Help Does Android actually have notifications?

[JamieWantsHisiPhoneBack]

This sounds like a stupid question but given my expectations of what is allegedly a leading mobile OS I find myself asking it in a sadly serious manner. I recently read online that the Android notification system is far more advanced than the iOS one, but I'm guessing the writer has never owned either an Android or iOS phone. Apparently on Android a notification counts as something I see when I unlock my phone and open the 'notification center' - not a sound that notifies me something has happened on my phone.

So far I've noticed

There are no notification counters on the app icons except for the app store
Proper 'notifications' are only received for apps of the phone's choosing. E.g. I want all my apps that receive messages etc. to alert me when a message is received (through sound, vibration and an on screen notification [a clickable banner when unlocked, a slidable, middle of the screen banner when locked]) - but this doesn't happen.

I have downloaded SlideLock, which seems capable of offering proper screen lock notifications, yet if I unlock my phone (thereby acknowledging the notification) then lock it again without viewing what I was notified of, the notification is once again there on the lock screen.

I've tried several apps to get notification badges but all of them seem to require completely replacing my UI and running their own.

It seems like Android is missing out on pretty much the whole idea of a notification - to notify. Is there a single app that can provide me with a notifications centre rather than downloading multiple ones, and am I going to have to pay for it? I'm in absolute shock that there isn't such a system already implemented. What happens if somebody calls me, do I have to wait until I unlock my phone at some point during the day, look at the notifications centre and see that I received a phone call several hours ago? I bought an Android phone last week, had it stolen then it seems I made the mistake of buying another Android phone when I should have bought an iPhone. The last one was Android 5.0.1, this one I think is 4.4.2. Both have been Huawei.

Is there anything that can be done about it?

 

[El Presidente]

Don't your notifications appear in the pull down at the top of the screen?

Unless it's a Huawei thing, none of the Android phones I've had (from memory) behave in the way you're describing. Certainly my current handset doesn't. Until I clear or open the app the notification appears from, it appears in my notification pull down.

Re. the badges, you can't get something like that unless you install a custom launcher unfortunately. Some manufacturers allow this without a launcher, but not Huawei by the looks of things. It's not something that's a huge issue for me, I'm not a fan of the badges, but each to their own.

Try this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.igecelabs.android.MissedIt

It's not been updated in a while, but I've used it recently without issue.

If you're still on 4.4.2, you should be able to add that as a widget to your lock or home screen giving you an on screen view of any outstanding notifications.

 

[Jhayzone]

Yup, just like what EP said there is a notification panel by pulling down the top of your screen. Texts, e-mails, app notifications etc are all shown in the notification panel(they even show at the top of your screen for a brief moment every time you receive a notification). But the notification panel isn't really that important to me since my phone have a led light at the left top corner that flashes continuously when I receive a notification alert.

 

[mikedt]

Don't your notifications appear in the pull down at the top of the screen?

Unless it's a Huawei thing, none of the Android phones I've had (from memory) behave in the way you're describing. Certainly my current handset doesn't. Until I clear or open the app the notification appears from, it appears in my notification pull down.

Re. the badges, you can't get something like that unless you install a custom launcher unfortunately. Some manufacturers allow this without a launcher, but not Huawei by the looks of things. It's not something that's a huge issue for me, I'm not a fan of the badges, but each to their own.

Probably is actually. Huawei has a heavily modified, customized and skinned version of Android, like many Chinese phones do, theirs is called EMUI. So I think the OP's complaints are more about EMUI, than Android in general.
http://emui.huawei.com/en/

 

[chanchan05]

It depends on the phone actually. You can't blame the OS (Android) for something that your phone does because each manufacturer has it's own UI which differs in feature set from others. The UI of Samsung phones for example, allow the notification badges on the icons with notifications.

Also, notification sounds are controlled per app, but by default they should be active. All apps that give notifications have a an alert sound. You could try checking in that particular app's settings if it is enabled.

A phone call should take over the UI like any other phone does. You get a full screen call notification with the answer and cancel call buttons, as well as the picture of the contact if you have one, and the name.

Honestly I've never experienced any of your issues, and is probably limited to Huawei's implementation of their UI. Not all Androids are created the same. Each manufacturer has the leeway to alter the UI and other aesthetic functions of the OS. Practically the only things similar between Android phones of differing brands is that they share the same app store. I've handled a Lenovo device, and an Asus device, while owning Samsung devices, all running Android. In some parts of the phone's menus and UI, even if they were all running the same Android version, stuff were very much different.

You can probably compare Android devices to the current generation of the GT86 cars. There is one made by Subaru, and another made by Toyota. They look similar, but with enough differences to tell them apart. They run the same engine. But there are enough differences in the tuning, the suspensions, the braking implementation, the interiors and handling to know you are driving different cars. In an Android, not everything you see on your Huawei is applicable to all Androids. The OS may be the same, but enough alteration has been made by the manufacturer to make it an entirely different beast from one made by say, Samsung or HTC.