Question Which old smartphone feature do you miss most?

[hanitakashi]

I was always a fan of the colorful led light that we used to get for notifications especially the xperia one where we could trigger different led color for missed calls, notifications etc. It was so easy to guess just by looking at the led and prioritize. Plus it was a cute feature.

Do you miss any old smartphone feature?

 

[Bkdodger1]

I miss the old BlackBerry although today I wouldn't want to type on a physical keyboard that was something about using those phones and typing away.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I liked the squeeze feature on some of the older PIxel phones that would bring up Google Assistant.

 

[joeldf]

I miss the notification LED the way BlackBerry implemented it. Samsung had one until the S10 series, but it was less versatile and way too dim.

 

[belodion]

I rather liked the practice of having displays uninterrupted by holes and other such things. What a clever idea that was.

 

[mustang7757]

Led notifications for sure

 

[Laura Knotek]

I miss the hand movements on the OG Moto X that let you do different things by holding your phone and moving your hand a certain way.

 

[dangerousfen]

As others have said, LED notifications like on my old BlackBerry's.
I dug out an old 9900 from my museum drawer recently and it amazed me how I ever managed to type on that keyboard but I loved it back in the day.

 

[BerryBubbles]

As others have said, LED notifications like on my old BlackBerry's.
I dug out an old 9900 from my museum drawer recently and it amazed me how I ever managed to type on that keyboard but I loved it back in the day.

I had my 9900 out last week & what amazes me is that I type better on the 9900 physical keyboard than the modern on screen keyboards. (It's sad actually )

The LED notifications would catch my eye from across the room. They were bright!

 

[dangerousfen]

I had my 9900 out last week & what amazes me is that I type better on the 9900 physical keyboard than the modern on screen keyboards. (It's sad actually )

The LED notifications would catch my eye from across the room. They were bright!

Has the rubber backing on your 9900 become sticky?

 

[BerryBubbles]

Has the rubber backing on your 9900 become sticky?

This is my Bold 9900. I just brought it out to check. It's been in a shell protector. After removing the case, I can feel where it's going to be sticky. The rubber edge is becoming soft & leaves an imprint of my fingernail when I poke it.
It's on it's way...

 

[dangerousfen]

This is my Bold 9900. I just brought it out to check. It's been in a shell protector. After removing the case, I can feel where it's going to be sticky. The rubber edge is becoming soft & leaves an imprint of my fingernail when I poke it.
It's on it's way...
View attachment 369483

My 9900 backing is so bad now it literally sticks to my hand. For the last 11 years it's sat in my drawer in the Blackberry wallet case. I've tried many things to cure it but to no avail.

 

[BerryBubbles]

My 9900 backing is so bad now it literally sticks to my hand. For the last 11 years it's sat in my drawer in the Blackberry wallet case. I've tried many things to cure it but to no avail.

That's so sad. I've had items where the rubber became tacky & was never able to remedy the condition.

I guess I know what to expect soon.

 

[Mooncatt]

I rather liked the practice of having displays uninterrupted by holes and other such things. What a clever idea that was.

That was the best, and thankfully a few still offer that.

I would also love to see a return of user replaceable batteries.

The notification LED depends for me. I hate OLED screens, but at least those can allow for an on screen notification as a trade off. I would like to go back to dependable IPS screens, and then I would want a notification LED.

 

[Dennis Jay]

I completely agree about the LED notification lights—they were super handy for prioritizing responses at a glance. I also miss physical keyboards on smartphones, like those on older BlackBerry models. Typing felt more precise, and the tactile feedback was satisfying. It’s interesting to see how design trends evolve, but some of those features really added a unique touch to the mobile experience.

 

[Zoran]

I also miss LED lights for notifications. My Motorola G8 Powerlite had that, and it was pretty nice.

 

[tube517]

Detachable battery, 3.5 mm headphone jack, led notification light, FM radio capabilities

 

[Zoran]

Detachable battery, 3.5 mm headphone jack, led notification light, FM radio capabilities

My A12 still has 3.5 mm jack and FM radio.