Joanna Stern on the Pixel 11 ‘HiLight’ Notification Light
Joanna Stern, writing The New Thing (gift link): I used to love the blinking notification light on my BlackBerry, and later my Droid 2. It was a simple way to know I had a message without actually looking at my messages. Then BlackBerry let you customize the color, and it was a rainbow dream. Google’s HiLight takes it a step further by letting you assign different colors to VIP contacts. So when…
In a story about the Google Pixel 11's "HiLight" notification feature, Joanna Stern from The New Thing explores the concept of a customizable notification light that changes color based on VIP contacts. While Stern appreciates the visual aspect of the feature when her phone is face down, she notes that it initially only works for phone calls.
Google has promised to expand the feature to messaging notifications in the future. However, the current limitation is seen as odd, especially considering the vibrant color options for Google's AI assistant, Gemini. Stern, who no longer uses a case or puts her phone face down to avoid scratches, expresses skepticism about the Pixel 11's implementation of the HiLight feature.
She criticizes Google for launching a phone with a blinking light that only supports phone calls, suggesting it is a poor execution of the concept.
Written by urgent.news from Daring Fireball's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
