When Google announced Android L at Google I/O, one of the software’s biggest headline new features was its heads-up notifications. Allowing developers to give their apps notifications that fall down from the top of the screen rather than simply living in the status bar, heads-up notifications are similar to the way iOS handles incoming notifications, and are surely an improvement over what came before. Unfortunately, with the early versions of Android L only available for Nexus devices, everyone else is left out in the cold.
But this is Android, and the XDA-Developers forum exists, so there was only ever going to be one outcome – an app that brings heads-up notifications to Android without having to wait for that ‘L’ version everyone is talking about.
“Heads Up! notifications” is now available to buy in the Google Play Store for a dollar, though a version can be downloaded for free via the aforementioned XDA-Developers forum. If you do make use of it though, we’d heartily recommend picking up the paid-for release just to make sure the developer gets something for their work.
The app does more than just allow all apps to create heads-up notifications though, because sometimes that’s not quite what you want. “Heads Up! notifications” lets you add apps to a whitelist as well a filter out those apps that have constant notifications such as media apps. We’re looking at you, Google Music. If it wasn’t for that option alone, this little app would be a complete waste of time so well done to the developer there.
At only a dollar, or free, you really can’t complain at what “Heads Up! notifications” has to offer. It gives us all just a little taste of what Android L will bring when it becomes more widely available, and we have to admit that we’re liking what we’ve seen so far. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too long before we get our hands on Android L proper!
(Download: Heads Up! notifications for Android on the Play Store)
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