notification options.

It is a Missed Name Reminder app that makes it as straightforward as may be have your cellphone’s digicam flash mild up for incoming notifications — and never simply these from missed calls, both, regardless of what its title implies. Better of all? Similar to our first device, this one options a number of choices and customization potential that make it meaningfully higher than Android 14’s present native equal.

As soon as you’ve got received the app put in, you may end up dealing with a listing of default profiles for when the digicam flash ought to happen. (And a heads-up, by the way in which: Relying on the place you look, the app is usually often known as Prof Reminder as an alternative of Missed Name Reminders. Hey, all of us have the occasional identification disaster.)

JR

Faucet any profile to edit it and get all of it arrange to your personal particular functions. And when you aren’t planning to make use of any of these default profiles, remember to faucet the three-dot menu icon inside it and choose the choice to disable it totally, lest it operate while you least anticipate it and catch your poor unprepared peepers without warning.

You may create your personal new {custom} profile, too, which is the best technique to arrange a digicam flash alert for notifications from particular high-priority apps.

Missed Name Reminder is free to make use of in its base type, although a few of the extra superior choices — together with the flexibility to create {custom} digicam flash alerts for notifications from totally different apps — require a one-time $3 improve to unlock.

And there ya have it. We should still be months away from Android 14’s official arrival, however now, you’ll be able to have a style of one in every of its most fascinating under-development options this second — and you can also make your cellphone infinitely extra helpful because of this.

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