GlintHow to get a notification light on an Android phone without an LED
Older phones had a small LED that blinked when something was waiting. Most phones today have no LED, because the front is almost all screen. You can get the same glance back in software: a light on the edge of the screen. Here is how to set one up with Glint in about a minute.
Step by step
- Install Glint. Install Glint from Google Play and open it. Glint is coming soon to Google Play, and this guide will link to it the day it is live.
- Allow notification access. Tap Allow on the first row. Android opens its notification access page, where you switch Glint on. Glint reads notifications only from the apps you add, to draw the light.
- Allow Display over other apps. Tap Allow on the second row and switch Glint on. This lets Glint draw the light on top of the screen. It never blocks your taps.
- Add your first app. On the home screen tap Add app, pick one you want to hear from, such as WhatsApp, then choose a colour, an edge and a style.
- Press Try it on this phone. The editor fires a real test light so you can see exactly how it will look and adjust the size before you save.
WhatsApp2
Slack1Why phones lost the notification LED
Phones gave up the front LED as screens grew to the edges. There was simply no room left for a small dot, and with it went a way of knowing something was waiting without picking the phone up.
What people missed was never the light itself. It was the calm of not unlocking the phone to find out it was nothing.
What are the other options?
An always-on display shows icons for waiting notifications, but you have to look at it closely. Some phones also have edge lighting, which plays a short animation when a notification arrives and then stops.
Glint keeps a flat coloured light on the screen edge for as long as the notification is waiting. Each app, and each person, can have a different colour, so you know who it is from across a desk.
Does it work with the screen off or locked?
On the lock screen the lights stay on over a black screen with the clock and a list of who is waiting. With Glint Pro the screen can also wake dimly for 15 seconds when something arrives, and it stays dark when the phone is in a pocket. You can hide message text while the phone is locked, so it shows who, never what.
Tips
The light disappears after a while
Some phones close background apps to save battery. Open Glint's health check on the home screen. It shows which battery setting to change. On Samsung phones the optional Battery step keeps the lights on time.
I want a break from the lights
Tap Pause 1 hour on the home screen, or use the Quick Settings tile. Every light turns off and comes back by itself.
What Glint reads. Glint reads notifications only from the apps you add, to draw the light and fill the peek panel. It does not save notification text and does not send it anywhere. Privacy policy.