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ELI5: Why did LED notification lights silently got removed from phone? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
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They were a good indicator for notifications that are missed when you were away from phone.

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[–] 73 points 3 years ago (2 children)

I also love notification LEDs.

I'm pretty sure the main reason for them disappearing is the displays extending all the way to to edge. There isn't any room left where to place it.

Also, on phones with always-on display, you can use the display to show notifications, the led is redundant.

But still, I find them really useful and am sad to see them being phased out.

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  • [–] 16 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    My phone does not have a LED notification light. It does however have a little green LED hidden near the front facing camera which is within the screen area. This light comes on only when using the front facing camera and I assume is some kind of indicator light. Why this can't be dual purpose or why another LED or even small sections of screen can't be used for notifications is beyond me.

    I think the real reason they removed the notification light is to make people use their phones more. Now instead of a glance to see a light I actually have to touch my screen which could allow additional scans of my figerprints or face and could contribute to data tracking when I am most active on my phone.

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  • [+] 25 points 3 years ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)
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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago

    I didn't think of this use case of the light. I honestly just assumed that most cameras would be able to bypass the light and record you anyway because I have very little trust left in big tech companies. Either way with our screen advancements it should be possible to embed a small LED or use a small section of screen for notification lights.

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