For those that switched from iPhone 5S (RE: Notifications)

[jaketoggle]

Hi,

So I'm bored with my iPhone 5S but I'll be damned if it doesn't do everything I need it to do and does it very, very well. Notifications and the lock screen are very important to me and I flat out love the way iOS 7 does it. All of my notifications show on the lock screen and I can swipe to get to any of them. Fast, simple, and intuitive. All I have to do is touch either the home button or the lock button to see these. I can even read most of them (Mail, Text, etc.) right from the locks screen without having to unlock the phone at all. This is huge to me. I can access the notification shade from the lock screen too to see any pending notifications from earlier that I no longer see on the lock screen. And with the finger print scanner, I can bypass my work mandated pin in a half second to get right into anything.

Anyway, I am intrigued by the active notifications on the Moto X but I'm really struggling to see how this is better than the way iOS7 does it. I understand it blinks at me when I'm not touching it, but I still have to touch it to actually read the whole message from then lock screen. And my understanding is, I can only preview the last message anyway. And there's no longer a colored blinking LED (that I used to love with Light Flow, using different colors for different apps - very disappointing they are going away from this - why would they do this?). So it seems like I can do less than what I can do with iOS7. With either phone, I still have to touch the device. Am I wrong here? Am I missing something? Can I access the notification shade from the lock screen on the Moto X if I have a 6 digit pin?

I love everything I'm reading about the Moto X. But I'm thinking it might not even be worth it if the lock screen notifications don't work as nicely and extensively as they do on iOS7.

Any thoughts or insights from those coming from iOS or the iPhone 5S would be greatly appreciated.

Again, the Moto X just feels like the android device to own. I miss android but iOS7 does so many things easily. Can you tell I'm torn?

Thanks!

 

[Haalcyon]

Aaaaaah, you're Android/Moto-curious. Well, the Moto X is a great (re)entry point. Why not audition one for up to 13 days and return it if not duly impressed? I think its worth the $30-$35 audition fee.

N7

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I think the biggest reason to move to Android is all the customization options (widgets, themes, etc.) and true multitasking.

As far as notifications go, Android and the Moto X handle them just as well as iOS. Active notifications is a feature designed for quick access to notifications and to save battery life. Only the notification area lights up if you're using an AMOLED screen.

You can also have several lock screen pages that you view by swiping to the left of the lock screen. Just a different way of viewing notifications/info.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jaketoggle]

I do that often with android devices, just want to get some feedback first before I put $500+ on the credit card to "rent" this phone

 

[jaketoggle]

I think the biggest reason to move to Android is all the customization options (widgets, themes, etc.) and true multitasking.

As far as notifications go, Android and the Moto X handle them just as well as iOS. Active notifications is a feature designed for quick access to notifications and to save battery life. Only the notification area lights up if you're using an AMOLED screen.

You can also have several lock screen pages that you view by swiping to the left of the lock screen. Just a different way of viewing notifications/info.

Posted via Android Central App

Thanks for the feedback. I understand the AMOLED aspect but ultimately I still have to push the screen or a button to really preview what my notifications are. And it looks like I can preview only my last notification. On iOS, I can preview most messages right there from the lock screen. And I can access the notification shade without unlocking and without entering my pin. Can I do either of these things on the Moto X? The unit I played with at the Verizon store wouldn't let me lock the screen to test it out...

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Thanks for the feedback. I understand the AMOLED aspect but ultimately I still have to push the screen or a button to really preview what my notifications are. And it looks like I can preview only my last notification. On iOS, I can preview most messages right there from the lock screen. And I can access the notification shade without unlocking and without entering my pin. Can I do either of these things on the Moto X? The unit I played with at the Verizon store wouldn't let me lock the screen to test it out...

You would have to enter a pin, pattern or use face unlock. The Ok Google Now command also doesn't work when a pin or one of the other lock options are used.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[KWKSLVR]

You would have to enter a pin, pattern or use face unlock. The Ok Google Now command also doesn't work when a pin or one of the other lock options are used.

