Apple’s iOS 5 release date is finally here today. I’m really excited to see how the new Notification Center will replace one of the worst elements in iOS 5.
Android handles Notifications better than iOS 4, but Apple seems to have captured the Notification Center, the place where you see all your reminders, alarms, email notifications, and more.
On both iPad and iPhone, you will see a small bar at the top of the screen when you receive a notification called an alert. You can scroll down from the top and a list will appear with all your notifications categorized by type.
For example, you’ll see To Do reminders in one section, appointment notifications in another, and email messages in the third. Other types of notifications will include text messages or app messages. we manage reminds you that your beans are ready for harvest.
iPhone iOS 5 Notification Drawer
You won’t be interrupted by a notification that pops up beforehand, interrupting everything you do with iOS 4. In iOS 5, the notification flashes at the top of the screen, but keeps you working. You can scroll down to learn more later or do it now.
Notification Center lets you tap each notification to go to that item. Click on the calendar entry to open the iOS calendar or the text message to open Messages.
In addition to notifications, you can see weather and stocks.
You will also see your notifications on the iOS 5 lock screen. If you get a voicemail, press the home button and your phone will wake up. Swipe the Phone app icon to quickly navigate to your voicemail. Swipe other notifications to quickly deal with them too. That way, you don’t have to swipe the unlock button, open the app and then fiddle with the notification.
The new Notification Center saves you time and simplifies operations.
Set which apps can use Notification Center in Settings
Fortunately, Apple has added some user customizations on the iOS 5 Settings page. You can find them if you touch them. The notifications screen lets you choose which apps can use the new feature.
Change how Notification Center behaves in Settings
You can also toggle the feature on and off, tell it how many times it will show and whether to include Badge Icons, Previews and repeat the Alert. If you don’t want them on your Lock Screen, you can turn it off too.
The style of alerts can be changed as a header at the top, a popup alert similar to the old system, or no alert at all. To turn any of these features on or off, simply tap the On/Off icons as you see in the iPad version above.
The video below shows how the iOS 5 Notification center works, allowing you to get subtle notifications and swipe down to view notifications when you’re ready.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=LLJIef-e-7g#t=47s
This new Notification Center catches up iOS to Android. Whether you’re upgrading your iPad or older iPhone or getting a new iPhone 4S when it launches Friday, users will find it a welcome upgrade.
