Harness iOS 10’s improved notifications

Learn how to stay informed of events and remain on top of things with Alan Stonebridge.

There are several ways to keep up to date with what’s been happening while you were working in apps or when you haven’t been looking at your device at all. The basics of notifications haven’t changed a great deal in iOS 10. They still appear for a moment in a strip across the top of the screen when your device is unlocked, accumulate in Notification Centre and shown on the Lock screen (so you can attend to any you might have ignored or missed from one place later on) and display numbered counts on apps’ Home screen icons to remind you of how many missed events you’ve got to catch up on.

When dealing with notifications in iOS 10, you’ll find yourself jumping from banners, the Lock screen and Notification Centre into apps to deal with things far less. That’s because the updated operating system enables apps to provide more than just a bit of text and a few actions you might take in response. So, for example, when you receive a text message, as well as responding to it in place, like in iOS 9, you can scroll back through your conversation to check what was previously said.

These capabilities apply to third-party apps from the App Store too, not just Apple’s own, and they provide you with much greater control without the need to yank you out of whatever app you’re in the middle of using.

Notifications work largely the same across all iOS devices. If your iPhone is a 6s/6s Plus or 7/7 Plus, though, 3D Touch provides you with a more consistent experience for dealing with things quickly from one place.

LOOKING AHEAD INSTEAD

Notice that there are no longer tabs at the top of Notification Centre for moving between the Today view and Notifications. The Today view is still present, though: you only have to swipe right on Notification Centre to find it. So, on a Plus-size iPhone, you can reach and interact with the Today view much more easily while using your device one-handed. The Today view is also available at the Lock screen, where you don’t even have to open Notification Centre to see it.

Finally, after you’ve configured an app in ‘ Settings > Notifications’, tap its name in the bottom group at the top level of Settings; often the same controls are repeated here, but occasionally you’ll find extras. Also check any configuration page within the app itself, as is the case with Facebook.