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Messages.app gets cross-device notifications just right (ericdfields.com)

3 points by efields ↗ HN
TL;DR:

When typing in Messages.app, iCloud knows your in Messages.app. When typing on the iPad, iCloud knows your on the iPad. When you're engaged in a conversation on one device, the other devices do not get notified of new messages. This avoids cross-device notification flares currently experienced by calendar alerts, which makes for an especially noisey 9:55 AM for me.

Now say you're working, working, working and Messages.app is out of focus. At this point, iCloud doesn't know what you're up to. A new message comes in. Since iCloud doesn't know what you've done since the conversation stopped it notifies all your devices.

You're still in OS X so you reply to the message via Messages.app. Now you've got notifications to dismiss on your iOS devices, right? Total first-world bummer, right? Nope: iCloud dismisses the notifications across devices once the conversation picks up again.

No extra X-ing out of things. No burnt seconds of your life. Just gets rid of them because it knows you've started talking again.

2 comments

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[dead] efields
TL;DR:

When typing in Messages.app, iCloud knows your in Messages.app. When typing on the iPad, iCloud knows your on the iPad. When you're engaged in a conversation on one device, the other devices do not get notified of new messages. This avoids cross-device notification flares currently experienced by calendar alerts, which makes for an especially noisey 9:55 AM for me.

Now say you're working, working, working and Messages.app is out of focus. At this point, iCloud doesn't know what you're up to. A new message comes in. Since iCloud doesn't know what you've done since the conversation stopped it notifies all your devices.

You're still in OS X so you reply to the message via Messages.app. Now you've got notifications to dismiss on your iOS devices, right? Total first-world bummer, right? Nope: iCloud dismisses the notifications across devices once the conversation picks up again.

No extra X-ing out of things. No burnt seconds of your life. Just gets rid of them because it knows you've started talking again.

EDIT: Attempted to blockquote, failed.

pkulak
That's nice and all, except that I can't add my phone number to my Messages account, so anyone with a mobile devise can only send messages to my phone. Unless they sent a "text" to my email address, which I'm sure people do all the time.