Posted via Android Central App

Trusted Bluetooth kind of takes care of that.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jaketoggle]

I think the biggest reason to move to Android is all the customization options (widgets, themes, etc.) and true multitasking.

As far as notifications go, Android and the Moto X handle them just as well as iOS. Active notifications is a feature designed for quick access to notifications and to save battery life. Only the notification area lights up if you're using an AMOLED screen.

You can also have several lock screen pages that you view by swiping to the left of the lock screen. Just a different way of viewing notifications/info.

Posted via Android Central App

You would have to enter a pin, pattern or use face unlock. The Ok Google Now command also doesn't work when a pin or one of the other lock options are used.

Posted via Android Central App

Thanks for the info. That's disappointing. I was hoping there was still a way to access the notification shade if there is a pin lock. Hmmm..

 

[jaketoggle]

I think the biggest reason to move to Android is all the customization options (widgets, themes, etc.) and true multitasking.

As far as notifications go, Android and the Moto X handle them just as well as iOS. Active notifications is a feature designed for quick access to notifications and to save battery life. Only the notification area lights up if you're using an AMOLED screen.

You can also have several lock screen pages that you view by swiping to the left of the lock screen. Just a different way of viewing notifications/info.

Posted via Android Central App

Trusted Bluetooth kind of takes care of that.

Posted via Android Central App

Trusted Bluetooth sounds intriguing! My understanding is the phone doesn't need a pin when using a trusted Bluetooth. Does this then allow access to the notification shade from the lock screen?

 

[ericizzy1]

i moved from iphone 5 to yhr moto x because on verizon (and sprint) moto x can do voice and 4g data at the same time which the iphone cant. i found the moto x to be better in almost every field, if its sppeed, radio connectivity, larger screen, touchless control, notifications, you name it. you would love it and wont look back. btw, still using an ipad air and loving it

 

[jaketoggle]

I think the biggest reason to move to Android is all the customization options (widgets, themes, etc.) and true multitasking.

As far as notifications go, Android and the Moto X handle them just as well as iOS. Active notifications is a feature designed for quick access to notifications and to save battery life. Only the notification area lights up if you're using an AMOLED screen.

You can also have several lock screen pages that you view by swiping to the left of the lock screen. Just a different way of viewing notifications/info.

Posted via Android Central App

i moved from iphone 5 to yhr moto x because on verizon (and sprint) moto x can do voice and 4g data at the same time which the iphone cant. i found the moto x to be better in almost every field, if its sppeed, radio connectivity, larger screen, touchless control, notifications, you name it. you would love it and wont look back. btw, still using an ipad air and loving it

Great to hear. I've watched so many reviews and it seems like there's a ton to love. But for me, the lock screen notifications (ability to preview all of them at once and easily slide into the app), access to the notification shade from the lock screen (even with a pin), and fingerprint to unlock might be too awesome to switch. I guess there's only one way to find out I guess I'm hoping to hear from folks that find these things important from the 5S that were able to overcome them or compensate for them with the Moto X.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback!

 

[Infinity]

Ironically the two things that prevent me from considering iOS is lack of widgets and how iOS does notifications. I can't stand that if you miss the initial vibrate / sound on iOS the only way you would know you missed a call or got an email is to wake up the phone and check.

Regardless, it sounds like you are pleased with how iOS does things and the fingerprint scanner, so I would suggest you stick with what is working for you.

 

[enik]

A lot if the reason that the active display is a lot better than the standard led or lock screen notifications is because it actually tells you something without having to turn on your phone. With anything else you need to turn on the screen, which kicks the processor up, and consumes more battery. Its as much of a battery saving feature as it is an excellent way to get notificationd

Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk

 

[jaketoggle]

A lot if the reason that the active display is a lot better than the standard led or lock screen notifications is because it actually tells you something without having to turn on your phone. With anything else you need to turn on the screen, which kicks the processor up, and consumes more battery. Its as much of a battery saving feature as it is an excellent way to get notificationd

Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk

I really like that part of it but ultimately you still have to turn on the screen to see more info about the notification right? So if the phone is on my night stand and I look over, I'm assuming I would be able to see the Gmail app icon pop up. From across the room, I probably wouldn't right? Where I would be able to see a purple pulsing LED for example (thus again, the disappointment of them removing the LED). With iOS, yeah I can't tell either way, so that part sucks. But either way I still have to touch the phone to preview the notification.

