Notification testing from server

Low-tech notifications you already know

The ringing of a telephone, a flashing traffic sign, or the sound of a doorbell are ways you know something is happening. These sounds and lights get your attention, and although we don't often 
them notifications, they are a way of interrupting you and letting you know something is happening; someone's calling you on the phone, you need to pay attention to something on the road, or a person is waiting for you to answer the door.

We're used to things that make sounds, like the ding of a microwave, and we know that our food is finished cooking when we hear that sound. You might have the option to adjust the volume on a telephone, or turn off the ring tone entirely, or have a phone that has a flashing light when a call is coming in. And even if it rings, you have the option just to ignore it until it stops ringing. You know all of these options because you're familiar with telephone technology and know what the various notifications from a phone mean.

Computers and mobile devices like smartphones use sounds, symbols, and other options for getting your attention, all of which fall under the category of notifications. So now that we understand a little better just what a notification is let's take a look at a few of the types of notifications and focus on smartphones, which display several different types of notifications.

Lock screen and push notifications

One of the most frequent notifications is one that appears on a smartphone when a new text message arrives. Text messaging is commonly used for quick conversations, so one of your contacts might want to get your attention so you can exchange messages. The person starting the conversation sends you a text message, and the message appears on your smartphone home screen, getting your attention so you can reply quickly. The test message often appears when your smartphone is locked, when the screen is dark. If you're using another app on your smartphone, the text message usually appears on the screen over the app.

The type of message displayed on a smartphone screen when it is locked or asleep is called a lock screen notification, also known as Alert on iOS devices. On both Apple and Android this type of message requires you to act before you can move on, so if an alert appears on your screen, it stays there until you dismiss it or reply to it. The need to act is called an “action” which means the notification will remain in place until you do something like read, reply, or dismiss the message.

You also might hear a tone or vibration if the notification is setup to both appear on the screen and make a sound or vibration. The combination of a visual alert and a sound is an effective way for the messaging app to make sure you don't ignore a message from someone. You can choose to reply to the text message or not, but some action on your part is required.

When your smartphone is in silent or muted mode, the notifications that make a sound usually create a vibration. Un-mute the smartphone and notifications will return to playing a sound. Some notifications might combine the tone and vibration depending on the settings for the notification. We'll look at settings later, but let's learn about other types of notifications.