Messaging ideas

[Ipheuria]

I know everyone always complains about the notification/messaging system on the iPhone. I've been thinking about it and I did a little mock up of my ideas let me know what you guys think? Also post up your ideas of what you would like for the notification system, don't just say like android or palm LOL but just describe your view of how it would act and look.

What I would like is for the messaging system to not be so obtrussive. We know you can use the taskbar at the top just from using it for SBSettings on JB phones. Then with OS 4 and freeze states my idea would be to use the taskbar for messaging instead of the home button so that whatever app you have running would remain running. So here is my idea of the messaging system:

You would still get small messages as you do now but it would breifly appear on your screen for 5 seconds just incase you wanted to respond right away. Then it would go away and have a representation in the taskbar

or

the taskbar would turn red and remain that way to remind you that you have messages waiting with the bubble or reminder on the taskbar.

When you are ready to check or reply to your messages you would tap the taskbar and you would get an overlay of the messages sorted by sender. You could scroll up and down through the messages to choose what to reply to and also if there are more than one message from a sender to see the whole conversation instead of answering each message.

you tap a message and you would get the message with the answer area just like you do now. I forgot to include the message button this would enable you to get back out to the messages incase you tapped the wrong one etc. There would be an edit button incase you wanted to forward the message to other contacts.

When you tap in the answer bar you would get the keyboard like you do now, write your reply and send which would then take you back to the messages and all messages from the contact would be be flagged as read and so only the un-answered ones would be showing on the screen and the message bubble count would change to reflect this.

If you didn't want to answer any more messages you tap the taskbar and the messages go away leaving you at your app which has been open the whole time behind the overlay of messages. If you want to do more hardcore messaging options you start the messaging app just like now. I like it because it takes away closing the app you're currently in, it allows you to ignore the messages until you're done what you're doing and it's saves you from clicking the home button when you're done with the messages and then starting the app when you're ready to resume. What do you guys think? What are your ideas of your ideal system?

 

[Ipheuria]

No feedback??? even negative criticism. I definately thought with all the talk of missing a better notification system in OS 4 this was going to be a hot topic

 

[big9erfan]

For the task bar, icons are far better than words. I simple chat bubble for sms / IMs and an envelope for mail would suffice. Perhaps something as simple as a exclamation point within a circle to note that there are awaiting messages and you can tap that to bring up a window within whatever app you are in to list them.

I'm not sure if you'd want the messages sorted by sender by default, but perhaps as an option. I think by default you'd want them in the order received, but maybe that's just me. The way you have it mocked up there, it gets a little much. Either completely block what's behind or make the text window smaller as to not take up the full screen.

Have you seen how Grip for iPhone works?

 

[sting7k]

Put a number like a badge on an icon in the task bar. When you touch it a panel drops down with a list of all notifications, and maybe a preview and a mini icon of the corresponding app. Touch the icon to launch the app, with multitasking it should be fast. One edit button at the top right then you can clear all or delete individually, should clear automatically if you launch into the app from where it came. List them in the order received, for gods sake time stamp them all.

 

[Ipheuria]

my mock up was just a rough idea of what I had going on in my head which is why there is no timestamp it's not something I had any intention of producing but was a graphical representation of what I would want and to get the ball rolling. The reason I thought having them sorted by sender is if they are mixed you'd have to scroll through the whole list to see the convo or you'd have to reply to the last one without knowing the convo. I was just thinking of something fast and simple not launching into the actual App but leaving that for when you want to do more comprehensive messaging. All in all it's just a rough idea that I thought of for the past two days so there are alot of things that might not make sense doing it that way. I haven't used Grip I will def have to look it up.

 

[Jellotime91]

The status bar stuff you've done is a little too small and hard to tap. The lockscreen stuff is a little cluttered and repetitive.

I really don't know how Apple is going to handle their notification problem without copying android or webos...

 

[Ipheuria]

I really have no idea how they will change it but I hope they do something with it. I don't know if they think now that OS 4 has frozen state it will make it better. I guess we'll have to wait and see what they decide to do.

 

[peanutgallery]

Hopefully they decide to do something. I know they won't, but I for one wouldn't be upset if they copied Android. I love the drag down status bar it uses.

 

[BriDroid]

As the venerable Steve has said before, Apple won't do it until they can do it better than everyone else. Right?

 

[Ipheuria]

I don't mind if they do it better but damn Steve give us good enough for now until better comes along

 

[Jellotime91]

I don't mind if they do it better but damn Steve give us good enough for now until better comes along

That's not what apple does haha..
In fact I think Push Notifications as a whole IS the "good enough for now" solution. For a while we didn't even have it at all, even though it was promised...