Again, I'm more or less trying to figure how I'm going to adjust without being able to see a preview or all my notifications from the lock screen, maybe having the blinking active display will prove to be better I'll probably buy this thing, but again I sure appreciate the feedback, especially from former iPhone 5S or iOS users.

 

[enik]

I really like that part of it but ultimately you still have to turn on the screen to see more info about the notification right? So if the phone is on my night stand and I look over, I'm assuming I would be able to see the Gmail app icon pop up. From across the room, I probably wouldn't right? Where I would be able to see a purple pulsing LED for example (thus again, the disappointment of them removing the LED). With iOS, yeah I can't tell either way, so that part sucks. But either way I still have to touch the phone to preview the notification.

Again, I'm more or less trying to figure how I'm going to adjust without being able to see a preview or all my notifications from the lock screen, maybe having the blinking active display will prove to be better I'll probably buy this thing, but again I sure appreciate the feedback, especially from former iPhone 5S or iOS users.

But if you know if its an email, text, or even a weather update you can decide what you want to do with it. That and most people don't necessarily remember what every color led light means, along with the fact that some phones only have tricolored lights not a full spectrum of colors.

Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk

 

[ultravisitor]

If you want to view all of your notifications in a way that is similar to iPhone notifications, you can always turn off active notifications and use Dash Clock.

 

[jaketoggle]

But if you know if its an email, text, or even a weather update you can decide what you want to do with it. That and most people don't necessarily remember what every color led light means, along with the fact that some phones only have tricolored lights not a full spectrum of colors.

Sent from my XT1056 using Tapatalk

Very good point.

I've always used Nexus or Samsung devices that had multi colored LED's so Light Flow was a huge friend of mine in the past.

I think at this point I might be more frustrated about not being able to access the notification shade from the lock screen with a pin so any tips on that part would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ShoelerDroid]

Trusted Bluetooth sounds intriguing! My understanding is the phone doesn't need a pin when using a trusted Bluetooth. Does this then allow access to the notification shade from the lock screen?

When a trusted bluetooth device is within range, the power button brings you directly to the homescreen, and the slide of the active notification does too - no lockscreen at all.

 

[jaketoggle]

When a trusted bluetooth device is within range, the power button brings you directly to the homescreen, and the slide of the active notification does too - no lockscreen at all.

Nice! That is extremely useful!

 

[richard_rsp]

I will put in my 2 cents. I was on an iPhone 5 (not 5c) and recently switched to At&t, so I thought it would be a good time to try Android again (I have tried several Android devices in past years, but keep coming back to iDevices). This time, I tried and HTC one, which I really liked, but ultimately returned it and swapped it for a MotoX.

Here is my feel on the MotoX: so far, it's pretty good, but not unbelievable. Android still doesn't make sense at times, but it's just different (why do I have an app for phone and another for voicemail?? Etc...)

As far as the notifications, i do like them. The screen discretely lights up and "breathes" on and off. It's also nice because you can "peek" at the first few lines of a message without fully opening the phone. More awesomely, the phone auto lights up the time when you remove it from your pocket. A very cool feature for those of us who use the phone as clocks.

Car mode is pretty cool (it activates automatically while driving), and asks to read your messages. Only negative is that you can't respond via text using your voice, rather it sends a message letting the texter that you are driving.

I have used the 'Always Listening' a few times; it was nice when I was cooking and had my hands full.

I don't really use widgets, so that 'benefit' is lost on me... Battery life is ok. Currently I have 29% remaining and I have had 4hrs 55 mins of screen time over 14hrs 19 mins since I took it off the charger.

Things I don't like: camera sucks at indoor pictures, AMOLED screen isn't as nice as the HTC one (or iPhone), sound quality is fair over headphones.

Overall, It's okay. I'm not 100% sold, and am contemplating going back to the HTC one (if I can deal with the battery life and not auto car mode). But I may just stick it out. Hope that helps!